March 19, 2009

Feast of St. Joseph + Pray for us to love Christ with your love, dear St. Joseph!

It seems to me, that we have entered a new phase in the battle of life, almost like the fever pitch of a final battle with the enemy.  An enemy who for the past many years had overcome and taken the fort, and except for a few resistant warriors, seemed to have won the war. Then, on the horizon, it sees reinforcements approaching, carrying weapons that will assuredly defeat it, and so now, the enemy becomes frightened, and with all of its vigor, attempts to destroy everything it can, before it is destroyed.

No matter where I turn lately, I encounter folks who are suffering the most extreme and painful trials, my family included. Most agree that these sufferings are amongst the greatest they have ever encountered… for some it is an illness or economic loss.  For others it is suffering blows from hands which should uphold, and this betrayal and injustice can be the greatest pain of all, a real martyrdom. 

Yet this cross is our victory. Yes!  You see, I think what is happening, is the wheat is being divided from the chaff.  We are each being given a great test.  Just as Adam and Eve had to prove they were worthy of Paradise by enduring a test and proving their love of God’s Will over their own, so are we.  We are being asked by Christ, “Will you take up your cross and follow Me? Will you deny your will and embrace Mine?  Are you serving Me, or the world? When you are being crucified by another, will you do as I did and forgive them? Or will you do as the heathen do and strike them back, only loving those who love you? Only when you do as I do, are you worthy of Me.”

How many of us today are truly worthy of the name we bear: “Christian”?  Who is a real Christian? The very name “Christian” implies one who follows Christ.  In the early days, a Christian stood out because of his great love for his neighbor. It was amazing to the world, this kind of love, and it drew them as bees to honey, to Christ. “A new commandment I give unto you: That you love one another, as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this shall all men know that you are my disciple, if you have love one for another.”

Do we love one another? Do we? Even our enemies? Especially our enemies? Stop and look. Do we do to them what we do to our friends? With those we love, we are slow to anger, we have misunderstandings, but these are followed by forgiveness and a working things out.  Does our treatment of our loved ones match that of those we are not so inclined to love? If they don’t match, there is a problem.  And if this is the case, then we are not followers of Christ, and so we are not Christian, but a follower of the world, and we all know who runs it!

Let us follow the example of the saints. St. Therese was greatly bothered by a certain nun, yet instead of allowing this to separate them, she treated this sister in such a manner, that she was convinced she was St. Therese’ best friend! St. Maria Goretti’s mother is another beautiful example. The young man who murdered her daughter, cruelly stabbing her multiple times, leaving her to die upon the kitchen floor, was mothered by her in prison with great kindness and love! To such an extent, he became a religious brother, and joined her at the canonization of her daughter. Wow! Now that is a follower of Christ.

Could we say the same of ourselves? Do we treat those who hurt us in a similar manner? If not, how then can we say we are followers of Christ? That we are Christian? Let us listen to Our Lord in Chapter 6 of St. Luke:

“Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you. 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them that calumniate you. 29 And to him that striketh thee on the one cheek, offer also the other. And him that taketh away from thee thy cloak, forbid not to take thy coat also. 30 Give to every one that asketh thee, and of him that taketh away thy goods, ask them not again.

31 And as you would that men should do to you, do you also to them in like manner. 32And if you love them that love you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also love those that love them. 33 And if you do good to them who do good to you, what thanks are to you? For sinners also do this. 34 And if you lend to them of whom you hope to receive, what thanks are to you? For sinners also lend to sinners, for to receive as much. 35 But love ye your enemies: do good, and lend, hoping for nothing thereby: and your reward shall be great, and you shall be the sons of the Highest; for he is kind to the unthankful, and to the evil.

36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 37 Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you shall be forgiven. 38 Give, and it shall be given to you: good measure and pressed down and shaken together and running over shall they give into your bosom. For with the same measure that you shall mete withal, it shall be measured to you again.”

Dear friends, we are being asked today if we will pick up our cross and follow Christ, or not. We can say we are Christians with our lips, but are we in truth? It is so easy to fool ourselves!  After all, we are kind and patient most of the time, do holy work and donate our time to the Church, we give alms, we pray a lot, we go way out of our way for our family, we are good people.  But the truth is discovered in the BIG test.  I think this is why we are being given tests that stretch us to the point of breaking. It is forcing us to make a big decision one way or the other.  Am I a true follower of Christ, or am I fooling myself?  It is impossible to love our enemy, and do good to him, to wish him well even as he stones you, unless we join with Christ on the Cross, and He shows us how.  It is only possible with His grace.

My friends, it seems to me, we are being asked to die on the Cross that we may have the life of Christ in us, and bring it to others.  Just as it seemed Christ was defeated when He was crucified, yet by His death the world received life, so it is again today. Except Christ wishes to be crucified in us this time, so that He may rise in us, and into the world, so that it may become His as it was meant to be. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven.”

Seen in this light, aren’t our crosses beautiful?  Our Lord wishes us to become mirror images of Him, even as Our Lady did and does so perfectly, and so She is called the Co-Redemptrix.  He wishes to duplicate His life within each one of us too, but we must say “Yes” to Him. He will not force Himself upon us.

Please don’t worry about the rest, and what will happen in this disaster or that calamity… trust in Our Lord as Our Mother did.  In trust there is peace. Study Her and She will show us the Way of the Cross. Did She get all flustered with thoughts like “Oh dear, I am an unwed mother and they are going to stone me!” Did She go running to St. Joseph and say “Looky here, this is what is going on, so don’t be mad at me because I am with a child that isn’t yours. Help me, protect me!” No. She was silent, trusting God to reveal the Truth to him and take care of the rest.  When the Son of God had only a cave to be born in, did She get disturbed and go knocking on doors in angry protest? No. She peacefully made it as comfortable as She could, with love.  When She had to run into Egypt to protect Her Child, did She grumble and worry about this inconvenience?  No.  In all things, She trusted. She said “Yes, Thy Will be done.” She quietly went along, knowing God knew what He was about, and would make things okay somehow.  Even when Her Son died, She did not hate those who murdered Him, but accepted His death, knowing it was bringing life to the very ones who killed Him. What a beautiful example She has left us!

Repeat Her Fiat, and She will take us by the hand, and show us how to accept our trials with peace… leading us up the path of Calvary to Her Crucified Son. Amen.