Scripture for
meditation: Matthew 16:24
Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone wishes
to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
Scripture for
reflection: Matthew 20:22
But Jesus answered, "You do not know what you are
asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink?" They said
to Him, "We are able."St. Thomas a Kempis tells us: Jesus has many lovers of His kingdom of heaven, but He has few bearers of His Cross. Many desire His consolation, but few desire His tribulation. He finds many comrades in eating and drinking, but He finds few who will be with Him in His abstinence and fasting. All men would joy with Christ, but few will suffer anything for Christ. Many follow Him to the breaking of His bread, but few will drink a draft of the chalice of His passion. Many honor His miracles but few will follow the shame of His Cross and His other ignominies. Many love Jesus as long as no adversity befalls them, and can praise and bless Him whenever they receive any benefits from Him, but if Jesus withdraws a little from them and forsakes them a bit, they soon fall into some great grumbling or excessive dejection or into open despair. But those who love Jesus purely for Himself, and not for their own profit or convenience, bless Him as heartily in temptation and tribulation and in all other adversities as they do in time of consolation (The Imitation of Christ, Doubleday, 1955).
Prayer: Speak
Lord, for I, Your servant, am ready to hear You. I am Your servant: give me
wisdom and understanding to know Your commandments. Bow my heart to follow Your
holy teachings that they may sink into my soul like dew into the grass. Speak,
therefore, to me… for I, Your servant, am ready to hear You. You have the words
of eternal life; speak them to me for the full comfort of my soul and give me
amendment of all my past life, to Your joy, honor and glory, everlastingly
(Thomas a Kempis).
My thoughts: Times
are really hard today for Catholics who want to remain faithful to the
teachings of the Magisterium. Society is telling us to follow a way of life
which in the short run makes us happy and in full control of our lives. The
Church is reminding us that the way of Christ is for the long run. The
path for a good life has been laid out by Him. Happiness is only measured to the degree that we surrender our
lives, and all control over it, to Him. We won’t make many friends declaring
this truth. Thomas a Kempis tells us Christ knows this. His friends are many
when the going is easy and life is smooth. His followers are few when the road
is rough and suffering is the order of the day. Now we must ask ourselves if we
are true followers of Jesus, or “fair weather” friends. We may not have wanted
to be born into this time of conflict; we may have been happy to follow Jesus
when we were not really challenged about our faith. God in His infinite wisdom,
however, in the fullness of His time, chose right now to have us exist in His
world, and for a good reason. He wants us to drink of His cup with Him, to pick
up His cross with Him, and to share in His abuse as He brings the truth to
light. He picked us because He knows He can count on us. We are tough and able.
He made us ready for the fight. It isn’t easy, but standing up for truth never
is. Look full into the face of Christ as He hangs on the cross, and make your
decision. Follow Him, proclaim the truth, and you will set today’s captives
free. Walk away, and that’s ok. He will wait for you, patiently and lovingly,
wait for you, always. You see, He needs you, and He loves you, and He will
never, ever give up on you.
No comments:
Post a Comment