Scripture for
meditation: John 15:1-2
“I am the true
vine, and my Father is the vine grower. He takes away every branch in me that does
not bear fruit, and everyone that does he prunes so that it bears
more fruit.”Scripture for reflection: John 11: 40-44, 53
Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?”So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!”The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” So from that day on they planned to kill him.
Josemaria Escriva tells us (numbers refer to
sections of his book): 685:
on tribulations of the Church: The storm of persecution is good. What is lost? You
can’t lose something if it’s already lost. When the whole tree is not torn up
by the roots – and there is no wind or hurricane that can uproot the tree of
the Church – only the dry branches fall. And it is best that they fall. 686
(being offended): All right: that person has behaved badly toward you. But,
haven’t you behaved worse toward God? 689 (victim of gossip): Tongues have been
wagging and you’ve suffered rebuffs that hurt you, and all the more because you
were not expecting them. Your supernatural reaction should be to pardon – and even
to ask for pardon! – And to take advantage of the experience to detach yourself
from creatures. 693-694 (not appreciated): It hurt you not to have been thanked
for that favor. Answer me these two questions: Are you so grateful toward
Christ Jesus? Did you really do that favor in the hope of being thanked for it
on earth? I don’t know why you’re amazed: the enemies of Christ were never very
reasonable. When Lazarus was raised from the dead, you might have thought they
would yield and confess the divinity of Jesus. But no! “Let us kill him who
gives life!” they said. It is the same today. 698 (unfair treatment): So you’ve been hauled
over the coals? Don’t follow the advice of pride and lose your temper. Think:
how charitable they are toward me! The things they’ve left unsaid! 700-701
(stress): Agreed: there is a lot of external pressure, which excuses you in
part. But there is also complicity within (take a good look), and there I see
no excuse. Have you not heard the parable of the vine and the branches from the
lips of the Master? Console yourself: He demands much of you, for you are the
branch that bears fruit. And he must prune you… “so that you’ll yield more
fruit.” Of course that cutting – that pruning hurts. But, afterwards, how
luxuriant the growth, how fruitful your works! (The Way, Sceptor Publishers, 1982)
Prayer: Josemaria Escriva: Are you suffering some great tribulation?
Say very slowly, as if savoring the words, this powerful…prayer: “May the most
just and most lovable will of God be done, be fulfilled, be praised and
eternally exalted above all things. Amen. Amen.” I assure that you’ll find
peace.
My thoughts: It is very clear from the writings of Josemaria
Escriva that God’s way is not man’s way, and that our way must be God’s way. In
his many examples of tribulations, Josemaria Escriva tells us to “take the road
less traveled,” which means we must bear insults, problems, and ungratefulness. This means we are
truly God's chosen ones who must be pruned in order to continue to bear good
fruit and not bad. We see that the more the world tells us to fight back and
get even, God tells us to bear all things patiently, as Jesus did. What better
example do we have than to see Jesus, day after day, miracle after miracle,
attacked and derided for simply being who He is, and He is God! Why do we think
any less is going to happen to us? So, we must take every opportunity to not
take offense, not be hurt, not to stress out, but instead, to ask ourselves, “What
does God want from me in this situation?” The answer is harder to take than the
one the world would give us, but it is so, so much more rewarding in the end!
