This Too Shall Pass

My new baby granddaughter has been suffering from reflux and has been pretty miserable for the last week or so. When talking to my daughter about it, she said that the hardest thing was watching the baby suffer and not being able to do anything to help her. I encouraged her and reminded her that “this too shall pass.” I told her that one of the hardest things about being a mother is watching our children suffer.

That brought to mind our Blessed Mother, who watched her only Son ridiculed, beaten, and nailed to a cross. She then stood by and watched as He died an agonizing death. I encouraged my daughter to seek Mary’s intercession, as she knows only too well what it is to watch a child suffer.

Later, as I was praying in the chapel at church, I was reflecting on the whole idea of suffering and people who have gone through terrible ordeals throughout history. I have been reading about the Battle of Antietam during the Civil War, “the bloodiest day in U.S. history.” In the midst of all that carnage, men on both sides fought bravely, many giving their lives or limbs in the process. How, I wondered, did they do it? How did they move forward, with the roar of bullets and shells and screams all around them? Where did they find the courage to do what they had to do?

The answer, I think, is that they had a goal, something that was worth fighting for and possibly giving up their lives for. For many of these men, they were fighting for their families and for their way of life.

I think the same could be said about the battles we face in our life in Christ. We are able to persevere in times of trouble because we have a goal. We see a “light at the end of the tunnel.” For us, that light is Jesus and eternal salvation with Him.

As the author of Hebrews put it: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Heb. 12:1-2)

We persevere in our own “races” because we believe that this life is not the end of all things. We trust in the resurrection, and we have hope that our sufferings will not go on forever. We look forward to that “joy that [is] set before [us].”

In my Bible study on salvation history, I just finished reading about the Maccabean revolt during the Seleucid persecution of the Jews in the second century B.C. During the revolt, Judas Maccabeus led a group of faithful Jews against much larger and stronger armies. Before each battle the Jews prayed and fasted, putting their trust in God. Because of that, they fought bravely and were victorious.

Perhaps the most compelling example from this time period is the story of a widow and her seven sons, found in 2 Maccabees 7. During the persecution of Antiochus Epiphanes, this mother was forced to watch as each of her sons was brutally tortured and martyred for his faith.

As her sons prepared to meet their fate, she encouraged them to remain steadfast: “Therefore the Creator of the world, who shaped the beginning of man and devised the origin of all things, will in his mercy give life and breath back to you again, since you now forget yourselves for the sake of his laws.” (2 Macc. 7:23)

In the end, this virtuous woman shared the same fate as her sons, becoming a martyr for her faith. She kept her eyes on the goal and surrendered herself completely to the God who gave her and her sons life, trusting that He would give her sons back to her at the resurrection.

So when we find ourselves facing battles or trials, let us remember, as this widow did, that “this too shall pass.” Let us keep our eyes on the goal. Nothing that we endure in this life can compare with the glory that awaits us if we put our trust in God and allow Him to purify us and transform us into his image.

Sometimes it takes a little child to put things into perspective for us. A young mother and her two little children came into Mass this morning. The little girl, who is about 3 or 4 years old, sat right down in the front row when she came in. The mother thought it would be better to sit back in the corner, where they wouldn’t disturb anyone, but the daughter objected, “But then we won’t be able to see Jesus.” This little child, in her simple faith, reminded me of what we adults, in our busy lives, tend to forget: We need to keep our eyes on Jesus.

Mother Mary, pray for us. Help us to keep our eyes on your Son and to persevere in the midst of adversity. Help us to remember that “this too shall pass,” and help us to trust in God’s love and compassion for us.

"Dressed for Success" Part Five: Colossians 3

St. Paul tells us: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, lowliness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another, and if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And over all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.” (Col. 3:12-14)

So, I not only need protective armor to “dress for success.” I also need to “put on” these positive attributes to help me in my walk of faith. Sin is not just a matter of doing things that are wrong, but also of failing to do that which is right. If someone is hurt and I fail to help him, I am just as guilty as the person or persons who hurt him.

To have compassion on others is to “suffer with” them, to put myself in their place and empathize with them. It is trying to understand what they are going through and doing what I can to alleviate their suffering. It is putting others’ needs before my own. To do this, I can look to Jesus as my model. He had compassion on me when He took my sins upon himself and suffered and died for them.

Lowliness, meekness, and patience all have to do with submitting my will to God and others. I need to be ready to lay down my own plans when they conflict with God’s plans or with the needs of others.

In modern society these traits are often looked on as a sign of weakness, but nothing could be further from the truth. After all, Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land.” He showed us the power of meekness by submitting himself completely to the Father’s will and thereby conquering sin and death.

When someone does something to offend me, I need to remember that I also am a sinner and that God has shown mercy to me. I need to extend that same mercy to others, forgiving them readily, even if they don’t ask forgiveness.

Above all I need to have love, not the “love” that many seek (the “touchy-feely” kind of love that comes and goes as people’s feelings or moods change). The kind of love that God calls me to is the committed love that doesn’t depend on feelings or circumstances.

It is the kind of love that Jesus has for me, a love so strong that He was willing to die for me. It is that love which St. Paul speaks of in his first letter to the Corinthians, a love that is patient and kind, that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor. 13:7)

To love as Jesus loves is to love unconditionally. It is to love even the unlovable, those who hurt me or annoy me. I don’t have to like these people, but I do have to love them.

So the next time someone encourages you to “dress for success,” remember that it’s what’s on the inside that really matters. Our fancy clothes and good looks will all pass away some day. It’s what’s in our hearts that will last. As St. Paul reminds us, “…when the perfect comes, the imperfect will pass away….So faith, hope, love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” (1 Cor. 13:10 & 13)

"Dressed for Success" Part 4: Loyalty and Faithfulness

Another Bible passage which speaks of “dressing for success” is Proverbs 3:3: “Let not loyalty and faithfulness forsake you; bind them about your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.”

Besides the armor of God, I also need to put on loyalty and faithfulness. I need to remain loyal and faithful to God, not abandoning Him when trouble or persecution arises. I need to be ready to defend my faith.

I also need to be faithful to my responsibilities and to those God has put into my life. I need to be ready to serve, even when I’m tired or anxious.

"Dressed for Success" Part 3: The Shield of Faith and the Sword of the Spirit

St. Paul exhorts us to take the shield of faith in order to quench the “flaming darts” of the Evil One, but what are these flaming darts, I wondered, and how do we quench them with faith?

I felt like God was telling me that the devil’s flaming darts are lies, seeds of doubt and dissension, gossip, slander, etc. The enemy is very subtle, so I need to be on guard at all times. As with Adam and Eve, he often starts by making me doubt my relationship with God. Like a fire, these seeds of doubt spread until I fall into sin. A small spark can lead to a raging fire. In the same way, seemingly small things like a bit of gossip can spread and grow rapidly like a fire, having the potential to rupture relationships and destroy families or friendships.

To combat this, I need to have complete trust in God and in his love for me. I need to remember God’s faithfulness and all that He has done in my life. I need to trust that He has a plan for my life and that everything He does is for my good. As the Lord promised through Jeremiah: “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jer. 29:11)

I also need to be grounded in the Word of God. I need to learn the story of salvation history and ask God to reveal my role in that story. I need to memorize Scripture verses, so that I can call them to mind when I am tempted, just as Jesus did when He was tempted by the devil.

"Dressed for Success" Part 2: The Breastplate of Righteousness and the Helmet of Salvation

The breastplate and the helmet protect the body’s most vital organs: the heart, the lungs, and the brain. These organs are the source of our physical life. Without them our physical bodies will perish.

In the same way, our souls, the source of our spiritual life, need protection, and God has provided the means to do that. As St. Paul reminds us, we need to “put on” the breastplate of righteousness and the helmet of salvation.

To put on righteousness is to put on Christ, to live rightly, to love God above all else, and to love others. As St. Paul tells us in his letter to the Romans: “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.” (Rom. 13:14)

For me, I feel like God is saying that I need to guard my heart by living righteously and avoiding the occasion of sin. I like to remember that adage: “Garbage in, garbage out.”

If I fill my time and my mind with garbage (watching immoral television programs, listening to gossip, etc.), then inevitably that will bear fruit in my life, but not the kind of fruit I’d be proud of. If, rather, I fill my time and my mind with good things (studying and meditating on God’s Word, doing good works, etc.), that will bear the right kind of fruit, the fruit that leads myself and others to eternal life.

The book of Proverbs has good advice for guarding your heart:
“Keep your heart with all vigilance; for from it flow the springs of life.
Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
Take heed to the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.” (Prov. 4:23-27)

To live righteously, then, I need to keep my eyes straight ahead, focusing on Jesus. I need to follow Him along the straight and narrow path that leads to life, not the wide and easy path that leads to destruction.

To put on the helmet of salvation is to trust in God’s mercy and in the power of his sanctifying grace. I need to remember that salvation comes from God alone. He has won the victory over sin and death. I need to choose the winning side. As Joshua challenged the Israelites shortly before his death: “Choose this day whom you will serve…; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

"Dressed for Success" Part 1: The Belt of Truth

There has been much talk in recent years about “dressing for success.” When someone goes for a job interview he or she is urged to dress appropriately, so as to make a good impression on prospective employers. The Bible, however, has many passages which speak of “dressing” for a much more important thing: that of our eternal salvation. Probably the best known of these passages is the following from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians:

“Therefore take the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having fastened the belt of truth around your waist, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the equipment of the gospel of peace; besides all these, taking the shield of faith, with which you can quench all the flaming darts of the Evil One. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Eph. 6:13-17)

How does one put on this armor, though? While meditating on this passage recently, God showed me some things that I’d like to share.

In John’s gospel it says that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Therefore the more I come to know Jesus the more I come to know the truth. The more I learn about the truth of my faith, the more I am able to refute the lies of the devil, who is the father of lies.

As John tells us, “Jesus then said to the Jews who had believed in him, ‘If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’” (Jn. 8:31-32)

To do this, I need to study God’s word and the teachings of the Church. I also need to spend time with others who believe and speak the truth, so that my faith is built up. My free time should be spent doing things that build up my faith (like spending time with family, reading good literature, watching wholesome movies, etc.).

"I Thirst"

Now that I’m retired I’m trying to devote more of my time to prayer. Since September, I’ve been participating in two Bible studies at my church: the gospel of Matthew and the Bible Timeline (an overview of salvation history).

This week in the Matthew study, we’ve been reading chapter 5, which begins Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount. As a follow-up to our work this week, I’ve been meditating on the Beatitudes, which are a central theme in the chapter. Below are my thoughts on the fourth Beatitude: “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.”

To hunger and thirst for righteousness, I think, is to hunger and thirst for God, for He alone is without sin. We were created to know, love, and serve God, so it is only in Him that we find true happiness. As St. Augustine put it, “Our hearts are restless till they rest in Thee.”

To hunger and thirst is more than just a desire, more than just, “I could sure go for a Coke right now.”

Thirst is more of an inner longing. It involves pain and a sense of urgency. Webster’s dictionary says that to thirst is “to crave vehemently and urgently.”

When someone is dying of thirst, he must drink or he will die. The human body can last many days or weeks without food or rest. The same is not true, however, of water. Almost every function in our bodies depends on water, so without it we will die very quickly.

In the same way, our spiritual selves need God, who is the life-giving water for our souls. Without Him, we will perish.

When Jesus was dying on the cross, He said, “I thirst.” His thirst was not just for water, but for souls, for us, even for those who were putting Him to death.

Jesus still thirsts for souls. We can help ease his thirst when we thirst for Him and when we pray as He taught us: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” When we thirst for this, as Jesus did, and when we do our part to bring it about, we will comfort Jesus, and we ourselves will be satisfied, for we will be doing the work for which we were created.