nov 2021 faithposting
Nov. 11th, 2021 12:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
prismaticbleed“Oh my Lord! How true it is that whoever works for you is paid in troubles! And what a precious price to those who love you if we understand its value.”
- St. Teresa of Avila
Christ was born, ultimately, to take up His Cross. We must do the same, with all joy in following His bloodied yet gentle footsteps, and all humbled awe at the hidden holiness in each aching step.
Our troubles in this life are preparing us for heaven, freeing us from the sedating seduction of sin and strengthening our hearts for heroic virtue. It is a grand paradox, one that the world cannot comprehend, but which the children of God embrace despite all difficulty.
May we all be given the grace to understand the precious value of suffering– for, in, and with Christ!
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This is shockingly contrary to the mind of the world, which demands comfort & consolation, rejecting & punishing those who offend. But Christ carried a cross to His unjust death with total love, forgiving His murderers, enduring unbearable pain out of sheer compassion for those same souls who spit at Him. He knew that the Cross could be their salvation, too, if only they would carry it with Him.
That is why we bless our persecutors and pray for their genuine reward from heaven. Without them, we could not fully join Christ in Calvary. Without them, we could not practice Godlike mercy. They are unexpected and unintended blessings, and when we realize and give thanks for this, even the most bitter offenses are transmuted into a source of Christian joy. This is the beautiful power of the Cross.
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It is, paradoxically, a sign of spiritual health to be keenly aware of how sick your poor soul actually is. We are feeble creatures, dependent on God for everything– and there is true joy there, for where we cannot help but fail and fall short, God can give boundless grace and strength according to His Will. And the more we struggle and suffer in this world, the more opportunities we have to see and manifest God’s power through our weakness– to let Him act despite ourselves. Trust in Him totally; surrender to Him totally. Do not despair! It is not for us to win the victory– that is already God’s. No matter what sorrow we face, if we admit our poverty of soul and prayerfully give all into His care, we shall find a heavenly joy, a supernatural peace, anchoring into our heart. Earthly life will always be difficult, but with God to guide us, those tough times will gain a sweetness that no earthly pleasures could ever grant. True bliss is found only in heaven. Let us place all our hopes there.
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in response to mark 12:41-44...
Every cent we sacrifice for Christ and His Church is invested in grace a thousandfold. Even if we live in poverty for our entire earthly life, if we still give even that to God, we shall be rich in eternity– rich not in dollars, but in divine blessings.
God will provide for every need– but never for greed. Rest assured that even if you currently only have two cents in your pocket, if you dedicate your use of that tiny sum to His glory, He will see to it that He is glorified in you. Again, whether that be through gracious abundance after suffering or through abundant grace amidst suffering, only God can choose. But He will carry you. Take comfort in His fidelity.
--------------------------“I do not despise anyone; even if he is only one, he is a human being, the living creature for which God cares. Even if he is a slave, I may not despise him; I am not interested in his class, but his virtue; not his condition of master or slave, but his soul. Even if he is only one, he is a human being, for whom the heaven was stretched out, the sun appears, the moon changes, the air was poured out, the springs gush forth, the sea was spread out, the prophets were sent, the law was given– and why should I mention all these?– for whom the only-begotten Son of God became man. My Master was slain and poured out His blood for man. Shall I despise him? What pardon would I have? Do you not hear that the Lord conversed with the Samaritan woman, and spent many words? He did not despise her because she was a Samaritan, but because she had a soul, He cared for her. He did not neglect her because she was a harlot, but because she was going to be saved and had showed faith, she often benefitted from His concerns.”— On Wealth and Poverty, Saint John Chrysostom (via earlychristianity)
Every Christian must, through Christ, see every human being in this same charitable light. We do not love a person because of our fond opinion or preference or any personal reason. We love them because Christ loved them. We love them because Christ died to save them, just as much as He died to save you and me. And this is the most powerful truth standing opposed to our selfishness, for where we may judge and ignore and neglect and condemn– again all for personal reasons– Christ cares for every soul regardless, unconditionally, and He embraces and kisses them, and He tends their wounds and feeds them and gives them a home where they are forgiven and supported and healed and loved… simply because they exist, because all the beauty of Creation was designed with them in mind, because Christ Himself spoke their very soul into being, with the ultimate goal of bringing them into Heaven with Him forever. That is Christ’s mission. That is the Gospel. That is how we must live our everyday lives, because it is everyday life that brings us closer to heaven, or further from it… it all hinges on how much we love like Christ.
All those things we judge others on– race, gender, looks, opinions, politics, moods, etc.– they are all temporal, fleeting, empty in the end. Even sin– perhaps, hopefully, especially sin– has no inherent permanence, as it can be totally washed away in the Blood of Christ. In the end, all that remains is the soul. God loves every single one totally, no matter what external decorations it wore on this earth. Do we?
