Spirituality Matters December 26th - January 1st
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“You will be hated because of my name, but whoever endures to the end will be saved…”
The day after we celebrate the birth of the Messiah, the day after we celebrate the gift of the Incarnation, the day after we celebrate the coming of Emmanuel, God-who-is-with-us, the day after we ponder the miracle of the Word-made-Flesh, we remember the ultimate sacrifice of the first martyr, Stephen. A stark contrast, indeed, to the idyllic images of a newborn babe, of a manger, of barn animals, of shepherds and of choirs of angels.
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote: “Look at the example given by the saints in every walk of life. There is nothing that they have not done in order to love God and be God’s devoted followers. See the martyrs, unconquerable in determination. What torments they suffered to keep their resolutions…” (IDL, V, Chapter 12, p. 284)
The deacon Stephen was “working great wonders and signs among the people”. He was simply being faithful to God’s will for him: he wasn’t looking for a fight. But when others decided to bring the fight to Stephen, he didn’t duck it: he stood his ground in giving witness to the power and promise of the Lord, Jesus Christ. He endured to the end, an end that came almost immediately.
We share two things with Stephen: (1) we are called to give witness to the power and promise of the Lord Jesus in our own lives, and (2) we are challenged to endure to the end. As Francis de Sales tells us in so many places throughout his writings, ‘martyrdom’ will not come for most of us in the form of ‘enduring to the end’ of an unexpectedly-shortened life; rather, we are called to bear witness by ‘enduring to the end’ a long, perhaps unexpectedly-exhausting life.
Either way, may God give us the strength to hold our ground in bearing witness to God whenever, wherever and however God may choose!!
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In his introduction to Francis de Sales’ Conferences, N. Cardinal Wiseman wrote the following about St. John, Apostle and Evangelist:
“He could speak nothing else but love. If he writes a Gospel, love diffuses a golden glow over it, totally different from any other: it is the Gospel of love. If he writes a long epistle to the universal Church, or a short letter to a lady and her children, it must be on love; and we know that he spoke ever on this topic, till the thoughts and words of his long life gradually distilled and condensed, at last, in the feebleness of his frame and organs, concentrated themselves into the one sentence, which, Sunday after Sunday, formed his only sermon; till, by its monotony, it wearied his hearers, but cannot weary the Church of ages: ‘My little children, love one another.’ Such is the spirit of St. John…” (Conferences, page xli)
The Apostle whom Jesus loved was, in his own life, consumed with and by love. Jesus also loves each of us.
Today, how can we be said to be consumed with and by that same love? And also, in what ways do we share in the spirit of St. John by being sources of that same spirit – of love – in the lives of others?
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In his Conference on Constancy, a sermon for the Octave of Holy Innocents, Francis de Sales remarked:
“We are keeping the Octave of the Feast of the Holy Innocents on which day holy Church makes us read the Gospel which describes how the Angel of the Lord told the glorious St. Joseph in a dream – that is to say when he was sleeping – that he must take the Child and the Mother and flee to Egypt, since Herod, jealous of his royalty, and fearing that he would take it away, was seeking Our Lord to put Him to death. Full of wrath because the three Kings had not returned to him in Jerusalem, he had commanded that all the little children under the age of two be put to death, and hoping by that means to ensure the possession of his Kingdom…” (Conferences, page 29)
We probably don’t think about this often but consider the irony: in order to avoid Herod’s wrath against all children under the age of two, the Angel commands that Joseph take Mary and Jesus to Egypt. Talk about possibly jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire! Egypt! Sworn enemy of the Jews! This is the place to which Joseph is told to flee and take refuge! Someone of lesser faith might have said to the Angel: “No thanks. I’ll take my chances here…”
So, too, with us. How many times in our lives do we find ourselves being asked to take uncertain risks in order to avoid a certain one? How many times in our lives do we wonder if the would-be solution to one problem has the potential of creating other problems of its own? Joseph placed his trust in God. By taking a risk, he did the right thing, not only for himself but for those he loved.
How might God be asking us this day to take the risks involved in doing the right thing? How might we embrace those risks as people of faith?
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“God’s chosen ones...”
Today’s selection from the Book of Sirach certainly shares in the spirit of the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your mother and father.” The reading is telling us that our relationships with others - especially those with whom we share so much time and contact every day - are the primary expression of the disposition of our hearts, minds, affections and attitudes.
The selection from the Letter to the Colossians confronts us with the gift - and the challenge - of creating that “space” we call “family,” a space in which we first learn something of what it means to be sons and daughters of God. As God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, we must clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. Insofar as a holy life is not the same as a stress-free or trouble-free life (just look at the very early life, of Jesus, Mary and Joseph), we all need to practice these virtues all the time with the hope of establishing, maintaining and strengthening family, especially - God forbid - when we ruffle, distract, disappoint or hurt one another.
Francis de Sales calls us to live a life of devotion in ways that fit the demands and responsibilities of the state and stage of live in which we find ourselves. What is a devout life? It is nothing more complicated (but more demanding) than doing what is right in the eyes of God, and in relation to one another, carefully, frequently and diligently. It is precisely in the vocation in which we find ourselves, especially in those roles so basic as mother, father, brother, sister, wife, husband, son or daughter that we must practice the devout life.
Francis de Sales tells us: “The little, unattractive and hardly noticeable virtues which are required of us in our household, our place of work, among friends, with strangers, any time and all the time, these are the virtues for us.” (Introduction, Part III, Chapter 2). Of course, the most important practice is that of love, which not only reconciles, but also purifies and, dare we say, even glorifies the best of human relationships. It is only in relationship with one another that the practice of the little, everyday virtues flowers into love, not only helping to create a better life here on earth, but also providing a foretaste of the eternal life promised to us in heaven.
As we celebrate the Feast of The Holy Family, we realize that we actually know very little about the day-to-day give-and-take of the relationships among Jesus, Mary and Joseph. Family life – a hidden life – is a way of life that requires both science and art. Considering Jesus’ fidelity to - and consistency in - his pursuit of justice, peace, reconciliation and freedom, we certainly can sense where Jesus first acquired as a child so many of the skills he would later practice in his adult life.
After all, charity, peace, justice, forgiveness - like so many things - begin at home!
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“Do not love the world or the things of the world. The world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever.”
This statement sounds pretty harsh, doesn’t it? Insofar as the world and so many things of the world are gifts from a loving God, should we not appreciate them? Should we not celebrate and cherish them? Should we – dare we say it – love the world and the things of this world?
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote:
“When our worldly goods cleave to our hearts, what complaints, what trouble and what impatience do we experience if a storm, a thief or a cheat should take away from us any part of our possessions. When our goods do not cleave to our hearts and we think about them only because of the care as God wants us to have for them, then we won’t lose reason or peace of mind if or when they are taken from us.”He continued:
“If you are too strongly attached to the goods of the world that you possess, if you are too solicitous about them, if you set your heart on them, if you are always thinking about them and if you fear losing them with a strong, anxious fear, then believe me…you love them too much. It is impossible to take great please in a thing without having extraordinary affection for it.” (IDL, II, Chapter 6, p. 116)
Pay close attention to what Francis de Sales is saying. While he isn’t suggesting that we should hate the world (it is, after all, a gift from God that God has commissioned us to care for and cultivate!), Francis seems to be encouraging us to make a subtle – but lifesaving – distinction. We should take great delight in the world and many things of this world, but we should reserve our love for relationships alone – our relationships with God, with others and with ourselves. Even as we possess things, we should do our level best to prevent those things from possessing us. Put another way, while celebrating the manifold gifts of creation during the course of our lives on earth, we should remind ourselves from time to time that we can’t take them with us into heaven – with one exception, of course.
Love!
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“Every lie is alien to the truth…”
In his Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Your language should be restrained, frank, sincere, candid, unaffected and honest. Be on guard against equivocation, ambiguity or dissimulation. While it is not always advisable to say all that is true, it is never permissible to speak against the truth. Therefore, you must become accustomed to never tell a deliberate lie whether to excuse yourself or for some other purposes, remembering always that God is the ‘God of truth.’ If you happen to tell a lie inadvertently, correct it immediately by an explanation or making amends. An honest explanation always has more grace and force to excuse us that a lie has…Lying, double-dealing and dissimulation are always signs of a weak, mean mind.” (IDL, Part III, Chapter 30, p. 206)
Jesus tells us “the truth will set you free.” (John 8:32)
Today, do you want to be free? Then don’t merely tell the truth but also be a truthful – and truth-filled – person.
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An Exhortation by St. Jane de Chantal on the Beginning of a New Year
We are about to bring another year to an end, a year like so many years which have come before it.
Time passes by. The years come and go, and some day we, likewise, will pass and come to an end as well. We must make a strong and absolute resolution that, if Our Lord should gift us with yet another full year, we will make better use of it than those years that have come – and gone – before. Let us walk with a new step in God’s divine service to our neighbor and to our greater perfection. Let us take great courage to labor in earnest.
Please take this to heart. What is the point of being gifted with a new year if not to recommit ourselves to the task at hand? Otherwise, we should not be astonished to find ourselves in the same place at the conclusion of this year with little or nothing to show for it. I desire that this not happen to you; rather, consider how you can make good use of every day that God is pleased to give you. Let us embrace the responsibilities and challenges of life in the best way that we can; let us employ the time that God gives us with great care. While we hope in God’s divine goodness, may we also remember to aspire to actually do what is good.
So, then, let us live this New Year in the name of our Lord. Let us redouble our efforts at serving God and one another faithfully, especially in small and simple ways. God only expects what we can do, but what we can do God clearly expects. Therefore, let us be diligent in giving our best to God, leaving the rest in the hands of God’s infinite generosity.
(Based upon St. Jane de Chantal’s Exhortation for the last Saturday of 1629, On the Shortness of Life. Found in Conferences of St. Jane de Chantal. Newman Bookshop: Westminster, Maryland. 1947. Pages 106 – 107)
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“The Lord bless you and keep you! The Lord let his face shine upon you and be gracious to you! The Lord look upon you kindly and give you peace!”
In his >u>Introduction to the Devout Life, Francis de Sales wrote:
“Honor, venerate and respect with special love the holy and glorious Virgin Mary who, being the Mother of Jesus Christ our Brother, is also in truth our very mother. Let us then have recourse to her, and as her little children cast ourselves into her bosom with perfect confidence, at all times and on all occasions let us invoke her maternal love whilst striving to imitate her virtues…” (Living Jesus, p. 224)
As we begin another New Year, let us rededicate our lives to the glorious Virgin Mary. Let us honor, venerate and respect her. Let us turn to her. Let us have confidence in her. Let us invoke her maternal love while striving to imitate her virtues. For her part, may Mary – Mother of Jesus – help us in our efforts every day during this New Year to be worthy brothers and sisters of her Son. And in so doing, may God bless us and keep us. May the Lord let his face shine upon us and be gracious to us. May the Lord look upon us kindly and give us peace!
