TUESDAY
1 November 2016
ALL
SAINTS DAY
• Revelation
7:2-4, 9-14 • Psalm 24 • 1 John 3:1-3 • Matthew 5:1-12a •
practiced 5:08pm, Oct 29, duration: 7m4s
start
18:45, finish: 23:21
Bibliographic reference:
Salvifici Doloris(On
the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering),
John Paul II,
11 February
1984.
[__01__] What
would our auto-reply, our automatic reply be, if we were to see someone
suffering?
We
set up automatic replies, for example, on :
·
Voice mail
·
Email
·
Computer
·
Phone
When
we are going to be away or out of town.
But
, we might also use an AUTO-REPLY if we were to see someone suffering or in
trouble, not to ask too many questions, maybe avoid the person who is suffering.
I have done this, we all have done
this, at times, where we avoid, perhaps, someone who is suffering or in
trouble.
[__02__] Jesus is inviting us to consider in the
Beatitudes the blessing – the benediction – upon the person who is suffering:
[___blessed are they who are
persecuted for the sake of righteousness___]
So,
if someone is persecuted, we could draw closer to him or to her.
[___blessed are
they who mourn, for they will be comforted ___]
We
are called to draw closer to the person who is mourning, who is grieving,
rather than, perhaps, automatically replying or automatically taking ourselves
out of the picture or “out of town.”
I
have done this, we have all done this.
??? These blessings can lead us to
closer to God. But, isn’t it easy to turn away from these
because we can feel fearful. It is intimidating.
???
John
Paul II wrote this in his letetr – Salvifici
Doloris – that we are saved through suffering. We are saved through the
suffering of Jesus on the Cross. We are saved by our participation in this
suffering each day.
We
are called to remember that we can have a different – more compassionate –
auto-reply when see someone suffering.
·
First, COMPASSION – if we see someone
suffering, we usually are called to help. We try to help.
·
Second, RESPECT. If we see someone suffering, we may admire
his or perseverance, though we may resist closeness. Nevertheless, RESPECT is
good. Or, due to the suffering, we may have to respect a boundary.
·
Third, MYSTERY. When we ourselves suffer or
when see someone suffering, we mayh wonder why. Suffering can intimidate us …
scare us… and invites us to faith and
belief in God’s love. This mystery
invites us to believe and to trust in God’s love. (Salvifici
Doloris, John Paul II, n.
4)
[*** P
A U S E ***]
[__03__] When I was in the seminary, at the end of my
second year of studies, I recall one of my brothers who was 2 years ahead of
me and he was anticipating the day of
his ordination.
His ordination was scheduled for late
May, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. By April, however, he was in some
difficulty.
Chris was anticipating ordination and
he had completed all of his studies, his academic work, his service
internships.
Or so I thought. But, suddenly, there
was a question regarding his status as a graduate and whether or not he could
receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders at the cathedral.
It was a big problem, a source of
great distress in his last few weeks before ordination as a priest.
I remember the pain and suffering in
his face, every time I saw him, every time I passed him in the corridor.
I also remember that he was rather
withdrawn socially at the time. We all
knew the trouble he was in. And, that the seminary and archdiocese were
working on a resolution. Many
of us knew that this was a really simple matter of paperwork related to a
course of study he had done years before. The situation could have been
resolved years before.
But, it was not, and there he was…
And, even I tried enter into
conversation with him. But, I also recall that I had to force myself a little
bit…I had to resist the temptation to walk the other way or just walk right by or believe that the matter was trivial. It was not trivial to him.
There was a part of me that did not
want to engage him in conversation every time I saw him.
This was because I knew that the situation,
for a while, was not being resolved quickly.
It was getting a little better, then
it was getting worse.
So, I would try to speak with him and
ask, “Oh, Chris, how’s it going?”
And, he would say, “Well, the rector
of the seminary is doing this, and the archbishop is doing that.”
One day, he told me that the Vatican
was involved …
And, I said, “Oh, that’s good …I guess…”
Finally, the situation was resolved
thanks to these intervention.
But I do recall that I really had to
make myself talk to him, in order to enter into his life with some compassion.
Later, he thanked me…but I also knew –
and I was humbled to know –that my entry into his life was not my auto-reply,
it was not my natural instinct.
I needed to coax myself ..but also to
accept the promptings and invitations of the Holy Spirit – to create a new
heart and “reply” within us so that we can enter into these blessings, these
blessings of …
MOURNING
MEEKNESS
PERSECUTION
PEACEMAKING
So
that we can also enter into our relationship with Christ each day.
[__fin__]
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