A 15th Sunday after Pentecost Thought: Stay Strong!

Our times call for us to stay strong. Perhaps folks living in any given Age have felt this need. But, of course, we, living now, may naturally think our own Age presents special difficulties and challenges that really call for us to stay strong.

Whether it's true that we're in a worse mess than other periods of history doesn't matter that much. The fact is, the here and now of our current Age speaks for itself. Our daily posts have been talking about the "chaos" that seems to surround us these days. A big part of that chaos is the state of our Holy Church. Yes, we have a new Pope. And yes, it's wise to step back and give the man some space before we wring our hands as many of us did with his predecessor. (May he rest in peace!)

And, as our daily posts continue this week, we'll see how our government adds to the swirling chaos - never mind our culture which has, as we all know, taken blow after blow as the modernist, secular spirit has replaced the Holy Spirit as our go-to source and guide for our thoughts, words and actions.

So if we understand all this, and struggle with it daily, we can perhaps take some time on this 15th Sunday after Pentecost to consider these words from someone identified only as "A Priest." Whoever wrote this, whenever he wrote it, clearly understands our current circumstances, and our need to stay strong.

 

“May the peace of Jesus Christ, a peace which surpasses all understanding, be always in your heart! I feel a great compassion for you in the trials that God sends you.  And yet your letter has given me much consolation before God because I see that He is treating you as His dearest friend. You are passing through those terrible trials through which every soul called to close union with Jesus must pass, for He is satisfied with the sincerity of your desire for Him and has seen fit to set His own hand to the work, purifying your soul in depths that you could never reach by your own feeble efforts. He is dealing with your soul very directly now and your concern should be simply to let Him do just as He pleases with you and to thank Him for all He does. You are a block and God is the sculptor and He is carving you into the likeness of His dearly Beloved Son. He is hitting you only from Love and so you must have entire confidence in what He does – With holy Job we must say: ‘Although He should kill me I will trust in Him!’

  Close your eyes like a child and throw yourself upon His merciful love with boundless faith and hope in His goodness and willingness to aid you, of which you have had so much experience in the past. The whole point of surrender is that you blindly throw yourself upon God; but there is no guarantee that you will feel yourself upheld by Him. You may seem to have thrown yourself upon nothing and be falling through space. But you have to believe that are supported without any feeling of it. Nothing is more pleasing to God than unshaken confidence in Him especially, when you feel nothing but dryness, distaste, weariness, uncertainty, anxiety and anguish of soul. We must have our times of desolation and trial. How else can we show our love of God except by enduring? He showed His love for us by suffering his Passion. Stay strong. And trust in God. Never have you loved Him so purely as now, and never have you been so much loved by Him.” (A Priest)

 

Happy 15th Sunday after Pentecost!