Mk 11:27-33 Getting It!
Honor held. Victory assured. Death be gain.
I am convinced that the early Christians must have developed an honor code from the very beginning of their existence. After all, they were persecuted right from the beginning, before the third day even dawned. Once upon a time they were locked inside their isolation room and held behind the bars of their fears with the entire world looking for them. They knew not what to do. When all hope appeared lost, the Lord of all Hope reminded them of who they must be, what they must say and what they must do. It was their God moment. They finally got it: He is the Lord. His faithful few never turned back. His presence lead them to break free, take the lead, and begin to serve. The world would never be the same again.
“When I was young and innocent.” (Sirach 51:13)
Twenty years ago I had my God moment. After having been far away from the Church for almost ten years I returned with a fury! Spurned for my Catholic belief, I began to devour all the books I could on The Faith. I did not buckle when I was accused of trying to defend the undefendable. Rather, I defended it because it was more than defendable. I was not about to throw away my family’s honor, dignity over some twenty-year-old girlfriend and her fifteen-year-old Bible Church. I fought back the urge to not fight. I fought like a dog and was appalled at what I had seen. The Church that I had never really known made more sense than I; it loved more than I, but at the same time was persecuted more than I. I would never be the same again.
The Lord surrounded me and I surrendered. The little bulb of reason had burned out and my life took on a completely new light. I saw things as I had never seen them before: clear, simple, and radiant. Everything changed because I saw them with new eyes. I can see why so many wars have been fought over religion. If there is any war worth fighting for, the one for Christ is worth fighting for. It is much more justifiable than the reasonable war of ideology. The war for Christ is the only war that will end all wars.
Jesus does not answer the Pharisees questions. Why should he? They still didn’t get it. The Lord knew that they were not interested in the truth. Rather, they were interested in a trap, a motive, a hunt and a killing. How will we trap him? How will we capture God; put him in a box, seal him and lower him into the depths of the earth forever? Out of sight and out of mind! How will we do it? Will it be through science and Hollywood? Will it be through teen idols and revolutions? Will it be through secular education and social “reforms”? Or will it be through counterfeit ideas of equality, justice and tolerance?
I have only one question for them: By what authority do you do these things?
We do not know. They will not tell us. Not because they fear the Lord but because they know him not! They don't get it! Their fate, not the Lord's, is sealed with their decision, their sins. Even the Apostles, without Christ, were trapped (in the upper room). But with Him they are set free! We know him and by his passion, death and resurrection, we are obliged to tell the world who He is and by whose authority he speaks.
Christians do the world a lot of good and there is still much to do. If we remain faithful, there will be growth in wisdom and strength, honor and glory till death be gain!
Powerful Meditation Father!
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about a person's "getting it" moment...and what a treat to hear about that special moment from a Priest! Thank You for sharing and for saying "yes" to God! I know you have helped and guided many including us.
I offer my daily Rosary for you.
God Bless, Rose :)
I thank God that when he 'surrounded' you, you rose the white flag of surrender! I thank God that you have chosen to make your life one great act of love, and to remind us all of life's beauty. I thank God that you have encouraged me to do the same...
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you Fr. Alfonse! And have good day! :)
- Jessica
Fr. Alfonse,
ReplyDeleteYour blog is much appreciated!
A somber yet inspiring story of the Pakistani minister who was recently assassinated for the Faith: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-12654334
Dear Father,
ReplyDeleteI am still struggling to get it. Forgive me for this question but there are some things about our faith that are still mysteries. In almost every blog, you mention that our existence on earth is to know and serve God. But won't be serving Him when we are in heaven? Is our existence on earth merely a test to see which ones are worthy enough to continue serving Him in heaven?
Hi.
ReplyDeleteSorry.. I have been afraid to post here for a long time but I wanted to ask something.
I feel sooooo useless and depressed. I feel left out with my friends because all they are interested in is going to parties, drinking, doing drugs and doing stuff with guys. (This is basically almost everyone at my school..) I don't think its right all, so I don't participate in it, so they leave me out of everything now. Guys don't like anyone that won't do stuff with them.. School is really hard and teachers expect way too much of us. My parents fight all the time, and get irritated by every single little thing. (I understand because they have been through a lot of bad things this year)and just the package of everything is soooo overwhelming, and sometimes I just can't handle it and cry myself to sleep a lot. I don't want to do anything or go anywhere.. And I feel like I can't talk to anybody, like no one cares. The only moments I feel happy is when I'm at church, when I listen to your wonderful homilies, and when I receive communion. I just can't take it anymore. I pray a lot and ask God to please help me be happier. and I should, and I feel selfish for not feeling happy when my life is actually AMAZING compared to what other people are going through, but I just feel sad. What should I do?? I really don't know.
That picture of Jesus is so beautiful. I just want to give him a hug, and tell him I love him <3
ReplyDeleteTo "A Teenage Girl"-
ReplyDeleteLife can be very hard when your parents are fighting and your friends do not support your life choices.
I don't have any simple solutions for you. Just rely on the Lord and offer up your emotional pain as a prayer for world peace, an end to abortion, the conversion of sinners, or any other worthy intention.
I hope everyone who reads this blog will pray for you.
I am praying that your parents will work out their problems quietly. I am also praying that you will find one or more friends who love the Lord as you do and want to live in a manner pleasing to Him.
(((Hugs!)))
Jan
Teenage girl,
ReplyDeleteSuch great courage! As a mom of a teenager, I am so proud of you. For what it's worth you are doing the right thing at school. Your inaction with the guys is exactly the example all the other students need to see. Without knowing you could be changing someone's perspective by standing firm and not participating, and best of all you are living your Christian values. I pray your family trial will be lifted, I know it must not be easy. Stay in prayer and seek someone like Fr. to talk to who you can be comfortable with. You will come out on top. There are always brighter days ahead! God will make a way. Just believe and give it all to Him.
All the best to you!
Teenage girl,
ReplyDeleteYou're not alone! Christ walks with u every step, your guardian angel, mother Mary too. You have made some brave choices in a difficult school environment. Seek the support available from st. Joseph's family counseling service (sh be evening and afternoon spots) or even your school counselor. They're trained to help with this stuff, even w just a few appts, depending on the situation of course. Do yourself a big favor & make an appt. You,re worth it and god has something special in mind for your life.
Dear Teenage Girl,
ReplyDeleteYou are perfect just the way you are. You have to believe that. It is difficult now, but the values you hold will you much peace in the future, because you will not have any regrets. One of the hardest discipline to master is patience. You will blossom into a more beautiful flower than you will ever know and meet the husband that will treat you better than you can image, because you have the courage to respect yourself. Please be patient with yourself and time. Everything will work out for those who have great faith.
How old are you teenage girl? There's a big difference between 13 and 19.
ReplyDeleteTo a teenage girl,
ReplyDeleteYou touched my heart! God loves you more than anyone on this earth ever could or ever will.Stay close to Jesus. I have 5 daughters, four of whom graduated from Berkner. They didn't have many friends at school either. Their social life was wrapped up in their youth ministry. I encourage you to be a part of St. Joseph's Youth Ministry. or I would love to introduce you to some great kids who are a part of the Christian Community of God's Delight High School Ministry. We are a covenant community of families. These youth even give retreats to other teens. If you are at all interested, Fr. Alfonse has our number. Just remember, you are very special and God has something very special planned for your life.
Thanks for all the support. It really means a lot. <3 and I'm 15.
ReplyDeleteDear Teenage Girl,
ReplyDeleteI don't know if you'll see this post. I meant to say something when you first posted, and again yesterday...but alas, I'm always one step behind! ;) Anyways it seems like everyone has given you really good advice already. And from the responses it seems people want you to know that no matter how isolated you feel, there are people who support you, and who want you to know that they care. This can be a consoling thought. We are never truly alone! (In your saddest and most lonely moments make the act of faith to find Jesus present in your beautiful soul.)
I guess I just wanted to tell you don't give up on life, or on the possibility of being happy! We may not always 'feel' like smiling and being the bubbly cheerleader type (actually I think the bubbly cheerleader types are mostly just fake, lol!) But it is possible to change our perspective. It takes a great effort, but it's worth it! I don't mean to 'pretend' things aren't difficult, or aren't what they are. But just to constantly remember the big picture = Christ died to save me. Christ LOVES me. He promised that if I follow HIM, I will one day leave all this pain and superficiality behind to gain eternal joy with him in heaven. In heaven you will NEVER feel lonely! You will NEVER feel like your heart is breaking. You will ALWAYS have immense joy and love...it's something to look forward to, something that makes life, here, worth living. Even in the hard moments.
I have no idea what your personal situation is. And even though blogging can be helpful, it might be more helpful (and I can't know this because I don't know your situation...) to talk to someone about what you’re going through. In the past I've prayed, asking God to send me someone I can trust. And eventually he always does. :)
If it helps I will tell you that in my personal experience things do become easier. When I was 15 my parents split and I was the eldest of 7 kids at the time. We had very little money (like barely enough to eat.) My dad was going through one of his 'crazy' times. There would be weeks on end when he wouldn't contact us, and to be honest I wouldn't know if he was alive or dead. I had a lot of anger and was very confused about life. And, I too, would cry myself to sleep some nights...But, in the moments when I wanted to 'ditch and run', when I thought I just couldn't do it anymore; if I fell to my knees and begged God to save me, then he would give me peace, and comfort my soul. He would remind me that earthly life is fleeting, pain transitory, but His LOVE and hope, ETERNAL.
There are two things I've learned about life (and this pretty much all I've learned, and I still have to 're-learn' it sometimes, lol!) 1. Make Jesus you best friend. Let him LOVE you and help you through the difficult periods. Choose to let the love he offers you dictate your perspective on life, and not your circumstances.
2. Allow people to help you. Most of us think we can do everything on our own (and maybe we can), but why not let good people 'lighten our load' if they can?
Anyways, this was very lengthy! Sorry if this was way TMI! I just know it can be hard to be 15 and feel alone. But remember, you're not! You have a beautiful heart, and someday it will be light again!
I will be praying for you!
- Another young girl (Well 'youngish', I'm 22).
P.S. If you like alternative music, check out the song, "Swim" by the band Jack's Mannequin. The song was released after the lead singer recovered from Leukemia. I think I must have listened to this song on 'repeat' for months at a time, lol!
P.S.S. Ok, I never do this, and if it seems totally wierd please disregard it! But I just thought I'd offer just in case... Fr. Alfonse knows who I am and if you wanted to e-mail, or something, you can get my info. from him.
ReplyDeleteJust a random thought...
- Same person as above.