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THE KEY TO FORTITUDE WHEN CHRISTIAN LIFE IS PUT ON TRIAL - stephenkhoo - 07-16-2012 11:04 AM
Scripture Reflections
Saturday, 14 July, 2012, 14th Week, Ordinary Time
THE KEY TO FORTITUDE WHEN CHRISTIAN LIFE IS PUT ON TRIAL
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISA 6:1-8; MT 10:24-38
Many people have happily chosen the Christian Faith and got themselves baptized. But in the face of trials, especially in trying to live up to the gospel life and the teachings of the Church, they give up, because they cannot accept the moral demands of the gospel.
Similarly, many good Christians choose to serve the Lord in the ministry, but in the face of difficulty, especially in personal and working relationships, they become resentful, bitter and disillusioned with the Church and give up not just the ministry, but the Faith as well.
But Jesus warns us that the disciple is no better than the master: “The disciple is not superior to his teacher, nor the slave to his master.” The fact is that if we want to be like our master, then we must carry the cross after Him. It is a delusion to think that becoming a Christian is the way to acquire the things that worldly people pursue, such as wealth, power, status and pleasure. The values of the Kingdom, as Jesus taught us in the Beatitudes, are entirely different from that of the world. This is not to say that to be a Christian is to be miserable. On the contrary, by giving our lives to Jesus and to others, we would already have a foretaste of living heaven on earth in this life. Of course, this entails dying to self, to our fears and our self-centeredness.
How then can we be strong in our Faith when we are under trial and persecution?
Firstly, we take note that the apostles and martyrs did not choose Jesus or their mission. They were called by the Lord. Being called is therefore the first criterion. The problem with some of us is that our baptism was not a response to Jesus’ call, but rather a choice we made of our own volition, and because we chose to be baptized in Christ, we think that we are doing Jesus a favour and therefore He should be grateful to us for having made such a great sacrifice! When we are chosen however, the initiative is from the Lord, not from us. Of course we have the freedom to respond positively or negatively to the call, but the election of God requires obedience, since it is a divine command. Happiness is ours if we choose Him, and misery is ours when seek to live without Him. Still, the choice is ours to make.
But where does the call come from and when does it begin? It begins with a vision. We read in the first reading that Isaiah had a vision of “the Lord seated on a high throne”, and he “heard the voice of the Lord saying: ‘Whom shall I send? Who will be our messenger?’ I answered, ‘Here I am, send me.’“ So too, the apostles had their transfiguration experience as well. It is significant that Isaiah and all the apostles were sent out on mission only after their vision. Hence there can be no mission unless we first have a vision of God, which is our personal encounter with Him.
Why is having a God-vision so important? It is the goal of life. When we know for certain that the joy of being with God in glory is our goal in life, then we will do everything to realize this goal. Clarity of vision brings about conviction of mission and perseverance as well. Indeed, when we think of the fullness of joy and life ahead of us, no price is too difficult to pay.
Only with this clarity of the joy of being with God, can we accept Jesus’ instructions: “What I say to you in the dark, tell in the daylight; what you hear in whispers, proclaim from the house tops.” We will not be afraid to declare and speak the truth about Jesus and about morality if we know that the truth will set us free. To live in the light means to live in freedom and liberation. That is why Jesus asked us to proclaim the truth and not be afraid, for evil which hides the truth will cripple us, especially our conscience and our hearts.
Indeed, a person who has encountered God will no longer live for himself or only for this life on earth; he will live for eternity and not just for this life. Truly, happiness in life is more than material and social security, but it is the personal security found only in God. So to keep our soul alive, we must live a life of integrity and love. Otherwise, as Jesus says, not only will we destroy our body but also our soul. This destruction of the soul begins when we allow sin to grow until it eventually takes control of our mind, emotions and feelings and we die, because we have lost all our freedom to love and to be true to ourselves.
Furthermore, in Christ we can have complete confidence in the Lord who will protect us. As He assured us, “Can you not buy two sparrows for a penny? And yet not one falls to the ground without your Father knowing. Why, every hair on your head has been counted. So there is no need to be afraid; you are worth more than hundreds of sparrows.”
This vision of God is also important because it enables us to grow in holiness through the purification of our souls. Upon seeing the vision of God, Isaiah became so aware of his sinfulness that he exclaimed in horror, “What a wretched state I am in! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have looked at the King, the Lord of hosts.” Holiness is something only the Lord can bestow on us. Only through His grace can we become holy.
Holiness is the pre-requisite of mission. Isaiah could be sent out for mission only because the angel first purified his lips to proclaim the Word of God and his heart to feel with God and for His sinful and rebellious people. If we want to fulfill the mission given to us, then holiness is the pre-condition and the accompanying factor that will ensure effectiveness in our mission. Without being first purified from our sinful way of life and experiencing the forgiveness of God in our hearts, we cannot be ready for mission.
What is holiness if not identification with the life of Jesus? We are called to be sons in the Son so that when God sees us, He sees us truly as His adopted son because we bear the likeness of Christ in us. This is what Jesus meant in the gospel when He remarked, “It is enough for the disciple that he should grow to be like his teacher, and the slave like his master.” If we identify ourselves with Jesus, we will share in His glory, which is what He promised when He said: “So if anyone declares himself for me in the presence of men, I will declare myself for him in the presence of my Father in heaven. But the one who disowns me in the presence of men, I will disown in the presence of my Father in heaven.” Aware of this great and awesome calling and gift of God to us, we cannot but relentlessly strive to be faithful to Christ and our Christian values by living an authentic Christian life with fortitude, perseverance and passion.