The saints were
amazing people, they would be able to do amazing things, with the help of God,
yet, there was one characteristic about them that they all shared, and that was
they were never afraid. When facing an angry crowd, they weren’t afraid, when faced
with persecution or death, they remained calm, when they would stare demons in
the face, they never lost their peace and they never ran in fear.
Yet, there was one thing that every saint did fear, it is a fear that is shared by many holy people, it is a fear that the saints constantly lived with, it was the fear that one day they might abandon God or that one day God, while not abandoning them per se, would allow them to persist in their sin, letting them abandon Him.
And, while sometimes it may feel like that in our own lives, that God has abandoned us or we have abandoned Him, in our Gospel, He leaves us a promise: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” And, indeed, He does so in a real way in the Most Holy Eucharist, in all of the Sacraments, but He does so, in a powerful way by means of that Advocate that Jesus promised, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And by that Spirit we are led closer to the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, by that Spirit we are ready, as it says in our second reading, to give an explanation and a reason for our hope, because we are not dealing with just any mystery, we are dealing with a mystery that transforms us the more we come to understand.
That is why the saints feared such abandonment, because they knew that by doing so, their lives would change, that, by doing so, they would lose the hope that is within them, and they might one day abandon God who made their lives what they are.
Look around, we, unfortunately, see it happening more and more, in fact, we need only turn on the news to see what happens when a culture no longer needs God, in spite of God still loving them.
We need God in our lives, He wants to be in all of our lives, He wants to be with us always, as it says in our Gospel, which is why He needs witnesses to the faith, He needs those who are willing to give an explanation and reason for hope.
Because our hope is founded in the confidence of Christ, our hope is undeterred by the countless murders and persecutions of Christians, by the seeming abandonment of God, because our hope sees a Church still growing, still making new witnesses to the faith.
In fact, yesterday 6 new men were made witnesses, 6 new men became priests of our diocese, the Holy Spirit came down upon them and every priest present, like those in our first reading, got to lay hands upon them.
It was a good reminder for us all, it was a powerful testimony of how the Holy Spirit is still stirring hearts when it becomes even more difficult, each day, to live our faith.
And, on a personal note, it was a good reminder for me, who celebrates 8 years of priesthood this Tuesday, when I, with 4 others, had the opportunity to give my life to the Church, to Christ and His people, something I do daily, a vocation that I love.
Therefore, let us implore the Holy Spirit to live our vocation, to live our faith with strength, conviction and zeal, so that we are unafraid of what we have been called to do, and if we have any fear, indeed, let it be that same fear, the only fear of the saints.
Yet, there was one thing that every saint did fear, it is a fear that is shared by many holy people, it is a fear that the saints constantly lived with, it was the fear that one day they might abandon God or that one day God, while not abandoning them per se, would allow them to persist in their sin, letting them abandon Him.
And, while sometimes it may feel like that in our own lives, that God has abandoned us or we have abandoned Him, in our Gospel, He leaves us a promise: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.” And, indeed, He does so in a real way in the Most Holy Eucharist, in all of the Sacraments, but He does so, in a powerful way by means of that Advocate that Jesus promised, by the power of the Holy Spirit.
And by that Spirit we are led closer to the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity, by that Spirit we are ready, as it says in our second reading, to give an explanation and a reason for our hope, because we are not dealing with just any mystery, we are dealing with a mystery that transforms us the more we come to understand.
That is why the saints feared such abandonment, because they knew that by doing so, their lives would change, that, by doing so, they would lose the hope that is within them, and they might one day abandon God who made their lives what they are.
Look around, we, unfortunately, see it happening more and more, in fact, we need only turn on the news to see what happens when a culture no longer needs God, in spite of God still loving them.
We need God in our lives, He wants to be in all of our lives, He wants to be with us always, as it says in our Gospel, which is why He needs witnesses to the faith, He needs those who are willing to give an explanation and reason for hope.
Because our hope is founded in the confidence of Christ, our hope is undeterred by the countless murders and persecutions of Christians, by the seeming abandonment of God, because our hope sees a Church still growing, still making new witnesses to the faith.
In fact, yesterday 6 new men were made witnesses, 6 new men became priests of our diocese, the Holy Spirit came down upon them and every priest present, like those in our first reading, got to lay hands upon them.
It was a good reminder for us all, it was a powerful testimony of how the Holy Spirit is still stirring hearts when it becomes even more difficult, each day, to live our faith.
And, on a personal note, it was a good reminder for me, who celebrates 8 years of priesthood this Tuesday, when I, with 4 others, had the opportunity to give my life to the Church, to Christ and His people, something I do daily, a vocation that I love.
Therefore, let us implore the Holy Spirit to live our vocation, to live our faith with strength, conviction and zeal, so that we are unafraid of what we have been called to do, and if we have any fear, indeed, let it be that same fear, the only fear of the saints.
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