[Suffering] His Pain Like Mine

To be continued.

In St. Matthew's Gospel we read that Jesus healed two demoniacs. These two men were possessed by demons, who begged Jesus to let them go into a herd of pigs rather than into hell - their eternal home and Jesus permitted them to go. The swineherdsmen were so shocked they ran into town to complain to the townspeople over the loss of their pigs. We see a strange reaction from the people - a reaction that baffles the mind and causes Jesus much pain.

Scripture tells us that these two men were fierce, violent men who were a constant source of fear to all the people. The people's reaction to the healing should have been one of gratitude and love. However we read, "that whole town set out to meet Jesus and as soon as they saw Him they implored Him to leave the neighborhood." (Matt. 8:34) They preferred their pigs to Jesus. They preferred that everything remain as it was if changing it cost them something. They were afraid of seeing Divine Power at work. It meant giving up their selfish ways and they preferred that God leave them alone.

There are many occasions in the lifetime of a Christian when acts of love and sacrifice are not appreciated - when the aged are made to feel they are in the way and when loved ones make one feel unwanted. When these occasions arise, the soul should relate that feeling to the deep hurt in the Heart of Jesus as He was told to go away. He felt as we do - hurt and crushed - and He desires us to unite our pain to His and give it to the Father for the salvation of souls.

Prisoners too can relate to this incident in the life of Jesus in a special way. The two men who had been delivered from so many demons were ready to enter society once more - they paid dearly for their indulgence - they suffered from lack of dignity, respect and a total loss of hope - yet the joy they expected from the crowd was lacking. No one was impressed by their conversion. There were only complaints over the cost of that conversion.

The two men delivered by Jesus were delivered of violent, hateful demons, but were not the townspeople under the influence of the quiet demons of greed, ambition, self-indulgence and selfishness? We cannot imagine the state of each soul who pleaded that God's Son leave their town. It is ironic that the two who were so visibly possessed were freed by the power of Jesus and accepted His love, while those who were respected citizens asked the God of Mercy to leave them alone.

Can it be that we are all in a kind of prison? Is it possible that those who are in prison today, publicly punished for their violence and crimes, have the opportunity to change and turn to Jesus - accept His Love and end up more free in heart and soul than those outside prison walls?

Repentance can make the rejected ones acceptable to God, while pride makes those accepted by the world and its standards, rejected by God. When we begin to build walls of prejudice, hatred, pride and self-indulgence around ourselves, we are more surely imprisoned than any prisoner behind concrete walls and iron bars. There are many imprisoned in this way for their entire lives - they never experience the freedom of the children of light - only the comfort of the false protection of the darkness. The pain of changing frightens them and so they prefer their selfishness and complacency to the Word of God or the healing power of His Cross.

One of the most frustrating sufferings Jesus bore must have been misunderstanding - a lack of comprehension on the part of those who loved Him and a lack of acceptance on the part of the authorities. A suffering Savior was not acceptable to either. A spiritual leader who spent time changing souls instead of governments had no place in their regime. He knew what they really needed to enter His Father's Kingdom, but they were interested in the kingdom of this world - they called it living a reality - He called it death. They thought of this life as the only one - He said it was only a place of exile while we waited for something greater. He told them the poor were blessed, and it was better to be virtuous than to gain the whole world, but to them worldly glory was too much to pass by for some invisible reality.

His Apostles were slow to understand the simplest parables and often they would ask Him for explanations after the crowds were gone. He tried so hard to bring the Mystery of the Father's Love down to the language of children, but even that was often beyond the reach of His disciples - the men destined to go and preach the Good News to everyone. He would often look at them with amazement and say, "Do you not understand either?" (Mk. 7:18) Even His miracles were misunderstood, His authority questioned and His relatives
sought Him out as some madman. His discernment was questioned because He permitted a sinner to touch Him and His reputation held in suspicion because He ate with sinners. When He healed on the Sabbath, He was a lawbreaker and when He demanded love as the most important Commandment, He was labeled an innovator.

There are hardly any human beings who have not felt this pain of misunderstanding in their lives in some form or other. Our motives are rashly judged or our virtue is called hypocrisy. Our ideas are too bold or our caution called timidity. Children accuse parents of interference when loving correction warns of danger. We're tagged fanatics if Jesus is a part of our daily living, but when tragedy strikes, Job's comforters confront us with our lack of piety as God's vengeance strikes us for some hidden resentment that must be lurking in our hearts.
When we're compassionate towards sinners we're accused of imprudence and when just anger makes us lash out we are called uncharitable. The list of the incongruities could be multiplied a hundredfold and the more we try to make them right, the more entangled we become. But we can always look at Jesus and know He understands. Like Him, we can do the Father's Will according to the light we have and be at peace. His sufferings formed part of our redemption - ours form part of our sanctification.

"It began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But He (Jesus) was in the stern, His head on a cushion, asleep." (Mark 4:37,38) The all powerful God, out of whose Hands planets and galaxies tumbled, became a man and was tired! He had reached a point of physical exhaustion that neither rain, wind nor the shouts of fear-gripped men could overcome. He was dead tired - every muscle, every bone, every nerve had reached the end of its endurance and sleep alone would bring back that energy so necessary for the human body to function well. We have all felt tired - tired from work and often tired of work. We all reach a time when we must stop and rest. It is at this time we can relate to Jesus in a very conscious way. He and we know what it means to be worn out. We can unite our fatigue with His and offer it to the Father as a holocaust of love and obedience. Our work, our mission and our state of life accomplished according to His holy Will, make common fatigue a channel of grace and power. It becomes more than the natural consequence of exertion, it becomes a sacrifice of praise - an act of penance - a personal holocaust of love.

"An hour later another man insisted saying, 'This fellow was certainly with Him. Why he is a Galilean.' 'My friend,' said Peter, 'I do not know what you are talking about...' At that instant...the cock crowed and the Lord turned and looked straight at Peter." (Luke 22:59-61) We have a tendency to get caught up in Peter's denial in this Scripture passage. But have we thought of Jesus? Jesus heard Peter call a perfect stranger "friend" and then go on to deny the only true friend he possessed - Jesus. The Heart of Jesus was surely crushed. Those who arrested Him hated Him and although His Heart was deeply hurt, imagine the searing throb of pain as He heard with His own ears the rejection of His Love by a friend.

Peter was the man He had loved much, given much and depended upon to carry His message of love to the world. Here He heard him deny he even knew the One he was to represent on earth. Can any of us plumb the depths of disappointment and pain in the soul of Jesus! Perhaps we can - perhaps all men can at one time or another. Parents are hurt over children who flippantly throw away their care, advice, love and protection. Children too, whose hearts cry out for love, often see parents running after the things that perish and having little concern for the souls God has entrusted to their care as parents. Friendship too can suffer a mortal blow when one party yields to suspicion, distrust, jealousy or misunderstanding.

Yes, all of us can relate in some way to the deep hurt in the Heart of Jesus as He heard His friend and companion deny knowing Him. Let us unite our pain to His and give it to the Father for the salvation of souls, when we experience the rejection of a loved one.

"John came, neither eating or drinking and they say, 'He is possessed.' The Son of Man came, eating and drinking, and they say, 'Look, a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners." (Matt. 11:18,19) No matter what God did, those in authority were never satisfied. He sent His prophet John, a man of great penance, frugal, ascetical and demanding. His penitential spirit pricked their consciences so they condemned him. Jesus came as one who was kind, gentle, merciful and they called Him names to make Him look small and of no consequence. John appealed to the ninety-nine and called them to repentance, while Jesus went after the stray sheep. Both, however, were unacceptable. Some men desire knowledge with which to speculate, but not Spirit-filled words that stir the heart and cause them to change. No matter what Jesus did, someone found fault with it. When His anger raged at the money changers in the temple, they questioned His authority to take matters into His own hands. When His compassion reached out in mercy to the adulteress, they questioned His courage. No wonder He told His Apostles that the opinions of men meant nothing to Him. (Jn. 5:41) It is also true with us for there are times when our best actions and purest motives are held in question. There are times we bend over backward to please, but to no avail. When this happens we must look at Jesus and do as He did - He accomplished the Will of God in the present moment and regardless of public reaction, He went His way in peace. He had come to save men, not to conduct an opinion poll. It was only important to Him that He did what He saw the Father do and said what He heard the Father say. He was the perfect image of the Father and that Image turned some against Him and drew others to Him. The choice was theirs - their wills were free. He offered them love because He was Love Itself, but His peace was not dependent upon their acceptance. His love was deep enough to continue loving them and powerful enough to remain at peace when they preferred themselves to Him. His love enveloped everyone - it was they who left the radius of that love. We see this in the rich young man. Scripture tells us he ran up to Jesus and "knelt before Him." He wanted to inherit eternal life and asked Jesus how to do it. Jesus told him to keep the commandments, but the young man found that rather easy. He had formed the habit of keeping the law. He wanted more - his soul somehow knew there was something better. Jesus "looked at him steadily and loved him," the passage continues, but then the blow came. The great challenge was given. "Go and sell everything you own and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." (Mk. 10:17-22) Immediately, the enormity of the challenge struck the young man like a bolt of lightning. He had not expected that answer to his question - he was not ready for the sacrifice. Jesus knew what the young man would have to give up but He also knew what glory and renown he would miss for all eternity by passing up the opportunity of following Him. The young man thought he possessed too much to give up - he did not realize he gave up more than he possessed by not following the call of Jesus. It is often so with us. We know what people are doing to their immortal souls when they insist on seeking the things that pass - when a dissolute life is the order of the day - when they seemingly cannot tear themselves away from a life of sin. Their excuse is that they cannot give up their weaknesses and yet they do not understand what they really are giving up. The paradox is in the sad reality that they cannot give up misery, but they are capable of giving up eternal joy! How truly we can say that He understands our pains and heartaches - His pain was like mine - thank you, Jesus for loving us all so much! ©1976

If you wish to obtain a copy of this book please write to Mother Angelica, 5817 Old Leeds Rd. Irondale, Al. 35210 or email viewer@ewtn.com

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**How truly we can say that He understands our pains and heartaches - His pain was like mine - thank you, Jesus for loving us all so much!**

We have all suffered much. Maybe in different ways, emotional, spiritual, mental, social -- Only with the grace of God was I able to lean into my pain and gain through walking through it!

Thank You, God, for helping me when I needed you most!

A love beyond all understanding.

Thank you for posting this Salvation.

I am glad God got you through your suffering - what an awesome God (as Mother Angelica would say)!!

I was told once by a wonderful priest who suffered much pain through cancer that the best way for him to deal with the suffering was to gaze upon the crucifix, contemplating the sufferings of Our crucified Savior and the sufferings of His Blessed Mother. He said his suffering would never compare to theirs.

I know and hope someday when all our sufferings are over, God, who is never outdone in generosity, will Himself be the reward of our sufferings. Awesome thought indeed!

a "thank you" ping (and a personal bookmark)

And a thank you for checking in.

Moving through the pain brings the gain. One step at a time. Five minutes at a time. With the Lord's help we can do it.

God bless!

Here is a reflection on today's readings -- suffering is addressed, and I thought all might enjoy it.

6th Week in Ordinary Time
From: James 1:1-11

Address and Greetings

[1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve
tribes in the Dispersion: Greeting.

The Value of Suffering

[2] Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, [3]
for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.
[4] And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect
and complete, lacking in nothing.

[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men
generously and without reproaching, and it will be given him. [6] But
let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a
wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind. [7,8] For that
person must not suppose that a double-minded man, unstable in all his
ways, will receive anything from the Lord.

[9] Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, [10] and the rich in
his humiliation, because like the flower of the grass he will pass
away. [11] For the sun rises with its scorching heat and withers with
the grass; its flower falls, and its beauty perishes. So will the rich
man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

Commentary:

1. The author of the letter is St. James, who was in charge of the
Christian community of Jerusalem for a number of years (cf. Acts 12:17;
15:13; 21:19), a close relative of our Lord....

James introduces himself as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ". The title of "servant of God" was given to people in the Old
Testament who were outstandingly faithful to the Lord (cf. Psalm
34:22), such as Moses, David, the prophets; the title applies in a
special way to the Messiah, the "Servant of Yahweh" (cf. Isaiah
42-53). In the New Testament it is applied to all Christians,
particularly the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:29; 16-17; Revelation 1:1). At
the start of their letters, St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Jude sometimes
describe themselves in this way to make the point that they are mere
messengers of divine truth.

The term "Lord"--'Kyrios' in Greek--which is applied to Jesus Christ is
used in the second-century B.C. Septuagint Greek version of the Old
Testament to translate the name of Yahweh. St. Paul also uses it
frequently. It is an explicit profession of faith in the divinity of
Jesus Christ, part of the Christian creed from the very beginning.

The letter is addressed "to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" or
Diaspora. The term "diaspora" originally meant Jews domiciled outside
Palestine. Here it refers to Christians--the twelve tribes of the new,
true Israel--who were to be found all over the Greco-Roman world. It
is very likely that it refers particularly to Jewish converts to
Christianity.

The salutation used by James--which the New Vulgate translates as
"health" and the RSV gives as "greeting"--literally means "rejoice".
It was the customary form of greeting in the Greek of the time. The
same word is used in verse 2, perhaps to make it quite clear what kind
of joy he means.

2-12. In these opening verses, St. James points out how Christians
should behave in the face of trials and sufferings: they should accept
them with joy (verses 2-4); if they find it difficult to see why they
are experiencing difficulties, they should ask God to give them the
necessary wisdom (verses 5-8); the poor and well-to-do should have the
same attitude to things (verses 9-11); finally, he reminds them that
the reward God promises to those who endure trials is blessedness
(verse 12). The whole passage clearly reflects the Beatitudes of the
Sermon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 5:1-12).

The problem of the suffering experienced by the righteous in contrast
with the prosperity of the impious in this life is one often dealt
with in the Old Testament, particularly in the Psalms and in the Book
of Job. But it was not fully and finally solved until the coming of
Jesus Christ, who by His teaching and His life revealed the redemptive
value of suffering, and the great reward which Heaven holds. "It is
through Christ and in Christ that light is thrown on the riddle of
suffering and death which, apart from His Gospel, overwhelms us"
(Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).

Human suffering has a redemptive value when borne in union with Christ:
"The Gospel of suffering", Pope John Paul II says, "is being written
unceasingly, and it speaks unceasingly with the words of this strange
paradox: the springs of divine power gush forth precisely in the midst
of human weakness. Those who share in the sufferings of Christ
preserve in their own sufferings a very special "particle of the
infinite treasure" of the world's Redemption, and can share this
treasure with others" ("Salvifici Doloris", 27).

2-4. The "trials" referred to hear do not seem to be persecutions, but
rather everyday adversity--perhaps poverty especially (cf. 1:9;
2:5-7)--which tests the Christian's faith: for this reason the word is
sometimes translated as "temptations". These trials act as a test of
perseverance in the pursuit of good and help the soul to grow in
patience, a much needed virtue: "There is nothing more pleasing to
God", St. Alphonsus comments, "than to see a soul who patiently and
serenely bears whatever crosses it is sent; this is how love is made,
by putting lover and loved one on the same level [...]. A soul who
loves Jesus Christ desires to be treated the way Christ was
treated--desires to be poor, despised and humiliated ("The Love of
Jesus Christ", Chapter 5).

Patience, steadfastness, is quite different from mere passive endurance
of suffering; it comes from the virtue of fortitude and leads one to
accept suffering as something sent by God. It is grounded on hope
(cf. Thessalonians 1:3) and on faith put to the test (James 1:3); it
is very fruitful (cf. Luke 8:15), particularly in terms of Christian
joy (cf. Acts 5:41), and implies sustained effort to the point of
perfection.

5-8. The wisdom St. James refers to views everything in the light of
Christ crucified--the wisdom of the cross in the phrase of St. Paul
(cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18 ff), which is the only type of insight that
enables one to be joyful in the midst of adversity and suffering,
because it allows one to see these things as an opportunity to share in
our Lord's suffering. When we find it difficult to view things in this
light, we need to ask God to give us wisdom.

Our prayer for wisdom should be a prayer full of faith: "Whatever you
ask for in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matthew
21:22). The "St. Pius V Catechism" reminds us that "believe, we must,
both in order to pray, and that we be not wanting in that faith which
renders prayer fruitful. For it is faith that leads to prayer, and it
is prayer that, by removing all doubts, gives strength and firmness to
faith. This is the meaning of the exhortation of St. Ignatius to those
who approach God in prayer: `Be not of doubtful mind in prayer; blessed
is he who had not doubted' ("Ep. X Ad Heronem"). Therefore, to obtain
from God what we ask, faith and an assured confidence are of first
importance, according to the admonition of St. James: "Let him ask in
faith, with no doubting" (James 1:6)" (IV, 7, 3).

5. "Who gives to all men generously and without reproaching": God
always listens to our requests, and He answers them without humiliating
us, without reminding us of our unworthiness. This should help us
address the Lord with complete confidence, not being inhibited by our
shortcomings and sins. "You are so conscious of your misery",
Monsignor Escriva says, that you acknowledge yourself unworthy to be
heard by God. But, what about the merits of Mary? And the wounds of
your Lord? And...are you not a son of God? Besides, He listens to you
'"quoniam bonus..., quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus"': because He
is good, because His mercy endure forever'" ("The Way", 93).

7-8. "A double-minded man": an indecisive soul who is unsure whether to
trust in the efficacy of prayer or not. St. Bede comments: "A
double-minded person is one who kneels down to ask God for things and
beseeches Him to grant them, and yet feels so accused by his conscience
that he distrusts his ability to pray. A double-minded person is also
one who, when he does good deeds, looks for external approval rather
than interior reward. The wise man is right when he says, `Woe to the
sinner who walks along two ways!" (Sirach 2:12) [...]. People of this
type are inconstant in all their ways, for they are very easily
overpowered by adverse circumstance and entrapped by favorable ones,
with the result that they stray from the true path" ("Super Iac.
Expositio, ad loc.").

9-11. Apparently poverty was one of the hardest trials these Christians
were experiencing. The Semitic mind was fond of expressing itself in
terms of contrasts, and this may make it difficult for us to grasp the
full thrust of St. James' maxims: to do so we need to draw on our
general knowledge of Christian doctrine. God and the Church have a
predilection for the poor, and Christ describes the poor as blessed
(cf. Matthew 5:3 and paragraph): this teaching applies in the first
instance to those who experience material need, but material need is a
symbol of the truly poor, that is, those who, independently of whether
they have many or few material possessions, realize that they are in
dire need of God (cf. note on Luke 6:24). In principle, it may be
easier for a materially poor person to feel in need of God, whereas
someone who is well off needs to be detached from possessions in order
to trust fully in God.

The sacred writer does not require people who have possessions to give
them up: what they have to do is to realize that material possessions
are transitory, impermanent things to be used in the service of others
and of society, and not just for oneself.

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Another reflection on suffering from "One Bread, One Body."

One Bread, One Body

All Issues > Volume 20, Number 2

<< Monday, February 16, 2004 >>

James 1:1-11

Psalm 119:67-68, 71-72, 75-76

Mark 8:11-13

View Readings

LIVING THE MIRACULOUS LIFE

“My brothers, count it pure joy when you are involved in every sort of trial.” —James 1:2

For about thirty years I have taught the Lord’s command to consider various trials “all joy.” Today I read this in my hospital room. I haven’t been allowed to eat or drink even water or ice chips for about a day. I’ve had an IV stuck in me for hours. And I have had four enemas. It has never been more clear to me that the command to consider trials “all joy” is truly a miracle.

This command is not a burdensome challenge to our will-power but a call to rise above ourselves and live in the supernatural dimension by utterly depending on the Lord. This grace strengthens our faith, producing perseverance which can result in our becoming “fully mature and lacking in nothing” (Jas 1:4). How privileged we are to be commanded to do things that we cannot do! How blessed we are to move from grace to grace and not just from human limitation to human limitation! May we let the Lord repeatedly do the impossible in our lives. Let us rejoice in sufferings (Col 1:24; 1 Pt 4:13), love our enemies (Lk 6:27, 35), deny our very selves (Lk 9:23) and generally do things we cannot do. Live the new, abundant, eternal life in the Lord.

Prayer: Father, fill me with joy in living in You.

Promise: “If any of you is without wisdom, let him ask it from the God Who gives generously and ungrudgingly to all, and it will be given him.” —Jas 1:5

Praise: Margaret gives heartfelt thanks to Jesus for waking up each day.

Suffering
Question from Richard on 10-23-2003:

We often hear people say that a loving God would not allow people to suffer. As Catholics, we know that suffering has a great salvational aspect when it is lovingly accepted and offered to God for that purpose. My question is, how do other faiths attempt to explain suffering in the world ?

Answer by David Gregson on 11-07-2003:

Either God allows people to suffer or He’s not in control. People who don’t know their religion generally think He’s not in control, because they believe that God is good, and that suffering is bad. (I’ve heard a Jewish rabbi take this position, but I don’t think he was representative of traditional Judaism.) This reflects a very diminished view of God, as if He didn't know from all eternity how His creatures, especially those with free will, would behave. He didn’t restrain their evil, but He fitted it into His plan, so all things, suffering included, would work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28).

Some Protestants believe that suffering is a punishment for sin, and this is partially true. There would be no suffering for man if Adam hadn't sinned. We sin because we inherit his fallen nature, and we suffer for our sins. But it's not true that everything we suffer is a punishment for our own sins. We live in a world disordered by sin, which brings us into conflict with each other. We sometimes suffer for the sins of others, and not our own, and sometimes when no one is personally at fault. It is due to the disorder introduced into God’s creation, first by Satan and the fallen angels, and then by Adam and his descendants. Again, all this is allowed by God, because He can bring a greater good out of it than if He had restrained His creatures, and frustrated their freedom of action.

Other Protestants believe that, if we had enough faith in God, He would deliver us from all suffering, or at least from sickness and injury, but that only adds to people’s suffering, by making them think their lack of faith is the reason God hasn’t granted their prayer. Others believe that God allows them to suffer to try their faith and obedience. There is truth in that view. As St. James writes, “Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (1:2-4). Trials which test our faith are opportunities for growth, and in that respect, suffering is good. It partially explains why God allows the disorder in the world which brings suffering.

Finally, the Catholic position, which you outlined in your question, that suffering is an opportunity for us to join in the Passion of Christ, contributing our little bit to the salvation of souls. This doesn’t take the place of the explanation given by St. James, but adds to it the teaching of St. Paul. “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church” (Col. 1:24). This doesn’t mean there is anything lacking in the sufferings of Christ, which are more than sufficient to merit all the grace necessary for the salvation of the whole world. But He has willed to include us in His saving work, just as He wills us to take part in the spread of the Gospel.

Continued reflections on Suffering:

From: James 1:12-18

The Value of Suffering (Continuation)

[12] Blessed is the man who endures trial, for when he has stood the
test he will receive the crown of life which God has promised to those
who love Him.

The Source of Temptation

[13] Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God"; for God
cannot be tempted with evil and He Himself tempts no one; [14] but each
person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire.
[15] Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin; and sin when it
is full-grown brings forth death.

[16] Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. [17] Every good
endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the
Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to
change. [18] Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth
that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures.

Commentary:

12. These words, which expand on the idea contained in verses 2-4, echo
our Lord's own words: "Blessed are you when men revile you and
persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on My
account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in Heaven"
(Matthew 5:11-12). The simile of the crown--a mark of victory and
kingship--is used to convey the idea of definitive triumph with Christ:
the Lord will appear crowned in glory (Revelation 14:14); the Woman of
the Apocalypse, symbolizing the Church and the Blessed Virgin, is also
described as crowned (cf. Revelation 12:1); and this reward is promised
to those who stay true to God in this life (cf. Revelation 2:10;
3:11). It is also to be found in other New Testament passages to
convey the idea of the ultimate reward of Heaven (cf. 1 Corinthians
9:25; 2 Timothy 4:8; 1 Peter 5:4).

This means that Christians should not be depressed or cowed by the
difficulties which God permits them to experience; on the contrary,
they should see them as a series of tests which with God's help they
should surmount in order to receive the reward of Heaven. "The Lord
does not allow His followers to experience these trials and temptations
unless it be for their greater good," St. John of Avila comments.
"[...] He disposed things in this way: endurance in adversity and
struggle against temptation prove who His friends are. For the mark of
a true friend is not that he keeps you company when times are good, but
that he stands by you in times of trial [...]. Companions in adversity
and later in the Kingdom, you should strive to fight manfully when you
meet opposition that would separate you from God, for He is your help
here on earth and your reward in Heaven" ("Audi, Filia", 29).

13-18. These verses identify the source of the temptations man
experiences: they cannot come from God but are, rather, the effect of
human concupiscence (verses 16-18).

Sometimes temptation means putting a person's faithfulness to the test;
in this sense it can be said that God "tempts" certain people, as
happened in the case of Abraham (cf. Genesis 22:1 ff). However, here
the reference is to temptation in the strict sense of incitement to
sin: God never tempts anyone in this way, He never encourages a person
to do evil (cf. Sirach 15:11-20). Therefore, we cannot attribute to
God our inclination to sin, nor can it be argued that by endowing us
with freedom He is the cause of our sin. On the contrary, the natural
and supernatural gifts we have received are resources which help us act
in a morally good way.

14-15. St. James' teaching is that the source of temptation is to be
found in our own passions. Elsewhere he says that the world (cf. 1:27;
4:4) and the devil (4:7) are causes of temptations; but to actually
commit sin the complicity of one's own evil inclinations is always
necessary.

Concupiscence ("desire"), here as elsewhere in the New Testament (cf.,
e.g., Romans 1:24; 7:7 ff; 1 John 2:16), means all the disordered
passions and appetites which, as a result of original sin, have a place
in men's hearts. Concupiscence as such is not a sin; but rather,
according to the Council of Trent, "since it is left to provide a
trial, it has no power to injure those who do not consent and who, by
the grace of Jesus Christ, manfully resist"; and if it is sometimes
called sin (cf. Romans 6:12 ff) it is "only because it is from sin and
inclines to sin" ("De Peccato Originali", 5).

Using the simile of generation St. James describes the course of sin
from the stage of temptation to that of the death of the soul. When
one gives in to the seduction of concupiscence sin is committed; this
in turn leads to spiritual death, to the soul's losing the life of
grace. This is the opposite process to the one described earlier (cf.
verses 2-12), which begins with trials (temptations in the broad sense:
cf. note on 1:2-4) and ends up in Heaven; whereas in this passage, the
process also begins with temptation but because of sin ends up with the
death of the soul. [Pope] John Paul II describes the process as
follows: "Man also knows, through painful experience, that by a
conscious and free act of the will he can change course and go in a
direction opposed to God's will, separating himself from God ("aversio
a Deo"), rejecting loving communion with Him, detaching himself from
the life-principle which God is, and consequently choosing "death"
("Reconciliatio Et Paenitentia", 17).

16-18. "The Father of lights": a reference to God as Creator of the
heavenly bodies (cf. Genesis 1:14 ff; Psalm 136:7-9) and, in the
symbolism of light, as the source of all good things, material and,
especially, spiritual. Unlike heavenly bodies, which change position
and cast shadows, there is no variation or shadow in God: no evil can
be attributed to Him (cf. verse 13), but only good things.

"First fruits of His creatures": Christians, who have been recreated by
God by "the word of truth" (the Gospel) already constitute the
beginning of the New Heaven and the New Earth (cf. Revelation 21:1) and
are a sign of hope for all mankind and for the whole of Creation (cf.
Romans 9:19-23).

Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.

Thought for the Day

Jesus invited us to be like Him, humble of heart. But what is humility of the heart? It consists in receiving humiliations from God with a submissive love, in accepting one's state of life and one's duties whatever they are, and in not being ashamed of one's condition.

-- St. Peter Julian Eymard

Lenten bump for our edification.

His Pain Like Mine We often look at Jesus with an attitude of predestination - a cold, hard-hearted acceptance of His sufferings and pain. We think, at least in our subconscious, that somehow He had to do what He did and so we sluff it all off with a shrug of our shoulders, without a thought of the awesome wonder of a suffering God. We cannot comprehend a love that desires to feel our misery. The only love we understand is the kind that warms our heart and affects our emotions. We prefer that our love feels pity or sympathy, but not the actual pain of the one we love. We may see someone with cancer, but we would never desire to actually feel every sharp, throbbing pain. We often say we would rather suffer than see those we love suffer, but this is for the most part, a mere expression of sympathy. Our meditations on His sufferings are shallow and distant - expressions of pity if we have any devotion or an acceptance of an historical fact that He came, suffered and died. We laboriously try to remember this reality during Lent and quickly forget it at Easter. We joyfully set aside His sufferings and don our Easter clothes as if to shed some disagreeable event by starting anew. Yes, the joy of His resurrection should always be in our hearts and give us that hope that knows no sadness. But do we not lose the one element of Easter that assures our hope of a never ending source of joy? "See My Hands and My Feet," Jesus told the doubting Thomas. His risen, glorious body continues to carry wounds, but these wounds provide our greatest consolation, our deepest joy and our assuring hope. These wounds open to us the secrets of His Love and give us a confident trust in His mercy. We can no longer doubt His love for us - we can no longer chide Him for permitting injustice in our lives while He never felt this painful sting. Before redemption we may well have asked Him, "How do You know what it means to suffer, Oh God? Did You ever feel hungry or thirsty? Have Your nights ever been full of fears and Your days long hours of painful endurance? Have You ever felt lonely or rejected? Has anyone treated You unjustly and have You ever cried? Has the powerful wind You created ever pierced Your bones and made You shiver with cold? Have you ever needed a friend and then, when he came along, watched him turn against You?" His answer to all these questions would have been, "No." But now, we can no longer wonder, because His love has answered our unasked questions - has desired to feel what our nature feels - endure our weaknesses and limitations of our sinner condition - shouldered our yoke and shuddered from the cold wind. "The birds have nests and the foxes dens," He told His disciples, "but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His Head." (Luke 9:58) The realization that the love of Jesus shared and continues to share in our sorrows and pain, gives us that joy "no man can take away." Our continual Easter joy is mysteriously woven and interwoven with the cross. The Christian experiences and lives a paradox. He possesses joy in sorrow, fulfillment in exile, light in darkness, peace in turmoil, consolation in dryness, contentment in pain and hope in desolation. A dedicated Christian has the ability to take the present moment, look at it head on, recall the spirit of Jesus under similar circumstances and act accordingly. It is difficult, but He told us it would be, for the happiness He promised is beyond this life. We are given the opportunity to condition ourselves to live forever with Holiness Itself. Let us see how our daily lives and the life of Jesus parallel. Perhaps then it will be easier to change our lives accordingly.