Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (To the Greater Glory of God)
From: Isaiah 43:16-21
Announcement of a New Exodus (Continuation)
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[16] Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, [17] who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick; [18] "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. [19] Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. [20] The wild beasts will honor me, the jackals and the ostriches; for I give water in the wilderness, rivers in the desert, to give drink to my chosen people, [21] The people whom I formed for myself that they might declare my praise.
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Commentary:
43:11-44:5. God chose Israel and he had special love for his people (cf. 43:1-13). Just as in the past he acted in ways that showed he had not forgotten them, not least by releasing them from Egypt and guiding them through the wilderness, he will show equal power and kindness by bringing them out of Babylon (cf. 43:14-21). The provident care that he takes of them is not a reward that the people have earned; it stems entirely from his mercy; he is steadfast in his love for them, despite all their faults (43:22-44:5). His people have more than enough reason to be tranquil and unconcerned, for the Lord, who has special love for them, is the one true God and there is nothing, no one, to match him (cf. 44:6- 23). So, this group of oracles ends with shouts of joy, acknowledging the redemption that God brings (cf. 44:23).
43:14-21. This oracle is part of the doctrinal core of the “Book of Consolation” (40:1-48:22), where we can see the exodus from Egypt as the prototype of every instance of liberation brought about by the Lord. Its most direct reference would be to the return of those exiled in Babylon. The original exodus from Egypt was quite remarkable and well worth pondering; but this exodus is truly “new”, surpassing what happened in former times (cf. vv. 18-19). This prophecy is very carefully constructed. It first acknowledges God by giving an impressive list of divine titles, repeated several times: Lord, Redeemer, Holy One of Israel, Creator, King (vv. 14-15); then comes the announcement of the new exodus based on traditions to do with the first exodus, without mentioning it specifically (vv. 16-21); it recalls, with sadness, yet serenity, the people’s infidelities (vv. 22-24); and it ends with God asserting his forgiveness in the context of a "rib", that is, a “legal hearing” (vv. 25-28).
The prophet’s words are designed to fill the people with hope that they will soon be able to return home, and also with the energy to undertake the religious restoration of Israel. But they are also a reminder to people at all times that God never abandons his chosen ones, and a constant encouragement to renew their fervor. The only proviso is that they must have recourse to the mercy of God and sincerely admit their sins. Thus, we find St Gregory the Great interpreting the “suit” in v. 26 as describing the examination of conscience that leads to the confession of sins: “The conscience accuses, reason judges, fear binds, and suffering tortures” ("Moralia in Job", 25,7, 12-13).
The Righteousness of God Is Better Than That of the Law (Continuation)
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[8] Indeed I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ [9] and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own, based on law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith; [10] that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings becoming like him in his death, [11] that if possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.
[12] Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect; but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.
The Spiritual Athlete
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[13] Brethren, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, [14] I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
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Commentary:
8. St Paul has a great love for his people. In Romans he shows that he would be ready to accept any sacrifice "for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen of the flesh" (Rom 9:3f). However, he recognizes that everything in which he gloried before his conversion is worthless in comparison with the grace of knowledge of Christ: that is the hidden treasure, the precious pearl referred to in Gospel parables (cf. Mt 13:44-46). For "once a person experiences the riches of Christ the Lord, he looks down on everything else: property, wealth and honors he views as filth. For there is nothing that can compare with that supreme treasure, nothing that can be placed beside it" ("St Pius V Catechism", IV, 11, 15).
9. St Paul makes the distinction between "a righteousness of my own" attainable by personal effort, and that which comes from God. The former is the righteousness a person can attain by fulfilling the Mosaic Law; it is a good thing, but it is insufficient to give one the full revelation of God in Christ, insufficient to give one a share in the glory of his Resurrection (vv. 10-11). For that, one needs to have righteousness from God, that is, supernatural grace: "not the justice by which he is himself just, but the justice by which he makes us just, namely, the justice which we have as a gift from him and by which we are renewed in the spirit of our mind. And not only are we considered just, but we are truly said to be just, and we are just" (Council of Trent, "De Iustificatione", chap. 7). For a more detailed explanation of the concept of the righteousness that comes from God, see the note on Romans 1:17.
10-12. The calling to holiness which every Christian receives is not a reward for personal merit: it comes from God's initiative; God desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (cf. 1 Tim 2:4), that is, to know God himself. The Apostle bears witness to this when he says that "Christ Jesus has made me his own." However, he also says that, in order to grow in knowledge of Christ and enjoy God in heaven, one needs to strive to share in Christ's sufferings. "The Christian is certainly bound both by need and by duty to struggle with evil through many afflictions and to suffer death; but, as one who has been made a partner in the paschal mystery and has been configured to the death of Christ, he will go forward, strengthened by hope, to the resurrection" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22). This struggle, which sometimes calls for heroism, is usually pitched in the incidents of one's ordinary day. Heroism in the everyday battle proves the sincerity of our love and is a sure way to holiness.
"Certainly our goal is both lofty and difficult to attain. But please do not forget that people are not born holy. Holiness is forged through a constant interplay of God's grace and man's response. As one of the early Christian writers says, referring to union with God, 'Everything that grows begins small. It is by constant and progressive feeding that it gradually grows big' (St Mark the Hermit, "De Lege Spirituali", 172). So I say to you, if you want to become a thorough-going Christian--and I know you do, even though you often find it difficult to conquer yourself or to keep climbing upwards with this poor body--then you will have to be very attentive to the minutest of details, for the holiness that our Lord demands of you is to be achieved by carrying out with love of God your work and your daily duties, and these will almost always consist of ordinary little things" (St J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 7).
"That if possible I may attain the resurrection of the dead": St Paul is referring here to the glorious resurrection of the just, whom the power of the risen Christ will rescue from the domain of death. At the second coming of the Lord, both the souls of the blessed in heaven and the souls of those who are still in purgatory undergoing the temporal punishment due to sins they committed will be re-united with their now glorified bodies. The reprobate will also rise, but their destiny is to suffer for ever the pains of hell in body and soul (cf. Second Council of Lyons, "Profession of Faith of Michael Paleologue").
Man's supernatural last end consists in knowing God as he is and enjoying him in heaven. When he attains this, man finds complete fulfillment. His life on earth has been a route leading to this perfection, a resurrection in glory. The Apostle recognizes that he needs the help of grace to be "perfect" (that is, faithful unto death) and thereby attain the prize promised by God: perseverance right to the end is not entirely a function of the merit a person has built up; it is a gift from God (cf. "De Iustificatione", chap. 13). However, God does not dispense man from generously responding to grace in order to attain holiness. As St Teresa of Avila says. "It matters a great deal, it is essential [...], that one have very great, very determined, resolution not to halt until one attains it, come what may, whatever happens, however much one suffers, however much people may gossip, whether I get there or not, even if I die on the way or am not able to face all the effort involved, even if the world collapses around me" ("Way of Perfection", 35, 2).
12-14. Growth in holiness always demands an effort. St Paul here uses a vivid comparison--races in the stadium. He describes ascetical struggle in terms of enjoyable supernatural sport. Realizing that he has not reached perfection, he strains to win: Christ already made him his own (cf. v. 12) by entering his life on the Damascus road; from that moment onwards he has striven single-mindedly to serve God.
Our Lord helps everyone to discover his or her particular supernatural vocation. In response to that calling a person should seek to serve God in such a way that "everything good he does, interiorly or externally, he does for the glory and pleasure of God, like a loyal slave who gives everything he gets to his master. Moreover," St John of Avila goes on, "even though he has worked as a servant for many years past, he is not easy-going or careless [...]. He always has that 'hunger and thirst for righteousness' (Mt 5:6): he puts little weight on everything he has done, thinking of how much he has received and how much is due to the Lord he serves" ("Audi, Filia", 92).
In making one's way towards perfection it is important to be always trying to advance spiritually. "What does walking mean?", St Augustine asked himself; "I shall answer very briefly: it means going forward [...]. Examine yourself. You should always be unhappy with what you are, if you want to attain what you are not yet. For when you were content with yourself, you stayed where you were, because if you say 'Enough', you are finished that very minute. Always grow, always walk on, always advance; do not stop on the way, do not turn back, do not go off course. One who does not advance is standing still; one who returns to the things he already abandoned is going backwards; one who goes off course commits apostasy. It is better to hobble along the road than run on any other route" ("Sermon" 169, 15, 18).