(a pdf copy is attached for printing)
Five Important Spiritual Thoughts from the Liturgy of the
Word …and follow up for the Secular FranciscanDecember 8 – December 14
1 – “May it be done to me according to your word.” (Lk 1:38)**
…Is my “Yes” to God the same as Mary and Francis’s?
2 — “To what shall I compare this generation?” (Mt 11:16)**
…How do I describe the world right now? How do I describe myself right now?
3 – “Blessed is he who shall have seen you, and who falls asleep in your friendship.” (Sir 48:11)
…Looking at it from the context of the New Testament, it is speaking to Jesus, and
for the Franciscan, to Francis.
4 – “Be patient, brothers and sisters.” (Jas 5:7)
Extended meditation:
PATIENCE
“By your perseverance you will secure your lives.” Luke 21:19
Jesus speaks of the end of the world, a frightening thing for most people. During
his discourse, he predicts that there will be persecution, close relatives will betray the
faithful, and there will obviously be death. But he also says that even though you lose
your life, not a hair on your head will be destroyed, and you will secure your lives.
Perhaps, the phrase that bears some thought are the words of Jesus that it is by
perseverance that his followers will secure their lives. Perseverance can be defined by
the English translation that some translations have of this passage—patient
endurance. Those are two key elements that a person interested in the spiritual life must
develop.
First, patience. The immediate results may not look promising as signified by the
fact that there will be persecution. But if we trust the Lord’s words, ultimately, there will
be victory. Our problem as human beings is with the word ultimately. We do not tend to
be patient people; we are used to having things instantly and this carries over to spiritual
realities as wellWe don’t want to have to wait for—say—a deeper spiritual life. The fact is as many
spiritual authors suggest: it takes a while for God to really get through to us. I saw a T–
shirt a couple years ago worn by a teenager at a CYO convention: large letters that covered
the whole shirt: PBPWM – GINF – WMY. I had to ask him what it meant as I guess a
number of people did: it meant “Please be patient with me; God is not finished with
me yet.” It takes patience for the reign of God to develop well.
And secondly, endurance, that is consistency. That we will work at our spiritual
lives every day implies effort, and, and a constant involvement on our parts. Once again,
something that we don’t want to do.
There is a tremendous example of that given in the film “Unbroken.” It is the true
story of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic athlete who enlisted in the US Air Corps and became
a bombardier on a B–24 Liberator bomber during the Second World War. His life took him
through a couple of airplane crash landings, almost fifty days in the Pacific Ocean in a
safety raft, and finally an unbelievably brutal couple of years in Japanese concentration
camps. Throughout it all, the one guide for him was that he was determined to persevere
and never give up. He learned his determination and perseverance from early on, mostly
from his own personality of just not giving up and then help from his brother in
particular. That learning enabled him to endure what most people would never be able to
do.
Perseverance is a must as one defines the spiritual life. A spiritual person will be patient,
and will endure what it takes to become truly spiritual in his/her approach to life.
5 – “Which of the two did his father’s will?” (Mt 21:31)
…What is the Father’s “will” for me, and am I following it completely?
