Dominca IV in Quadragesima - Penance
Notes
Transcript
LESSON: What to do with the time given to us
LESSON: What to do with the time given to us
When this Lenten season began, none of us expected it to unfold as it has, and when I began this sermon series, I certainly did not expect to be delivering the second half of it by video, nor that it would address this subject in this way. Nevertheless, we have plow ahead as best we can, and so today we will contemplate the third pillar of Lent, penance.
We as Christians, as Catholics can be very good at taking on voluntary penances. Perhaps because we know our own limits, and we can choose penances that fall within those limits. When a penance is placed upon us however, particularly one that shakes us up, a penance like the current situation we face of social isolation and the lack of public liturgical celebrations, how do we react?
There has been a great deal of negativity that has surrounded this situation so far. People succumbing to fear, and resorting to nonsensical panic buying. People succumbing to anger over the Church’s response to the crisis. People complaining about nearly every aspect of the current circumstances that face us. What does any of that accomplish?
There is a quote taken from the Lord of the Rings that has been making the rounds on social media the last few days. J.R.R. Tolkien lived through both world wars, and it was just after the Second World War, when the pain and suffering of the war was still on everyone’s mind that he wrote these words, placing them on the lips of Frodo Baggins and Gandalf the Grey, “‘I wish it need not have happened in my time’, said Frodo. ‘So do I,’ said Gandalf, ‘and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us.’”
So that is the question that all of us face right now, what to do with the time that is given to us. Will we give in to fear and panic? Will we give in to anger and suspicion? Will we give in to moaning and complaining? Or will we accept all that happens serenely, as coming from the hand of God?
ILLUSTRATION: Uniformity with God’s Will
ILLUSTRATION: Uniformity with God’s Will
Those who know me, know that one of my favourite spiritual writers is St. Alphonsus Liguori. St. Alphonsus was an 18th century Italian bishop, founder of the Redemptorist Order, and is known as the Moral Doctor of the Church. He was a prolific writer and composed many spiritual classics, one of the most popular of which is his short treatise know as Uniformity With God's Will.
In that work, he recounts an encounter between a priest and a poor beggar:
The devout Father John Tauler relates this personal experience: For years he had prayed God to send him someone who would teach him the real spiritual life. One day, at prayer, he heard a voice saying: "Go to such and such a church and you will have the answer to your prayers." He went and at the door of the church he found a beggar, barefooted and in rags. He greeted the mendicant saying: "Good day, my friend."
"Thank you, sir, for your kind wishes, but I do not recall ever having had a 'bad' day."
"Then God has certainly given you a very happy life."
"That is very true, sir. I have never been unhappy. In saying this I am not making any rash statement either. This is the reason: When I have nothing to eat, I give thanks to God; when it rains or snows, I bless God's providence; when someone insults me, drives me away, or otherwise mistreats me, I give glory to God. I said I've never had an unhappy day, and it's the truth, because I am accustomed to will unreservedly what God wills. Whatever happens to me, sweet or bitter, I gladly receive from his hands as what is best for me. Hence my unvarying happiness."
"Where did you find God?"
"I found him where I left creatures."
"Who are you anyway?"
"I am a king."
"And where is your kingdom?"
"In my soul, where everything is in good order; where the passions obey reason, and reason obeys God."
"How have you come to such a state of perfection?"
"By silence. I practice silence towards men, while I cultivate the habit of speaking with God.
Conversing with God is the way I found and maintain my peace of soul."
Union with God brought this poor beggar to the very heights of perfection. In his poverty he was richer than the mightiest monarch; in his sufferings, he was vastly happier than worldlings amid their worldly delights.
When we conform our will to God’s Will, no matter what happens to us, good or evil, we will accept it serenely, as coming from the hand of God.
APPLICATION: Accepting the Will of God in all things
APPLICATION: Accepting the Will of God in all things
While many of us are at home during this time, not being able to go out to our favouite restaurants, or to the theatre, or to the gym, or wherever else we might frequent under normal circumstance, it’s an excellent opportunity to spend some extra time in prayer and in spiritual reading.
I’d like to offer three suggestions for profitable reading for the coming week. The first is to read the Book of Job. This is the quintessential book of Scripture that we need to read, understand, and live if we are going to accept everything that comes our way with peace and serenity of spirit.
St. Alphonsus in the same treatise says:
When the messenger came to announce to Job that the Sabeans had plundered his goods and slain his children, he said: "The Lord gave and the Lord taketh away." He did not say: "The Lord hath given me my children and my possessions, and the Sabeans have taken them away." He realized that adversity had come upon him by the will of God. Therefore he added: "As it hath pleased the Lord, so is it done. Blessed be the name of the Lord." We must not therefore consider the afflictions that come upon us as happening by chance or solely from the malice of men; we should be convinced that what happens, happens by the will of God.
Second, we could of course, read St. Alphonsus work itself, which is readily available for free online in a variety of formats.
Third, we could read the excellent work by Fr. Jacques Philippe, entitled Searching for and Maintaining Peace: A Small Treatise on Peace of Heart. Again, it is a fairly short, but powerful work in which Fr. Philippe discusses how we can retain our peace of heart, even during the most trying moments of life.
As we take time for prayer this week, let us ask Our Lord for the grace not to lose our serenity and peace of heart, and to accept all things (both good and bad) from His hand.