Today's gospel (Luke 9:43-45) contains two mysteries: first there is the mystery of God, and then there is the mystery of man.
The mystery of God lies quite simply in this: that despite
all the glory and spectacle of Jesus’ miraculous progress through Israel, He
knew very well and He told His disciples that he was going to suffer. There
must be a cross. As the English poet Francis Thompson put it,
Must all Thy harvest fields be dunged with rotten death?
Thompson was a Manchester lad. As Manchester lad myself, I
think I would have to answer him, “Yes, our Frank, they must.”
So much is this the case that when Peter tried to oppose Jesus’
plan to go to Jerusalem to suffer, Jesus even called him “Satan”. I’m sorry, my
friends: it must be like this. We lost the opportunity for it to be any other
way when we fell from grace. And so, Saint Paul glories in the cross of Christ
- a scandal to the Jews and madness to the gentiles. Are we suffering? Let us
take it as a sign He has not forgotten us.
Thus far one mystery.
The other mystery in today's gospel seems these days no less
difficult for us, and it is the mystery of the human being. Jesus says he is
going to be handed over into the power of men. We should stop and reflect on
what a terrible indictment this is.
That said, some people might want to believe that this is
the way forward for Jesus. Of course, he should approach men, dialogue with
them, smoke pipes of peace with them, gather round with them in a circle holding
potted plants, and sign peace accords between God and man, demonstrating that
now they are in common cause. Isn’t that what a prophet who turns over tables
in the temple really needs to think about?
But what all such diplomatic recourse would fail to
understand is that the human being is a mystery even to himself. Like Richard Rich
in A Man for All Seasons, man cannot account for his own actions, even
so much as tonight. There are many good individuals in the world, but they are
all tainted by sin. There are many good hearts that intend good things, but
there is not a one of them who is not at some moments of the day a liar and a
thief.
This is why we need a Saviour. This is why we should treat every
scheme of false peace as something to put behind us.
St Jerome, pray for us.
I understand your comment on the human mystery too well and with some sadness. It doesn't matter it seems how many good intentions you start the day with, by the time you ve spoken to your spouse, child or listened to the news you may well have fallen into the trap laid for you by the evil one.
ReplyDeleteI ve been rereading the screw tape letters and when you seriously read them it appears ,if you are as feeble as me, that they are written about me. That is why we need a saviour and we need to welcome our redemptive suffering. It is not always possible at the time when confusion and chaos reign but in the quiet moments, those eyes of the storm that we inevitably reach before it starts again , we can silently or in tears give thanks and rejoice.
I read this after posting previous comment
ReplyDeleteAll of this is so encouraging because it gives an extraordinary meaning to our sufferings. The suffering which is offered, voluntary or involuntary, even the smallest sacrifices we can make, suffering or sickness, mourning, disappointments... if we live them with patience, if we welcome them in humility, these sufferings can have an unheard-of power to help souls.
The best thing to do, Maria tells us, is to unite our sufferings to those of Jesus, by placing them in the hands of Mary. She is the one who knows best how to use them, since often we ourselves do not know the most urgent needs around us. All this, of course, Mary will give back to us at the hour of our death. You see, these sufferings offered will be our most precious treasures in the other world. We must remind each other of this and encourage each other when we suffer.
From an interview with Maria Simma
I do not know Maria Simma, but 'Amen' to all you have said above, Jenni. With Mary's help, all our human straw can be spun into the gold of divine love.
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