September 5 Fast

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JMJ

"Like Jesus we belong to the world living not for ourselves but for others. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

 A sacrifice to be real must cost, must hurt, must empty ourselves. The fruit of silence is prayer, the fruit of prayer is faith, the fruit of faith is love, the fruit of love is service, the fruit of service is peace."

(Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta)

There lies a great difficulty in retaining one's former fervor when he begins to live out his vocation.  He recalls a time when no task was too great to be performed for his beloved.  New found excitement squelched fatigue and eagerness to please trumped any selfish thoughts that may have arisen.

Unfortunately the physical and mental tolls of each day threaten to dampen one's zeal quickly once the courtship has ended.  The realities of married or parish or community life soon set in, and the beloved is lost among the jungle of endless duties.  One continuously gives to others all day, feeling quite exhausted as a result.  The words of St. Paul ring a familiar tune: "For I am already being poured out like a libation. . . " (2 Tim 4:6).  But then, the time  with one's beloved is at hand and the question arises: "Will this be a moment of great joy or another time to burdened by a want?  Does one see his beloved now as just another person who is ready to lay another burden on his shoulders?  Or does he see his beloved as he always has from the first, a treasure to bought no matter the cost.  In doing the latter he follows the advice given in the Imitation of Christ:

"A considerate lover regards not so much the gift of Him who loves him, as the love of the Giver."

Love is an act of the will not of the emotions.  Passing passions cannot excuse the refusal to offer a sacrificial gift of oneself.  It takes great courage to give these little self-denying gifts with a smile and not with a sigh.  But how important they are!  It is an easy trap to fall into, to believe that because the other understands our stresses, and knows of our love, a person need not do more to express that love when the day has taken its toll.  Yet, sureties of love are always necessary in any relationship to maintain and strengthen its foundations.  Do not allow your love to grow cold with fatigue but keep it warm with the fire of sacrifice.  Perhaps the sacrifice may not only be in giving but in not receiving what one desires.  Let not your heart grow weary! God will fill the void when necessary.  When one serves another, he serves Christ; when he empties himself out, he is filled by His Love and Grace.

When one has a servant's heart, he does not see others taking what is his (time, energy) but instead freely gives what has been freely given to him. To thus live one's life takes patience, perseverance and endurance but it brings only peace and a greater desire to love more fully.

August 1 Fast

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JMJ

"You are to show mercy to your neighbors always and everywhere. You must not shrink from this or try to excuse yourself from it.  I am giving you three ways of exercising mercy towards your neighbor: the first- by deed, the second- by word, the third- by prayer.  In these three degrees is contained the fullness of mercy, and it is an unquestionable proof of love for Me.  By this means a soul glorifies and pays reverence to My mercy."  (Diary of St. Faustina, No. 742)

Our Savior appeared to St. Faustina to remind us of His tender mercy, but also to exhort us to follow Him in His example.  Family life provides ample opportunity to exhibit and practice the virtue of mercy.  In the domestic church, all are striving to be saints, but none have reached their potential yet.  And so, great patience, a complement to the virtue of mercy, must be shown while forgiving the faults of others and overlooking their weaknesses.  The enemy of marriage wants to plant resentment in our hearts by assigning motives to the one we are frustrated with. When a couple is first in love, all manner of excuses may be provided to explain the other's behavior but curiously none can be found later on after marriage.  Pride takes precedence; suddenly one is more apt to excuse himself or others rather than pardon his spouse.

One of today's key advertising phrases is :"it will make your life easier."  Ingrained with this mentality, we tend to think that it is all about making my life easier; why don't others do something to lighten my burden?  Perhaps, one might think instead of how he can do more to lighten the burden of others.  In our consumer and capitalist mentality, we believe that work/service done should be paid in kind.  One may think he is owed something for his many labors of the day: where is my reward? where is my thanks? where is my time off?  
Leisure and quiet are vitally important to the health of soul and body, and all need time to rest.  Yet, one will only find misery if he is constantly tallying the number of tasks he has done, and the subsequent "reward" (in whatever form) he deserves.  One must be cautious of this self-absorbed mentality where everything relates to him, and not to God or others.  
Marriage (and friendship), is not a contract, but a covenant.  

Blessed Mother Teresa famously said:

And so it is very important for us to realize that love, to be true, has to hurt. I must be willing to give whatever it takes not to harm other people, and, in fact to do good to them.  This requires that I be willing to give until it hurts.  Otherwise, there is no true love in me and I bring injustice, not peace, to those around me.

A true love is a merciful one.  It hurts because one must give of his own reserve; he must take away something from himself (time, energy, money, rest) and give it to another.  It patterns itself after the Crucified Love of Christ: when justice and condemnation is deserved, mercy and forgiveness are freely given.  When frustration and resentment feel appropriate, patience and compassion overcome.

A certain condemned man struggled down the streets of Jerusalem, surrounded by a riotous crowd heaping its merciless anger upon the sorrowful man.  But then, a woman appeared, and seeing his anguish, she cared not for herself- the taunts she may endure, the physical brutality the soldiers could display on her intrusion- but only for the Suffering Servant.  If she was concerned only for her present cares, her unfulfilled needs, perhaps she would have missed the man who was so in need of that tender mercy He spoke of so often.  But she was not; it was His comfort, not her own that she sought.  May, we too, seek the same for others.

July 4th Fast

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JMJ

"Nowadays it is sometimes held, though wrongly, that freedom is an end in itself, that each human being is free when he makes use of freedom as he wishes, and that this must be our aim in the lives of individuals and societies. In reality, freedom is a great gift only when we know how to use it consciously for everything that is our true good. Christ teaches us that the best use of freedom is charity, which takes concrete form in self-giving and in service. For this "freedom Christ has set us free" and ever continues to set us free." 

(Redemptor Hominis, The Redeemer of Man, St. John Paul II, 1979)

God gave mankind the great gift of free will when He created the world: the freedom to choose beauty, goodness, and Truth.  After sin entered the world through the abuse of this gift, God restored humanity sending His Son to redeem our freedom.  As St. Paul says:

"We know that our old self was crucified with him, so that our sinful body might be done away with, that we might no longer be in slavery to sin. . . Therefore, sin must not reign over your mortal bodies so that you obey their desires.  And do not present the parts of your bodies to sin as weapons for wickedness, but present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life and the parts of your body to God as weapons of righteousness.  For sin is not to have any power over you, since you are not under the law but under grace.    (Romans 6:6, 12-14)

 Freedom means the strength to control our passions, the courage to confront our faults, and the humility to recognize our total dependence on God and constant need for His grace to persevere.  Perhaps one remembers the time when he learned that true freedom does not equate to licentiousness.  He felt the chains of sin and worldly standards lifted and realized he was not condemned to a miserable material existence, but instead was free to live a peaceful and happy life because he is called and is capable of greatness.

But, after awhile, the old tempter comes slinking back attempting to douse the flame of zeal with a cold splash of indolence. Pressures mount, stresses abound, and one looks to objects, or old vices, to bring comfort, relieve anxiety, or provide a little lift.  The passions are no longer controlled and channelled for sanctifying purposes.  Noise drowns out the silence needed for recollection; impetuosity replaces thoughtfulness, and excuses cloak the need to reclaim the right use of freedom.   

Yet, what is the goal of our life, what should our freedom be used for: our comfort or our sanctification?  Is my time for myself or for Him?  This is not to suggest that those who live in the world should act as if they live in a monastery, but instead be aware that all that we do together, or that we do individually should be directed to His purposes, His plan.  When one indulges his own whims, or constantly seeks his own comfort, he unknowingly starts to build a small wall between himself and others (be it his spouse, children, friends, etc.)  In isolation, there is no sanctification; the marital and religious vocation depend on the gift of self, not the the gratification of self.  But St. Paul offers us hope still:

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? Of course not!  . . . But thanks be to God that, although you were once slaves of sin, you have become obedient from the heart to the pattern of teaching which you were entrusted.  Freed from sin, you have become slaves of righteousness. . . For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:15, 17-18, 23)

Christ has freed us!  We can be like Him, He has given us the grace to do it!  Let us reflect today on the gift of our freedom, and ask God humbly to show us how best to use it.

June 6 Fast

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JMJ

"My heart had expected reproach and misery. And I looked for the one that would grieve together with me, and there was none: and I sought one that would console me, and I found none." (Ps 68:21)

June is the month of the Sacred Heart; a time to ponder the depth and greatness of Our Lord's love and mercy.  Father Michael Gaitley, in his book 33 Days to Morning Glory, noted that Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta was particularly drawn to the above Scripture verse that is used for the Offertory on the Feast of the Sacred Heart.  She responded to our thirsting Lord:

"Tell Jesus, "I will be the one."  I will comfort, encourage, and love Him. . . Be with Jesus.  He prayed and prayed, and then He went to look for consolation, but there was none. . . I always write that sentence, "I looked for one to comfort Me, but I found no one."  Then I write, "Be the one." So now you be that one.  Try to be the one to share with Him, to comfort Him, to console Him.  So let us ask Our Lady to help us understand."

How can we comfort Our Lord? By loving Him with the same pure, unadulterated love that issued forth from His Sacred Heart on the cross.  A love that is satisfied with the wellbeing of the other, a love that is given freely without expecting gratitude in return.  That is an easy love to read and dream about, but one much more difficult to put into practice.  It is a love that takes perseverance and patience, a love that must fight through fatigue and frustration, disappointment and despair just as Our Lord did on the way to Calvary.  

A young mother rushes to the aid of her newborn babe at the slightest cry; she attends to his every need without hesitating and first considering the cost it entails.  Her maternal heart selflessly forgoes small pleasures, and even necessities, in order to console her dependent child at any given moment of the day.

Someone who has emerged from the infant stage may no longer be dependent for physical necessities, but will always be crying out for love.  A person thirsting for love, and comfort is as helpless as the babe crying out for his mother.  Yes, our duties are numerous, but above all our duty is to love.  Our task in this life is to love.  In this we can imitate the example of the Most Merciful Mother, whose maternal heart aches to comfort those Her Son died to save.  Like her, let us seek out those, especially within our family, whose hearts yearn for our love, who yearn for His merciful love.

May 2nd Fast

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JMJ

"Particularly today, the Christian family has a special vocation to witness to the paschal covenant of Christ by constantly radiating the joy of love and the certainty of the hope for which it must give an account: 'The Christian family loudly proclaims both the present virtues of the Kingdom of God and the hope of a blessed life to come.'" 

(Familiaris Consortio, No. 52, St. John Paul II)

Traditionally, Christians have been a people of hope - the martyrs clung to it in times of persecution but people also held to it in peaceful periods as well.  Faithful followers of Christ were cherished the gift of hope in part because of the constant suffering that daily attended their lives and reminded them of the passing nature of this world and the blessed eternity that awaited.  Yet, in our present age, suffering has been limited due to incredible medical, agricultural, and technological advances.  

Hope is often forgotten or neglected because it has been deemed unnecessary by those who desire a narrow focus on the pleasures to be sought and easily enjoyed in this world.  As such, it can be difficult to retain it in the midst of such intense pressure, but let it not be so! 

The Catechism defines hope as:

". . . the theological virtue by which we desire the Kingdom of heaven and eternal life as our happiness, placing our trust in Christ's promises and relying not on our own strength, but on the help of the grace of the Holy Spirit."   (CCC, No. 1817)

The virtue of hope responds to the aspirations to happiness which God has placed in the heart of every man; it takes up the hopes that inspire men's activities and purifies them so as to order them to the Kingdom of heaven; it keeps men from discouragement; it sustains him during times of abandonment; it opens his heart in expectation of eternal beatitude.  Buoyed by hope, he is preserved from selfishness and led to the happiness that flows from charity. (CCC, No. 1818)

 Christian spouses have a duty to be a witness to the hope of the Resurrection, that is, the reality and joy of eternal life.  Each should seek to lift the other up, being attentive to another's fragile heart, for a sensitive soul in a tempest may turn to despair if not "buoyed by hope."  Hope should animate and excite us, prompting us to discernment: what will bring us closer to heaven?  If we have our hearts anchored in heaven, though our lives lead us from here to there, our hope will remain firm and steadfast in the midst of any storm, great or small.

During this month of May, let us especially turn to Mary, Our Lady of Hope.  She, whose heart was pierced by the sword on Calvary, still clung ardently to the hope of the Resurrection.  Though all was not explained to her, she alone, believed His Word.  She will fortify us, encourage us, and lift us up in times of distress. Just as she supported the early Church so she too will help us in our fragile faith.  Let us be unafraid as she was, and place our trust in her Son.

In this way you saw the growing power of hostility and rejection which built up around Jesus until the hour of the Cross, when you had to look upon the Saviour of the world, the heir of David, the Son of God dying like a failure, exposed to mockery, between criminals. Then you received the word of Jesus: “Woman, behold, your Son!” (Jn 19:26). From the Cross you received a new mission. From the Cross you became a mother in a new way: the mother of all those who believe in your Son Jesus and wish to follow him. The sword of sorrow pierced your heart. 

Did hope die? Did the world remain definitively without light, and life without purpose? At that moment, deep down, you probably listened again to the word spoken by the angel in answer to your fear at the time of the Annunciation: “Do not be afraid, Mary!” (Lk 1:30). How many times had the Lord, your Son, said the same thing to his disciples: do not be afraid! In your heart, you heard this word again during the night of Golgotha. Before the hour of his betrayal he had said to his disciples: “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (Jn16:33). “Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Jn 14:27). “Do not be afraid, Mary!” 

In that hour at Nazareth the angel had also said to you: “Of his kingdom there will be no end” (Lk 1:33). Could it have ended before it began? No, at the foot of the Cross, on the strength of Jesus's own word, you became the mother of believers. In this faith, which even in the darkness of Holy Saturday bore the certitude of hope, you made your way towards Easter morning.  (Spe Salvi, No. 50, Pope Benedict XVI)