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St. Claire knew it. It's all part of our Christian calling, right? Through the Sacrament of baptism, we die and rise with Christ. But we must die to ourselves through self-mortification throughout life. We can certainly choose WHO or WHAT we want to become, or become like. If we wish to be like Christ, and perfected in the way He is, it requires that dying to self. Holy cow, is it hard, though. Certainly. Do we want to give up sometimes? Yes. But we must keep going. He knows our efforts, for sure. I love the fact that she fought off an army of men with just the Holy Eucharist. That's amazing. She knew Jesus was the only way. I am thinking of Fr.'s homily yesterday at Mass: He was talking about how Elijah was growing weary and wanted to give up after the fact he knew that Jezebel wanted him dead, and he killed the 400 men in a "standoff" over the false god Baal. Peter also grew anxious in the storm while he was walking on water with Jesus, and began to sink. So many of life's storms can distract us away from keeping focused on God, and we think we can do it alone without him. But we can't. Or at least, we cannot go as far as we could if we kept close to Him. And, of course, I believe it directly reflects how our joy will be filled in eternity. (*You can read my last post on my take on overflowing cups.)
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My late uncle passed away on this day 21 years ago. His death was hard on the family at the time, but we all heal a little easier with Our Lord beside us. I remember my dad today, as today marks his 5th month since parting us. He can comfort us in those times when we turn to Him. When I think of my dad's passing, I recall the same thoughts, and for sure, it was the reason we could have Hope. Uniting that with the cross, truly. And then we realize what a beautiful thing it truly is to die with Christ. It's a deeper idea than one would typically think could be.
I think most people tend to be afraid of "Dying with Christ". . . but, it can be. It means giving up a whole lot of US. There are many Christians in the world, today, suffering for their faith. Our brothers and sisters in faith in Israel are persecuted. We must remember how "deep" that bond should go. We must be wearing our faith OUT LOUD so that others can SEE and HEAR "WHO" we REPRESENT. Only then, can we find true peace, and change the world over and over through Him.
I would like to give an update on my life happenings, but will do so in another post. There is a good reason I have been away from blogging this past summer. Illness, recovery, wedding, vacation, and fun among other things. It's that season. I will post pictures and joys of life in another coming post, and the MARY GARDEN---is gorgeous!
God bless you all. Be Loud.
In Christ!
J.M.J.
