Heavy Crosses, Heavenly Home
Jesus on the end times
In a world that settles, God asks for loyalty. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the woman who built an empire of Christian charity, was very clear on this when she said, “God has not called me to be successful; he has called me to be faithful” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta).
Sometimes we treat being Christian like checking off boxes on a long list. There seem to be an interminable succession of obligations that are just part of being Christian. We come to the Eucharistic celebration every Sunday – an essential part of being Catholic – but we can still miss the heart of it if our relationship with Christ isn’t alive. What does it mean to develop a relationship with Christ if we are not praying? Then, if we are praying, we wonder how authentic our love for God is if we are not serving our neighbor. So, we begin to volunteer. But perhaps we begin to feel overwhelmed, when is it ever enough. We are looking at our Christian life through the wrong lens if we just see a series of actions. In a world full of compromise, God asks for complete loyalty.
When faith becomes a checklist, we risk forgetting that loyalty to God often costs something. Are we willing to suffer for Jesus? It can feel like the time of standing up for our faith and suffering persecution is long gone, so we can feel distant from a Gospel like today’s. But there are still Christians in the world who are persecuted because of their faith.
Today’s Gospel reminds us that persecution is part of being Christian – and the Church in Nigeria makes that painfully real.
Rifkatu grew up Christian in Nigeria. Little did she know that her wedding preceded the most harrowing experience of her life. Just four weeks after marrying the man of her dreams, she was kidnapped and taken to a camp with other Christian women to be harassed and abused. When she returned home, her husband and family welcomed her. As she recounted her experience, she shared, “they did this to us because we are Christians.”
We can think of Rifkatu as we delve into today’s Gospel. Jesus is not making a sales pitch but is brutally honest about what it means to follow him.
They will seize and persecute you (Lk. 21:12).
We see in the story of so many Christians suffering in Nigeria that persecution is not something limited to the past. Are there any ways in our lives that we suffer persecution? We should not be surprised when we suffer for the faith, since this is precisely what Jesus promised for us. When we do have to suffer, it should lead to us giving testimony.
It will lead to your giving testimony (Lk. 21:13).
The reaction of Rifkatu and her pastor husband impresses us. Rather than calling out for revenge, they try to live out their vocation as well as they can. We can focus too much on a shallow understanding of justice. Instead of justice, we are often looking for retribution. We should learn to give testimony through our lives and be clear about why we hold on to the faith, even during difficult times. We do not have to rely entirely on ourselves, since we are able to rely on Jesus in his infinite wisdom and goodness.
I myself shall give you wisdom (Lk. 21:15).
Trust in God’s grace and pray for continuing perseverance. We have to trust more in God’s wisdom than our own second-guessing and worrying. It is so easy to fall into overthinking and convince ourselves that our future is horrible. We are suffering something now and assume that things will never get better. This plunges us into despair. The good thing about appreciating suffering is that we come to understand how much we can sustain before it breaks us.
Think of the last time you worked out too hard at the gym. The next day, you were wrecked. Yet somehow, you recovered. By doing so, you proved to yourself that you are capable of much more than what you originally thought. Just like our muscles grow when we stretch them beyond comfort, our faith strengthens when we choose to trust God through discomfort.
Getting comfortable with being uncomfortable is essential for success in life and to be loyal to God. Commit to being totally loyal to God. Take some time this week to identify one area where you’re relying more on your own control or human plans than on God’s providence. Don’t cling to comfort – cling to Christ; the cross may be heavy, but Heaven is home.