The Continuing Scandal
Does this scandalize you? The Catholic doctrine of the Holy Eucharist scandalizes us today every bit as much as it did two thousand years ago when Christ first revealed it. How could anyone, much less the all-powerful, infinitely perfect Divinity, condescend to pour himself out in such ultimate self giving to poor, sinful, ungrateful humanity?
And what if we should see Him ascend to where He was
before? Here is the other scandal, of
which the Eucharist is an extension: the
Crucifixion. Christ ascended to the
bosom of the Father, His place from all eternity, by way of His ascending the
wood of the Cross. Such is the
foolishness of Divine Love, a scandal to the intellectual and a stumbling block
to the accountant. It does not make
sense. At least, it does not make sense
to the mind that starts from the premise of self interest. For love has to do with the happiness of the
other. Here the mind must give way to
the heart. When one really loves with
the heart, sacrifice of the self is the very thing that makes the most senses
Sacrificial love, that which Jesus exemplified and which He
commands, is always a scandal to the world when lived truly. Faithful spouses are misunderstood as well as
cloistered nuns. We are told it is fulfilling and indeed self-destructive to make a permanent commitment. That is why the celebration of anniversaries
of commitment are so important. They say
to the skeptic that yes, it can be done!
Last month we celebrated the silver jubilee of religious profession of
our Mother Abbess Therese. This month we
celebrate the ruby jubilee of our Sister Jean-Colette and the diamond
jubilee of our Sister Mary Christine. If
anyone thought that 25 years of sacrificial love for Christ and His Church was too
much, what about 40 years or even 60 years? And they are just getting started!
Young women are still willing to risk all to make their commitment to love. We now have two aspirants eager to begin their Poor Clare life. Pray for Katie and Kira who are set to enter in January.
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