August 8 The Heart of St. Paul
When Paul began his life as a Christian, he knew it was going to be a difficult journey. Having spent part of his life as a persecutor of Christians, he knew what such people were capable of. Even faced with embracing the cross and persecution by those who were once his friends, there was no turning back for St. Paul. He met the Lord, who gave him his cross and who promised him glory in heaven. From this time on, it seems that Paul’s motto was clear: ‘No matter what happens, keep your head up. Do not be ashamed of Christ and his cross.” Paul confidence came from the fact that as he grew in Christ, he died a little more to himself.
Paul expresses this confidence in one of the most hopeful passages of all his writings. “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted but not forsaken; struck down but not destroyed; always carrying in the body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies.” (2Cor 4:8-10)
It is through our wounds that we are united to Christ and that we can make Christ known to others. It is only by undergoing the trials of the cross that we can experience the joy of the resurrection. We do not have to go and seek out persecutors. If we live as Christ lived, and love as Christ loved, we will have to suffer, but we know that because Christ is in us and we are in him, we will conquer, because Christ has already conquered.
We often have a fear of being seen as different from others and so we desire to just go with the flow. But Paul’s heart tells us not to be afraid to be bold in living out our faith. Paul passes on the love of Christ crucified by serving all people, even our enemies, in love. May we have the courage to do the same.
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A Blessed Feast of St. Dominic to all today, especially the Friars at St. Gertrude in Madeira and the men who received their habit as they prepare to enter the novitiate!
Contemplate the Truth, and then pass on the fruits of that contemplation to others!
