THE WAY FORWARD IN CHRIST
(Part 14)
ST.
FRANCIS OF ASSISI
October 4,
2008
My dear
brethren,
Today is
the feast day of my patron saint, St Francis of Assisi. I am particularly
fond of this saint, and look to him in living my life in Christ.
St Francis
gave up all material goods in order to follow Christ, he devoted his
entire life to serve Christ, he looked to building up the Church, he
served the poor, he loved nature. He was an ardent evangelizer, even
trying to convert the Muslim sultan. He was opposed by some of his own
confreres and even ousted from heading the Franciscans. He considered his
suffering for Christ to be perfect joy.
We would do
well to look to this great saint, in living our lives for Christ.
First, we
must be detached from the world and all its allures. Conformity with the
world brings all the undesirable isms into our lives—materialism,
secularism, liberalism, humanism, hedonism. Rather, God calls us to be set
apart, that is, to be holy.
Second, we
must embrace suffering and pain as part of our life in Christ. Suffering
and pain purify us. They make us even more totally dependent on the grace
and providence of God. They teach us endurance and perseverance. They
strengthen our resolve. They allow us to share in the very suffering of
Jesus. If so, then whenever we suffer pain for the sake of righteousness,
we must always rejoice.
Third, we
must give our all in serving Christ. Our lives belong to God. We are
slaves of Christ. Our mission is to bring his good news of salvation to
the whole world. In particular, as CFC-FFL, we focus on our charism of
family and life. But family and life are at the core of evangelization
today. As Pope John Paul II said, the future of humanity passes by way of
the family. And the fight to uphold the culture of life is all about
God’s desire to have us live an abundant life on earth. With families
living renewed lives in Christ, that is also the way to combating the
scourges of poverty, social injustice, environmental degradation and
terrorism.
The above
three are, after all, what discipleship is all about. Jesus says, “If
anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross
daily and follow me.” (Lk 9:23).
Denying
ourselves? Shunning the pleasures the world has to offer? Embracing our
cross? Rejoicing in persecution and suffering? Foolish, the world says.
Indeed, “we are fools on Christ’s account.” (1 Cor 4:10a). But in
the topsy-turvy world of Christ where the first is last and the last is
first, where the greatest is the least and the least is the greatest, this
is the only way to go. Jesus tells us the bottom line: “For whoever
wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my
sake will save it.” (Lk 9:24).
Let us take
on the mind of Christ and the heart of St Francis. Let us live our all for
God. Let us not look to the world but always to the wondrous reality of
our renewed lives. And so we move on, “as sorrowful yet always
rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing and yet
possessing all things.” (2 Cor 6:10).
The Lord
has already blessed us with exultant joy. Now with St Francis of Assisi,
let us look forward to perfect joy.
God bless
you always.
In the
exuberant joy of Mary,
Frank
Padilla
