“Remember Lot’s wife. Anyone who tries to save his life shall lose it; and anyone who shall lose his life shall preserve it.” ~ St. Luke 17:32-33 Today’s Gospel, calls to mind the foundational virtue of true Christianity in the hearts of men and women that are living-out their baptismal promises. For me, true Christian virtue lies in our ability supported by grace to accept and carry our cross daily, in imitation of Our Blessed Lord. If we live out this pattern of life in the course and event of our daily living; I don’t think there will be any cause for alarm, about the cosmic and microcosmic dimensions of the signs of the end time. We shall surely be among the chosen in that great time of rapture, not minding the superficial and material things we have left behind. Going into detail about the cross, I would like to picture it through the light of the “Cross of Perfection” of the Precious Blood Devotion. For me, this is the core of all Christian spirituality, and what precisely, makes Christianity the truest and most unique religion it is. Before we advance, I would like to call to mind one of the ancient saying of the Church during the remembrance of the birth of Our Blessed Lord: “There is a hidden wisdom in the silence of a child; power in weakness; and majesty in humiliation”. The “Cross of Perfection” is a sort of bringing together fragmented or disjointed logs of wood in order to form a “Cross”, which is not necessarily to mean “Woods” but “Virtues” These virtues, are: from the first top bar is ‘Truth’; the second lower bar is ‘Humility’; the crossing bar, Forgiveness; and the force that binds them together to form a cross is ‘Love’. ‘Truth’ is nakedness; it’s openness; it’s honesty; it’s sincerity; it’s frankness; it’s transparency; it’s light; it’s whiteness; it’s Godliness; and it is Christ Himself. One of the fundamental vice and name attributed to the Devil by Christ is the opposite of Truth which is “Lie”. He is the father of all lies and liars. Lie is the systematic code and mark of the beast in our modern world. The mark of the beast 666 is either on the forehead or right hand: in the systematic sense, that of the forehead stands for intellectual lies and that of the right hand stands for power and authority. Without it you cannot buy or sale; progress or go far in life. Check out our daily struggles or rat race in different works of life: if you don’t know how to tell lies you will never climb to the top in most world’s business and politics. Schools and all fields of sports and entertainment are not spared of it. Even in Churches and spiritual leadership, there is a lot of counterfeit and deceptions in the Name of God. Check out, how you come to be where you are or what you are or what you have achieved, today. It is alarming how we have succeeded to blacken and silenced our consciences. It is only the truth that will set us free. Humility is a forgotten virtue in our self-important and arrogant world. Sr. Josefa Menendez, in her Dairy “The Way of Divine Love” was granted a revelation were she saw the Devil bragging: “Pride is the source of my victory! I will never allow souls to save themselves through humility. Pride is the source of my victory!” How true is the triumph of the devil in our lives and society of today? Thomas A Kempis writes: Four things, brings the soul great peace. First, always to do the will of other rather than our own; secondly, rather to have less than more; thirdly, always to seek the lowest place and be submissive; fourthly, wishing and praying that the will of God be done completely. A man who leads his life on these lines is on the right path for inner peace.” (Imitation of Christ, book iii, chapter 23) Forgiveness is the greatest force on earth that you can use against your enemy, not vengeance, ill-will or hatred. Our Blessed Lord showed by example: Father forgive them for they do not know what they are doing. Christianity of today has succeeded in making the Holy Ghost their implement of destruction and vengeance. Many today have lost that sense of forgiveness. We record and make a commentary of every ill done to us. Some time we don’t even reckon that we are the one that is doing the hurting because of our selfishness. We keep the memory of those that have offended us and call to mind their sins, while God have long forgiven them. St Augustine says, “A sinner deserves to be stoned to death but not by a fellow sinner”. Let us be mindful when we pray the “Our Father” – “Forgive us as we forgive those that trespass against us”. There is nothing absolutely can justify us from not to forgive those that hurt us: grace can do all things. Love is the summary of all virtue; the king of all virtue. God is love. Never permit charity to die or grow cold in your heart. Love covers a multitude of sin; greater love remits the punishment meant for sin. Love as Christ has loved us. Let it start from your family; for charity begins at home. Let it spread throughout the world. Give love a chance in your life.
Posted on: Fri, 15 Nov 2013 14:10:21 +0000