Readings: Acts 14:21-27; Rev 21:1-5a; Jn 13:31-33a, 34-35
In the first reading today, we hear about the first missionary journey of Saints Paul and Barnabas. In the midst of the report of their travels, we are told only one thing about what they taught their new disciples. Obviously, their primary preaching was about the Person of Jesus and His death and resurrection, but once the Faith was instilled in these new converts, the Holy Spirit determined that only one thing was necessary to emphasize: the need to persevere in the faith because “it is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.”
The word “Gospel,” means “Good News.” The news about Jesus and His love for us is certainly great news, but, to hear that we must undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God may not sound like good news to us. However, this is the Gospel message.
This one statement taken from the preaching of the Apostles reminds me of what we see in the Gospel of St. Luke regarding the “hidden life” of our Lord. The only thing the Gospels tell us about Jesus’ life from when He was twelve until He began His public ministry at thirty, is that He was obedient to His parents. If this were just one thing among many characteristics and activities of our Lord’s years before He formally began His public ministry, we would probably just glance over it while focusing on other points we found more interesting. But God decided that Jesus’ obedience was so important that it is the only thing we know from the Scriptures about this time in our Lord’s life.
Of all that could be said of that first missionary journey of St. Paul, the only thing God wanted us to know has to do with perseverance in the midst of suffering. Why? Because suffering is the only way virtue grows in us and it is the only real way to “prove” our love. We tend to think that love should be pleasant, fun, or romantic. While there are aspects of love that can be this way, one needs only to ask how a person can be at peace, knowing without a doubt that this other person truly loves me and will remain faithful to me in good times and in bad.
In marriage, each person makes this commitment in the vows that are made, but all we need to do is look at the number of divorces in our society to recognize that people do not always do what they say. When a person not only stays faithful, but continues to love you when things are difficult, that is when you can be at peace, knowing this person truly loves you. In other words, while there will be times in a relationship that are pleasant and fun, the deep peace, contentment, and fulfillment, come only after the times of suffering.
More than this, as mentioned above, this is how we will grow in virtue. In the Gospel reading today, when our Lord’s passion was about to begin, Jesus said: “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.” This glory is not the contentment and fulfillment of love; it is the perfection of love. In other words, God allows the suffering in our lives as a means for us to grow in charity. If you have ever met a person who exudes charity and humility, you can understand how this person is glorified and how God is glorified in that person. This is what God is doing in us through our sharing in the suffering of Jesus.
This glory will find its fulfillment, as we see in the second reading, when we get to Heaven where we are told there is “no more death or mourning, wailing or pain.” This will be the time of unending peace, contentment, and fulfillment. We will have demonstrated our love for God and neighbor and then we will be able to rest and rejoice in the Lord’s love. So, when our Lord gave us this new commandment to love one another and that this love would be the proof that we are His disciples, we must understand that when suffering comes our way, it becomes the means for us to grow in love, to prove our love.
In Heaven, each person will be glorified according to how much he or she loves. In other words, our glory in Heaven is the same as our love. The amount of love we have will be fixed when we die, so this is the only time for our love to grow. Try to receive everything as a gift from God because He is glorifying you now and preparing you for the glory that will be yours forever in Heaven!
Fr. Altier’s column appears regularly in The Wanderer, a national Catholic weekly published in St. Paul, Minn. For information about subscribing to The Wanderer, please visit www.thewandererpress.com.
