Dear Friends,
Through sacrifice Jesus redeemed humanity�the Way of the Cross-to Mt.
Calvary. Sacrifice was his living proof of His great love for us. In the
same way sacrifice is our greatest proof of love of God. A mother with a
sick child will spend sleepless night looking after her baby out of great
love for him or her. For the mother hardship and inconvenience are
immaterial. Only true love can make anyone go through the fire for the
beloved. St. Alphonsus. Liguori said that love is measured by sacrifice.
The lesser the sacrifice, the lesser the love; the greater the sacrifice,
the greater the love.
For mankind to understand the value of sacrifice, Christ
left us a covenant where we can truly find his real presence here on earth.-
the Holy sacrifice of the Mass or the Eucharist.
As Disciples of Christ, we therefore, prepared to face trials and
difficulties � to be tested by fire. In the Book of Revelation, Jesus tells
us to give Him souls who are like �gold tested in fire� (Rev 3.18). With
life�s daily encounter with trails and difficulties, sacrifice prepares us
to a life of perseverance and enduring faith. It strengthens us to face the
odds and misfortunes. Openness to the Holy Sprit provides this strength.
One who is full of confidence in Holy Spirit knows know fear
or danger, he or she only knows great love. This was how the three young men
whom King Nebuchadnezzar, in the Book of Daniel, threw into fiery furnace
felt. In the midst of flame, they sang and glorified God even more.
The expression, �Love till it hurts,� could be a very
misleading. People who are in love are very careful not to get hurt; and
when they do get hurt, they stop loving altogether. This is why they say,
�love only until it hurts.� Carrying this negative impression further could
also mean, �give only until it hurts,� which explains why many people stop
giving their services or charity when they begin to hurt. Yet the Positive
interpretation should be � Love eventhough it hurts. As St. Francis of Sales
would remind us, � The limit of love is love without limit.� This means
there should be no limit to ones giving even if it is already hurting. We
must be like Jesus Christ who never stopped giving until he died on the
cross. Of course to continue in giving one needs the gift of fortitude,
which only comes from the Holy Spirit, to give us the strength to go on.
The Catechism of Catholic Church tells us, in the work of
Redemption, Jesus and the Holy Sprit are inseparable (CCC #485). Pope
Benedict XV also tells us that had Mary not been supported by the Holy
Spirit, she would have died at the sight of Her Son�s agony. She would have
stopped giving as well.
It is the Holy Sprit who will empower us to go
beyond our limit. It was through the power of Holy Spirit that the early
Christians, during the Roman Empire, managed to endure the cruelty of
martyrdom. It was the Holy Spirit who gave them the strength and will to
sing praises to God while being fed to the lions or being put to the sword
or boiling oil to give witness to the world that Jesus is the Lord and God
is the father of all. (Fr. Edgardo).
Bensilal Chacko,
DE, USA.
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