SHARING ALL THINGS IN JESUS CHRIST

THURSDAY, SECOND WEEK OF LENT   

Jer 17:5-10; Ps 1:1-4,6; Lk 16:19-31

Our Participation in the Cup of our Lord

It would be an unfair and unbalanced treatment to consider the cup of the Lord as full of only sufferings and pains, which we endure in our union with him, and not mention the surpassing sweetness and goodness that flow from the same cup. Saint Paul compared the two different contents of the cup of the Lord and judged the surpassing glory that would belong to faithful souls at the end of their journey to be incomparable to the trials they go through in this present life. Even in this present life, the faithful are not left without consolations, for the scriptures bear witness to the newness and steadfastness of God’s love every morning. Cf. Lamentations 3:22-23. Although the trials and woes of the just man are many, he is never left without the favour and grace of God. According to Saint Augustine, we often talk of trials and woes in order to prepare ourselves and our audience for the worst, so that they may not be broken by the trials when they come. As we noted yesterday, the trials and sufferings are painful and acute because they flow from those of the Son of Man and not just because of our personal sins. Our participation in the cup of our Lord means that we help defray the demand of divine justice on the sins of the world. But as Saint Paul writes, no matter how many sins multiply, divine grace is always surpassing and superabundant in Jesus Christ. Cf. Rom 5:20.

Based on our essential connection to Jesus Christ in our spiritual life and journey, the spiritual reality of the faithful is quite and essentially different from that of sinners. Prophet Jeremiah describes the reality of a sinner as defined by a curse. “A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on things of flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. He is like dry scrub in the wastelands: if good comes, he has no eyes for it, he settles in the parched places of the wilderness, a salt land, uninhabited.” Because the sinful state is defined by a lack of desire to know and do the will of God, it is a detestation for the name and company of the Eternal Word. Since every good thing comes to us through the Word, a sinner is unplugged from divine life and light. The reality of a faithful soul is described as distinctly and essentially different from that of a sinner. “A blessing on the man who puts his trust in the Lord, with the Lord for his hope. He is like a tree by the waterside that thrusts its roots to the stream: when the heat comes, it feels no alarm, its foliage stays green; it has no worries in a year of drought, and never ceases to bear fruit.” Because the faithful thrust their roots into the stream, they remain calm in the heat of drought seasons.

This analogy captures the explanation of the bitter and sweet mixture of sorrow and grace in the cup of the Lord that the faithful share with Him. The connection of the faithful to the Son of Man makes Him present within them through faith. So, the experiences that destroy the sinners establish the faithful in the grace of the Son of Man. Our Lord used the parable of the rich man and Lazarus to teach us these lessons; though, the emphasis is on the glory to be revealed to faithful souls. “There was a rich man who used to dress in purple and fine linen and feast magnificently every day. And at his gate there lay a poor man called Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to fill himself with the scraps that fell from the rich man’s table. Dogs even came and licked his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.” The blindness of the rich man due to ignorance of God prevented him from knowing that Lazarus’ suffering was helping to hold divine justice from destroying him. He could have drawn divine mercy on himself by sharing his good fortune with Lazarus. This is the communal bearing of our fortunes and misfortunes. Everything becomes meritorious when shared in Christ. All those who, through faith, share their joys and sorrows with Christ, join the company of the saints at the end of our mortal life. This is the mystery we celebrate in the Eucharistic banquet. May our daily participation help us share our joys and sorrows with each other in Christ.

Let us pray: O God, who delight in innocence and restore it, direct the hearts of your servants to yourself, that, caught up in the fire of your Spirit, we may be found steadfast in faith and effective in works. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.