“Embrace Your Crosses”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
October 12-13, 2019
Scripture: Luke 17:11-19
You have heard me say to pray with thanksgiving…to be grateful for all your blessings and all of the good things God has done. But, we should also be thankful for our crosses. Of all the blessing we have, it is our crosses we don’t thank Him for. Nobody likes their crosses, and sometimes we become angry with God because of them. Our crosses are not bad things; in fact, they are good. Our Lord gives us crosses to give us chances to be humble, a kind of spiritual leash, and they can be our greatest blessings when we unite our sufferings with His. So, embrace your crosses and carry them with love because as Saint Therese said when we are small, we are safe.
Our parish is abundantly blessed. We are blessed with many attributes and talents. Yet, it is our humility that keeps us close to God. As an example, my mother thought my father was an engineer, and when he got calls from the government, she thought he was going to the local reserve center. He never told us this, but he was actually a spy. My father never lost his humility. In contrast, I know two priests, both colonels, who lost their humbleness and eventually left the priesthood.
When I think about the kind of priest I want to be when I’m old, I think of Monsignor Smith. Even though Monsignor was in the hospital and dying, he had a sign placed on his door that said “If I am asleep, please wake me, I would like to visit with you.” He was asleep when I went to visit him. His breathing was labored, so I did not have the heart to wake him. Father Campbell is another priest I would like to emulate when I’m old. Father Campbell was in the hospital and very sick. When he heard a code announced, he immediately got out of bed and started walking down the hall in nothing but his hospital gown to respond to the code. Two nurses saw Father Campbell and grabbed him under both elbows and carted him back to his room. Both Monsignor Smith and Father Campbell remained humble servants to the very end of their lives.
Crosses are a notice from God to get our spiritual affairs in order so that we can prepare for heaven. Our invitation to the Great Banquet is coming soon and we need to be ready. Our baptismal robes are cleansed by the crosses we carry as well as by praying scripturally. I say the Morning Offering first thing every morning. This prayer can be prayed for ourselves and for others.
When we are given the gift of old age, our crosses can grow abundantly, but it may not be the best time to take out a magazine subscription. Yet, our crosses can open the hearts and souls of others when we share the wisdom, knowledge, and grace gained from carrying those crosses. I like working at the VA Hospital. Because I’m a combat veteran, other combat veterans tend to be more willing to tell me things they haven’t shared with anyone else including their doctors. Sometimes a bit of street cred helps us reach people that those without it cannot.
Occasions pop-up all the time to help people with their crosses. Am I always crazy about helping others carry their crosses? No. People will call me and ask if I’m busy. Sometimes I am busy, but nobody except my guardian angel knows the look on my face when I say “I’m not busy” and then take the time to listen and talk with them. It is a sign from God when people ask for my highly valuable time to listen for a minute and to help them carry their crosses. And, on those occasions when we encounter rude and obnoxious people, God is asking us to help them with their crosses for just a little while. When we take on the struggles of others, we become like Simon of Cyrene who helped Christ carry His cross.
Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote books and had a very popular television show. You may think he had a great life and few crosses. Not true. He had a thorn in the flesh. He had stomach problems and could eat only crackers, milk, and boiled chicken.
Once when Saint Teresa of Avila fell off her horse and into a river, she complained to God about the trials in her life. When God told her that is how He treats His friends, Teresa yelled at the Lord, “If this is how you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!”
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you embrace your crosses and carry them with love? Will you help others carry their crosses?
Father’s Reflections…
Sin and death are not God’s invention. The fault for that can be laid at the feet of our original parents…Adam and Eve.