As she prayed, Clare gradually took on the visage of the very image of the crucified Christ she contemplated; but this happened, not just because she prayed, but because Clare always acted upon the word she was given in prayer. Hers was devotion, a word in the Middle Ages that meant the virtue of hearing the Word of God and then acting upon that Word with alacrity. I hear, and I do what I hear in God’s Word. How many must have been the words given to Clare through a lifetime of prayer! Words that Clare would endeavor to put into practice as she went through her ordinary day, even given her own suffering that was attendant upon an illness that kept her bedridden, off and on for years, an illness that grew worse as she grew older. She and the suffering Crucified Christ became mirrors of each other, a man and a woman who became the poverty of God, both in themselves and in their relating. For the perfect poverty of Christ is the emptying yet filling love and relating of the Blessed Trinity.
Clare’s emphasis on the person of Jesus Christ is an emphasis on the human person as well, what we are and what we are called to be. Christ crucified is the mirror in which we are to see our reflection, our strengths and weaknesses, our failures and our capacity to love. She wants us to reflect Christ in our lives, to help build up the Body of Christ through transformation in love, and to participate in the church. She is a mystic who calls us to go forward into God by letting Christ take on our flesh so that we may reflect the face of Christ to the world. She tells us not to be dissuaded in the path to God, to be resolute in our convictions and trust the guidance of the Spirit in our lives. Her thought is centered on the essence of human identity: Be yourself and allow God to dwell within you. Christ will then be alive and the world will be created anew.
The mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 7:5
Romans 8 is a key chapter about life in the Spirit. And to understand it, we need the background of Romans 6-7.
In these chapters, the apostle Paul explains that before life in the Spirit occurs, we need to give up trying to control our own lives. We need to be “crucified” with Christ so that we are no longer “slaves to sin” (Romans 6:6). We also need to realize that when we live as slaves to sin—and this includes trying to live by God’s law on our own—we will always fail. We will find that (1) we cannot do the good that we want to do, and (2) we will keep on doing the bad that we do not want to do (Romans 7:14-23).
Is there any way we can be freed from this mess? “Thanks be to God!” Yes! (Romans 7:25)—and only by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. When we trust in God’s power to save us, we receive new life in the Spirit, and we depend on the Spirit to lead and guide us always.
If we are governed or controlled “by the flesh,” that means we are trying to live by our own strength or under our own direction. Every day, we need to ask the Spirit to fill us and direct us.
Life in the Spirit means that the Holy Spirit accomplishes what we cannot do ourselves. Just as we must depend on and trust in God’s grace through Jesus to save us, so we must depend on and trust the Spirit to guide and govern us each day. And in his power we no longer struggle but find rest.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, help us to depend completely on your power to save us and to guide us. Amen.
“The Easter message does not offer us a mirage or reveal a magic formula. It does not point to an escape from the difficult situation we are experiencing. The pandemic is still spreading, while the social and economic crisis remains severe, especially for the poor… In the face of, or better, in the midst of this complex reality, the Easter message speaks concisely of the event that gives us the hope that does not disappoint: “Jesus who was crucified has risen.”” Pope Francis
How do we pass on the message of Christ? How do we bring Christ to people? Well, the answer is rather simple. It really is. You don’t need to learn anything new. You don’t have to sign up for a course. It doesn’t cost anything. You just tell people the good news – not your good news, but His. Saint Francis of Assisi said “Preach the gospel at all times and, if necessary, use words.” Preach the gospel, whether in season or out of season, convenient or inconvenient, and use words if necessary. If it’s necessary to use words, what words do we use? We use the words of Christ. We talk as He talked, and use the same words He used. So, what were the words He used? We have them, and they provide an air of authority, because they are true. They are the very Word of God.
The only time Jesus was angry or rebuked someone was when He was dealing with Satan. He didn’t run up and down aisles screaming and shouting. He didn’t do that. He never raised His voice. His sermons were not very long, and He didn’t use props except for children so that He could shame the apostles. The Sermon on the Mount is one of the greatest sermons ever given. Jesus went up on the mountain, sat down, and delivered an eight sentence sermon about the Beatitudes to over 5,000 people. His words carried and everyone heard Him. He didn’t speak long, but He spoke with words that everyone heard. On another occasion, our good Lord went out onto a lake in a boat and preached to a crowd gathered on the shore. That’s very difficult to do when you’re on the water. But, everyone heard Him.
In Acts, Peter preached at Pentecost to the Jews gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. Every heart heard him, even though the people there were from different countries and spoke different languages. Peter didn’t run up and down the aisles. That’s not preaching – that’s a performance. Preach as Jesus did. Paul thought he had a better idea when he went to Athens. He decided to jazz up the message and make it really hip. He changed the sermon to make it more meaningful. I love that word – meaningful – almost as much as I love the word “tasteful.” Well, everything has a taste. For example, horse manure has taste…you won’t like it, but it has taste. Oh, this is very tasty. That doesn’t mean it’s good or bad. Paul tried to develop a relationship by getting down on the same level as the Athenians. Instead of raising them up, he went down and taught on their level and in their language. What happened? He got only two disciples. When he left there, he did an after-action report and had one of those V-8 moments. I will only preach Christ and Him Crucified. And, then look what happened. He preached the way Christ preached…by actions and by words. The words he used were Christ’s words. We should not use our words or the words that we think Christ would say. “But, God is telling me to do this.” You need some medicine. Preach like Christ did. That’s what He told us to do. It doesn’t have to be long, and it doesn’t have to be loud. Christ sat and taught. He didn’t use props. Also, people were not fed their way to Jesus. “Give them pizza, and they will come.” Yeah…they eat the free pizza, and then they leave. We had a food ministry in the military called Bible study lunch. I went to one, because I wanted the free pizza. The soldiers ate the free pizza, and then they left. There was nothing the chaplains could do about it. Those were the rules, and the soldiers knew that. They weren’t stupid. They may have been paratroopers, but they weren’t stupid.
Teach as Jesus taught by using His exact words. Those words give us the authority, not for us, but so that every heart hears the words it was meant to hear. Now, in case someone is thinking, “Well, your life is not perfect.” Oh, heck no. My life is not perfect at all. The words are not my words. I’m just a conduit. I’m just passing along what our good Lord said. The focus must be on the message and not the messenger. I am trying to live like our good Lord said, and I’m having problems with that, so if you would pray for me, I’d really appreciate it. People are surprised when we don’t defend ourselves by saying something like, “Oh, I’m a great Christian.”
How do we tell people about Jesus? Do as Jesus did. Preach as Jesus preached. Use words if necessary.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you tell others about the good news of Jesus Christ? Will you do as He did and preach as He preached?
Father’s Afterthoughts…
Last night, I had to smile while reading the Old Testament. All I could think of was that God is Italian. You know why? He put out a contract for a hit on all the false prophets. Wow! He means business.
I was at the hospital on Friday. You should see the working conditions I work under…it’s not just the smells and everything else. Anyway, I came out of a room and said something to the nurse who said, “You know, Father, you should have gone to medical school.” I said, “Really? How…as a student or cadaver?” Fair question.
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes. From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories.”
