“I earnestly admonish you, therefore, my brothers, to look after your spiritual well-being with judicious concern. Death is certain; life is short and vanishes like smoke. Fix your minds, then, on the passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Inflamed with love for us, he came down from heaven to redeem us. For our sake he endured every torment of body and soul and shrank from no bodily pain. He himself gave us an example of perfect patience and love. We, then, are to be patient in adversity.”— St. Francis of Paola
Clare offers two extraordinarily important lessons. The first is obvious. It is the recognition of how important women—and this woman in particular—are to the Franciscan story. The second is more subtle. It is the lesson that Clare’s importance stems from the fact that she was the recipient of a powerful charism of her own—a gift bestowed by the Spirit of the Lord and given to her in a fullness and forcefulness that was hers alone. That charism, matched with the equally full and forceful charism of Francis, created something akin to nuclear fission. It unleashed a mighty power of example and of hope for people who wanted to live the authentic Christian message. Too often we suppose that our study and imitation of these great saints is a sure path to our own beatitude. Her story shows us that what matters is not the effort to “draw down” from the spiritual wealth of others whom we admire as though only a supplicant’s sharing of another’s gift can make us good. What she shows us is that we need only have the courage to unlock what is within us, to spend our days powered by the graced anointing that we already possess.
Saint Julie Billiart (July 12, 1751 – April 8, 1816)
Born in Cuvilly, France, into a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie Rose Julie Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of her life were relatively peaceful and uncomplicated, Julie had to take up manual work as a young teen when her family lost its money. However, she spent her spare time teaching catechism to young people and to the farm laborers.
A mysterious illness overtook her when she was about 30. Witnessing an attempt to wound or even kill her father, Julie was paralyzed and became a complete invalid. For the next two decades, she continued to teach catechism lessons from her bed, offered spiritual advice, and attracted visitors who had heard of her holiness.
When the French Revolution broke out in 1789, revolutionary forces became aware of her allegiance to fugitive priests. With the help of friends, she was smuggled out of Cuvilly in a haycart. She then spent several years hiding in Compiegne, being moved from house to house despite her growing physical pain. She even lost the power of speech for a time.
But this period also proved to be a fruitful spiritual time for Julie. It was at this time she had a vision in which she saw Calvary surrounded by women in religious habits and heard a voice saying, “Behold these spiritual daughters whom I give you in an institute marked by the cross.”
As time passed and Julie continued her mobile life, she made the acquaintance of an aristocratic woman, Françoise Blin de Bourdon, who shared Julie’s interest in teaching the faith. In 1803, the two women began the Institute of Notre Dame, which was dedicated to the education of the poor, young Christian girls, and the training of catechists. The following year, the first Sisters of Notre Dame made their vows. That was the same year that Julie recovered from the illness: She was able to walk for the first time in 22 years.
Though Julie had always been attentive to the special needs of the poor and that always remained her priority, she also became aware that other classes in society needed Christian instruction. From the founding of the Sisters of Notre Dame until her death, Julie was on the road, opening a variety of schools in France and Belgium that served the poor and the wealthy, vocational groups, teachers. Ultimately, Julie and Françoise moved the motherhouse to Namur, Belgium.
Julie died there in 1816. She was canonized in 1969.
Reflection
Julie’s immobility in no way impeded her activities. In spite of her suffering, she managed to co-found a teaching order that tended to the needs of both the poor and the well-to-do. Each of us has limitations, but the worst malady any of us can suffer is the spiritual paralysis that keeps us from doing God’s work on earth.
“And let me make it quite clear that when Christians say the Christ-life is in them, they do not mean simply something mental or moral. When they speak of being ‘in Christ’ or of Christ being ‘in them’, this is not simply a way of saying that they are thinking about Christ or copying Him. They mean that Christ is actually operating through them; that the whole mass of Christians are the physical organism through which Christ acts—that we are His fingers and muscles, the cells of His body. And perhaps that explains one or two things. It explains why this new life is spread not only by purely mental acts like belief, but by bodily acts like baptism and Holy Communion. It is not merely the spreading of an idea; it is more like evolution—a biological or superbiological fact. There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.”— C.S. Lewis, p. 64
“Throughout Sacred Scripture, we find that when God’s people fast, the power of their prayers is increased, especially when they are engaged in spiritual warfare. In the Old Testament, the Lord told Isaiah that a fast properly undertaken would ‘loose the bonds of wickedness … undo the thongs of the yoke … let the oppressed go free’ (Is. 58:6) … In the New Testament, we find that Jesus fasted for forty days and nights in the wilderness in preparation for His battle with Satan, who came to tempt Him (see Lk 4:1-2) … If prayer is a spiritual weapon, fasting is the spiritual whetstone on which it is sharpened. It’s the spiritual muscle that, when exercised regularly, strengthens the thrust of that weapon to pierce the Enemy and drive him away.”— Paul Thigpen, p. 42
The beauty of being human is to turn to our spiritual ancestors, to cherish what they left behind, what remains. What has lasted? What has endured? Where can we turn for anything permanent when our loves, and our lives, are so exquisitely and heartbreakingly impermanent? Something is shifting in me, very far inside, as I am turning to these old psalms, reading them every day. I am starting to believe, throughout these millenniums, there’s been something unfailing and steadfast. And I think it might be God.
“A spiritual Communion acts on the soul as blowing does on a cinder-covered fire which was about to go out. Whenever you feel your love of God growing cold, quickly make a spiritual Communion.’ ‘Quickly!’ There’s a sense of urgency here. The saints are trying to tell us that we should not limit our union with Christ in the Eucharist to sacramental Communion once a week, or even once a day. We need Christ’s living presence in our lives moment-by-moment to nourish us and protect us from sin, so we need to renew our union with Him regularly, especially any time we feel ourselves drifting away. Christ is not merely present in the Eucharist during Mass! The Eucharist is an ongoing fulfillment of Christ’s Gospel promise to remain with us: ‘Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age’ (Mt. 28:20).”— Vinny Flynn, p. 98-9
God calls us to mystical activism, a deep-rooted spirituality inspired by our encounters with God and commitment to our spiritual practices, to bring beauty and healing to the world. Walking in the footsteps of Francis and Clare, we are called to be mystics of the here and now, not some distant age. When we look in the mirror, we may exclaim in disbelief, “Me, a saint? Are you kidding?” Within the concrete limitations of life, our gifts are lived out and expand as we devote ourselves to prayerful activism. Still we ask, recognizing our fallibility and limitations: Am I to be a saint or a mystic? Who am I with my temptations and fallibilities, impatience and intolerance, to be in God’s presence and claim my role as God’s companion in healing the earth? What can I do? The challenges are so great, and I am so small!
In my meditation on the Gospel this morning, I changed my sermon a bit. I was meditating on how the military asks for volunteers. Jesus said, “Come, follow Me.” The military’s way of asking for volunteers is “Hey you!” Love to. Thanks for asking!. Officers were also subject to “hey you!” I may have had captain or major’s rank, but sometimes I still became “hey you.” When a job needed to be done, who did it depended on your level on the food chain. Hey you! Oh, thank you. I’d love to.
Our Lord called the apostles by name to be His followers, to become holy, and to bring that holiness to us. Now, if you look at their resumes, they were fishermen. They did not get master’s degrees in Theology or Canon Law. They did not even earn certificates for lay ministry. They didn’t do any of that, yet they brought Christ’s love to the world. Their bravery in the face of their own deaths is a testament to that love. Christ call us all the same way. He calls us by name. Each of us were made in the likeness of God, and He died especially for each one of us. He calls each of us by name. Not “hey you” plural, but “hey you” singular. He wants you to follow Him. He wants you to become holy and to bring His love to the world. He wants every one of His children who do not know Him to know the fullness of truth found in the Catholic Faith. First follow Him, become holy, and then bring it to the world. You may say, “Father, I don’t have any advanced degrees.” Mine are honorary. So, don’t worry about it. It doesn’t matter.
Do you know who the most educated apostle was? It was Matthew. He could read and write in three languages. The most educated of all was not even an apostle. Know who it was? Luke. He was a physician, but was transformed. Peter converted over 5,000 people, and they all heard his message in their own languages. When you speak the language of God, of eternal love, and truth, everyone hears you. St. John Vianney couldn’t learn Latin. He just couldn’t get it. Latin is not a hard language, even I managed to learn it. But, not St. Vianney. He was basically put in a parish in the village of Ars so that he could basically just sit there. He was the village idiot, and look what happened. You could say that about all Catholic priests. However, St. Vianney could read souls. Theresa de Lisieux, a doctor of the Church, did not finish high school. Yet, if you read her autobiography, she cited scripture 127 times. If you read other so-called Catholic books, they don’t cite scripture very much at all. It’s not about knowledge, it’s about love.
You may say, “Well, my past is not perfect.” None of ours are. He takes each of us and our abilities to be conduits of His love. Sometimes your past is your greatest asset. Who did Christ send to the nations? The persecuted Gentiles. Who did he send to recover alcoholics from their disease? Two other alcoholics. Your past with Christ’s love can be your greatest asset in evangelization.
We have approximately 110 priests in the Charlotte diocese. A lot of them have advanced degrees. These priests are very educated, and they are very good at so much. But, none of them can do what I can do…besides be obnoxious – that’s my strong suit. None of them have been where I’ve been. My work at the Veterans Hospital depends on my military background. These men and women can tell me their stories before they pass, because I’ve been where they’ve been. The other priests can all give the Sacraments, but they cannot give what I can give…understanding veterans and helping them lay down their crosses. That’s only because of what I’ve been through, by giving it to God, and letting Him use it. This is what God calls you to do.
Your past can be your greatest asset for bringing God’s love to the world. There’s no need to be ashamed of it, because it can be a great tool. First become holy and then bring that holiness to others. Christ calls you just like He called the apostles. Wherever God puts you, He put you there for a reason. He is very good at personnel management. Whatever part of the body of Christ you are called to be in, make yourself available. You are the only one who can do that job in that place and at that time. So, whatever your past, whatever you have done, Christ says through you, I can call others.
How will you apply this message to your life? Will you use your past and unique abilities to bring God’s love to the world?
Spiritual Direction from Father…
I want to give you some advice, some spiritual direction, during this pandemic/epidemic and period of constant agitation. Most people will overreact; “Oh, this is terrible! It’s the worse time we’ve ever been through!” No, it hasn’t been. They like to ramp up the hysterics. Back in the 1940’s, you hated to see a boy riding a bicycle up to your house, because that is how they delivered bad news that your loved one wasn’t coming home. So, we’ve had far worse times – we just forget. I would suggest to help you get through these rough times is 1) Pray a heck of a lot more; and 2) Do not use social media. Let me put this way so that you can remember it: Social is the media and social is the disease. If there is a cure of cancer, someone will let you know. Nothing good comes from social media with the exception of our church’s webpage. We are probably the only church that doesn’t have a “donate button.” My staff asked, “Should we put a donation button on there?” No. There’s a lot of good things on our website. Stay off the news stations. They know nothing, and they don’t tell you the full truth. All military officers lie to you. How do I know? I was one. We were taught how to lie on a professional level as part of the charm course we had to go through. In Stanly County, they say we have 100 deaths from COVID. But, that tells you nothing. We have a hospital, a prison, and seven nursing homes in the county. How many people died there? “We cannot tell you.” Then the figures are meaningless. How many had comorbidities? Yes, they are dead, and I feel bad for them, I really do. Some died long before they should have. But just throwing numbers out there is scaring the living bejesus out of Stanly County residents and is irresponsible. You aren’t telling them anything. Stay away from the news stations and watch cartoons like the “Road Runner.” I always liked the “Road Runner.” Listen to easy listening music. Do something. Just turn it off. There’s no need for that. They aren’t going to tell you anything you really need to know that’s going to be life-changing. It’s just going to make you more miserable.
