Jesus gives the disciples a very pertinent comment in our Gospel reading today: “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it. There will be those who will say to you, 'Look, there he is,' or 'Look, here he is.' Do not go off, do not run in pursuit. For just as lightning flashes and lights up the sky from one side to the other, so will the Son of Man be in his day. But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation."
To me, it brings to mind three major points for consideration.
First, we will long to see the days of the Son of Man, but will not see it. This seems to speak to our eyes of faith. How many among us do not truly believe in the real presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist? How many among us do not make God and His Catholic Church the center of their universe? For those of us that truly live the sacramental life, we truly do live in the days of the Son of Man.
Second, those who run off in pursuit of those that say “Look!”. I can’t help but think of all the protestant and non-denominational communities that continually say to us “here He is”. Those who do not believe in the true presence of Jesus Christ in the Eucharist and do not try to live a sacramental life are often easily distracted by these false calls as they want to be satisfied by the entertaining sermons and the concert style atmosphere.
But, we know the truth. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He established the sacraments and the sacramental life of His Catholic Church to give us a tangible approach to follow His Way. We need to avoid the temptation to run off in pursuit of these other things that are not part of His Way.
Third, we acknowledge how much Jesus is rejected in our current time. That rejection is fairly evident by atheists, agnostics, and followers of non-Christian religions, even if it is through a lens of invincible ignorance. That rejection is perhaps more painful when we see it from those who call themselves “Christian” and even more so from those “Catholics” that do not believe in the Eucharist and/or do not prioritize Mass.
As Saint Ignatius of Antioch said, “They abstain from the Eucharist and from prayer because they do not confess that the Eucharist is the flesh of our Savior Jesus Christ, flesh which suffered for our sins and which the Father, in his goodness, raised up again. They who deny the gift of God are perishing in their disputes.”
At the same time, we faithful few, know the promises of Christ through the sacramental life: He will be with us through the end of the age, we will receive if we ask according to His will, and He will give us rest. He also promised that we would be hated and persecuted because we truly believe and follow everything He teaches us through His Holy Catholic Church.
Archbishop Lori reminds us of this reality in his monthly challenge. In his challenge, he encourages us to persevere and remain faithful despite the hardships we must suffer for our faith. He reminds us to put into action the admonition of Saint Paul: “Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer”.
Our saint today, Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, was no stranger to this struggle. She encountered difficulties, disappointment, and discouragement with every step of her ministry. Despite this, she never lost faith and she never lost hope. She persevered, one step at a time, in the midst of persecution and rejection, to follow the calling of our Lord through the Church in charity.
Is our walk with Christ all that different?
Archbishop Lori challenges us to learn more about the lives of the saints by selecting one or more martyrs to read about and then reflect on how we can imitate his or her perseverance and hope.
In reflecting on the life of this saint, we can ponder the following questions: Have you ever struggled with hope when life has brought challenges? Have you ever experienced bigotry, rejection, hostility or hatred on account of your Catholic faith? What are some concrete ways you can seek to grow in perseverance to face life’s difficulties?
We should always remember that through all generations the truth of Christ, His Church, and the sacramental life endures. His word is forever.
Thanks be to God!
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