(Sometimes you look at something and find a different idea. I used the quotes in an earlier article but when I came upon them in a saved document…other ideas rolled around in my head. The wonder of God. Thanks for reading)
“Live in such a way that all may know that you bear outwardly as well as inwardly the image of Christ crucified, the model of all gentleness and mercy. For if a man is united inwardly with the Son of the living God, he also bears his likeness outwardly by his continual practice of heroic goodness, and especially through a patience reinforced by courage, which does not complain either secretly or in public. Conceal yourselves in Jesus crucified and hope for nothing except that all men be thoroughly converted to his will.” (St. Paul of the Cross)
The quote above reminds us of that what we do is who we are and what we do is a reflection of our inward unity with love. And this is God’s hope, that we may all be what we do and have the inward unity of love…this is what Jesus did and does in our life and the life of every Christian.
This idea is deeply embedded in our Judeo-Christian culture. I remember as a child hearing this expressed in so many areas of life including this wonderful phrase from a cartoon, where Popeye the Sailor Man says, “If I’m not me, who am I. And If I’m somebody else, why do I look like me?” It is the gift of self reflection and more importantly the examination of our soul in contemplation where we begin to recognize the person God has created us to be.
We know, in our modern culture, how we are often encouraged to depict our lives as different then they are or how we put on false fronts in order to impress others or hide realities we would rather not show to the public. It is a lie we are asked to live to find a “life style” and detach who we are and force our lives into a false reality that ultimately is empty of true meaning and only lead us into a darker corner hidden away from truth.
To “conceal yourselves in Jesus crucified” is a reminder to embrace the cross, to take up our cross and follow Jesus to the source of life. It is there in the heroic goodness we find the courage to be patient and take time to discover who we truly were made to be in the image and likeness of God. As the philosopher Simone Weil writes, “We do not obtain the most precious gifts by going in search of them but by waiting for them. Man cannot discover them by his own powers, and if he sets out to seek for them he will find in their place counterfeits of which he will be unable to discern falsity.“ (p.73 Simone Weil from “Waiting for God”)
We discover our true self, our true mission, our true vocation in the quiet moments of waiting and listening to the whisper calling us to open our hearts to one another in love. It is in the bountiful and abundant love God offers to us we find our true self. This discovery leads to the peace of heart and the contentment of life, not in the material outward sense, but in the life lived with purpose and joy. It is becoming the authentic self…the person God created us to be.
We pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit to enflame our hearts as Jesus desired the world to be set on fire (Lk 12:49) with his mercy and in his love we participate with him in the mission on which we are sent. “Don’t forget that Jesus never works alone. He invites you to share in his magnificent labor of love and its rewards. He has a special role for you, a part for you to play in this drama of salvation and all you have to do is say “yes.”” (p 33 Matthew Leonard from “Louder than Words”)
What is our part? It is first sitting and being with God. What is our part? Celebrating the gift of life with joy within a community of love. What is our part? Humbly recognizing our need for God and seeking the face of Jesus Christ in each and every person. It is here we truly discover who we are and what our part is as a member of the Body of Christ.
What is our part? When we know in our hearts the truth of the words St. Paul writes to the Corinthians and where we can say with him, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.” (1 Cor 15:10) or as Popeye would say, “I yam what I yam and that’s all what I yam. Popeye The Sailor Man”
God Bless