Dear John, In todayâs entry for Minute Meditations, Sister Ilia Delio, OSF, reflects on St. Francis' notion that "our friends are all those who unjustly inflict upon us distress and anguish, shame and injury, sorrow and punishment, martyrdom and death. We must love them greatly for we shall possess eternal life because of what they bring to us.â Wow, that is a tall order! But then, Francis is really just drawing from the core Gospel message to love our enemies. As we get closer to Election Day and the fallout that will occur no matter which side wins, we have a unique opportunity to lean into this Christian teaching. Especially as the dust settles and the holidays emerge, we may find the need to dig deep this year to be the best version of ourselves among others who might think differently than we do. Perhaps even a quick prayer sent up to St. Judeâpatron of desperate situations and one of our two Saints of the Day for todayâwill be in order as we navigate the stress and uncertainty of the times. We want to continue to provide you with daily spiritual resources to help you along your way. Please consider a donation to Franciscan Media today! |
Daniel Imwalle Managing Editor, St. Anthony Messenger/Franciscan Media |
Saint of the Day for October 28: Simon and Jude (1st Century) Listen to Saints Simon and Judeâs Story Here Jude is so named by Luke and Acts. Matthew and Mark call him Thaddeus. He is not mentioned elsewhere in the Gospels, except of course where all the apostles are mentioned. Scholars hold that he is not the author of the Letter of Jude. Actually, Jude had the same name as Judas Iscariot. Evidently because of the disgrace of that name, it was shortened to âJudeâ in English. Simon is mentioned on all four lists of the apostles. On two of them he is called âthe Zealot.â The Zealots were a Jewish sect that represented an extreme of Jewish nationalism. For them, the messianic promise of the Old Testament meant that the Jews were to be a free and independent nation. God alone was their king, and any payment of taxes to the Romansâthe very domination of the Romansâwas a blasphemy against God. No doubt some of the Zealots were the spiritual heirs of the Maccabees, carrying on their ideals of religion and independence. But many were the counterparts of modern terrorists. They raided and killed, attacking both foreigners and âcollaboratingâ Jews. They were chiefly responsible for the rebellion against Rome which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Reflection As in the case of all the apostles except for Peter, James and John, we are faced with men who are really unknown, and we are struck by the fact that their holiness is simply taken to be a gift of Christ. He chose some unlikely people: a former Zealot, a former (crooked) tax collector, an impetuous fisherman, two âsons of thunder,â and a man named Judas Iscariot. It is a reminder that we cannot receive too often. Holiness does not depend on human merit, culture, personality, effort, or achievement. It is entirely Godâs creation and gift. God needs no Zealots to bring about the kingdom by force. Jude, like all the saints, is the saint of the impossible: Only God can create his divine life in human beings. And God wills to do so, for all of us. Saint Jude is the Patron Saint of: Desperate Situations
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Sinners, Too, Have Souls The centrality of the Crucified in the life of Francis suggests that Francis became a friend of Christ because he sought to follow Jesus who lived out of depth of love in obedience to the Father. The obedience of love led Jesus to the prophetic margins of announcing the kingdom despite opposition, misunderstanding, and rejection. Christ left us an example, Francis said, that we might follow in his footprints. In his Earlier Rule, Francis claims that âour friends are all those who unjustly inflict upon us distress and anguish, shame and injury, sorrow and punishment, martyrdom and death. We must love them greatly for we shall possess eternal life because of what they bring to us.â One could readily conclude that either Francis had a lot of friends (because he had a lot of enemies) or he had very few friends because his idea of friendship was rather peculiar. Francisâ thought in this passage seems contradictory to the human spirit. We usually do not count as friends those who harm or injure us. But he reflects here the Gospel message of Christian love: âLove your enemies, do good to those who abuse you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love themâ (Lk 6:27â33). âfrom the book Franciscan Prayer: Awakening to Oneness with God
by Ilia Delio, OSF |
Trusting the Place Where We Are Reflect St. Clare offers us so many ways to model a life of faith in Christ. She lived within the walls of San Damiano for 40 years, deepening her connection to God by remaining in the exact same place that entire time. Itâs tremendous. Reflect on the ways you can become more open to where you are, trusting that you, too, are in the exact right place. Pray St. Clare, you embodied a holy life, so rich in faith experience
it was as if you traveled through the worldâyet you didnât.
You prayed within the closed walls of one dwelling,
never straying from your gaze on the crucifix.
Pray for us now to accept that we are where God wants us to be.
Even if we feel frustrated, powerless, stuck.
Even if we are filled with wanderlust.
Help us know we can keep doing Godâs will by finding God right here. Act Are there things you need to do today that you resist because they are boring, meaningless, or tedious? See if you can find a way to bring the soft light of Clare into it.
Today's Pause+Pray was written by Maureen O'Brien. Learn more here! |
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