22nd Sunday - Avoid Suffering - Embrace Crosses

  

“Whoever wishes to come after me, must deny Himself, take up his cross and follow me.”

In the Gospel today, Peter wanted to prevent Jesus, from suffering and dying, when He goes to Jerusalem. He said, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” At first, this sounds like a very noble thing to do. Nobody would want someone they love to suffer and die.

Surprisingly, Jesus said to Peter, “Get behind me Satan. You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God, but as human beings do.” He wanted Peter to know suffering has infinite value and is the means of showing the depths of His love. He also wanted Peter to know to run away from suffering, is the way of the world, not the way of God. All the apostles, except John would be martyred.

After Jesus ascended into heaven, the emperor Nero caused a great persecution of Christians and many were fleeing Rome, including Peter. But Jesus appeared to Peter, carrying the Cross going to Rome. Peter asked Jesus, “Where are you going Lord?” Jesus said, “I am going to Rome to be crucified.” Peter realized, he was running away from the cross, and so he returned to Rome, was captured, and then crucified with many other Christians.

Many of us run from suffering. We don’t want to endure pain, and complain to others about what we endure. While it is true we should try to alleviate some suffering, it is a means of revealing love.

The root behind impatience is the unwillingness to suffer. To be patient is to suffer willingly. We suffer standing in line at a grocery store, because the person in front of us is chatting with the clerk, and so, we become impatient. We suffer when we follow a vehicle going slow. When we lose our temper, oftentimes, it's an unwillingness to accept the suffering of a circumstance.

The word, “patient”, means “one who suffers”, such as a patient in a hospital. When patient, we embrace the cross that goes with it, and are willing to suffer.

If we realize we are becoming aggravated, our anger is building, and, if we want to be patient, we can say, “O Jesus, I accept this suffering for love of you.”

St. Thomas Aquinas said, “If you seek patience, you will find no better example than the cross. Great patience occurs in two ways: either when one patiently suffers much, or when one suffers things which one is able to avoid and yet does not avoid. Christ endured much on the cross, and did so patiently, because when he suffered he did not threaten; he was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and he did not open his mouth. Therefore, Christ's patience on the cross was great. In patience let us run for the prize set before us, looking upon Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith who, for the joy set before him, bore His cross and despised the shame.”

St. Francis de Sales’ example is especially admirable. By nature, he was fiery and temperamental, but through constant training, he became as calm as the moon. He said, “Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.” “Have patience with all things, but chiefly have patience with yourself. Do not lose courage in considering your own imperfections, but instantly set about remedying them—every day begin the task anew.”

We should not expect our self to always be patient, because we are human. One day when St. Philip Neri’s sufferings were extreme. During Mass, he fixed his eyes on the crucifix, and earnestly prayed, “O good Jesus, why is it that you don’t hear me? See how long a time I have besought you to give me patience! Why is it that you have not heard me, and why is my soul disquieted with thoughts of anger and impatience?”

Patience is comparable to an athlete building muscles by means of resistance. By resisting impulsive behavior, or by not yelling, or if we put up with annoyances, and tedium of life-- with calm, one grows little by little to be patient, because they are willing to suffer.

If we are willing to embrace crosses- when its not required, it strengthens the will to endure sufferings when they come. Here are some example of allowing our self to suffer willingly, when it's not required of us.

If we are going to get a cold drink of water, we can make our self wait, 5 minutes before we drink it. If It's hot out, we can wait before turning on the air conditioner in the car. Or we can make ourself drive the actual speed limit, instead of 5 miles an hour over the limit. If we are enjoying a good meal, we can make our self wait to eat the food most pleasing to us, and so eat the food that is least pleasing to us first.

Making our self wait for things, especially those that give pleasure, helps us to control our self, our anger, our impulsiveness, and give us more patience, by dying to our self and our desires.

Refusing to accept crosses may include: not wanting to clean the house. Children not wanting to do homework because it’s more fun to play video games or be with friends. Avoiding someone we don’t like. Eating foods we would rather not eat, like peas, or spinach. Complaining about difficulties.

We should be willing to suffer for Jesus and to suffer for others by embracing their crosses.

For example, Olivia, a woman in Africa, crawls 2 1/2 miles every Sunday to go to Mass, because she does not have legs. She’s not afraid to suffer for Jesus.

Our ancestors walked miles or rode horses in the hot summer, and prayed in a non-air-conditioned church, wearing suits and ties and women wore dresses and hats.

Young people can give us inspiration with regard to not being afraid to be willing to suffer. In 2019, a 15-year-old Polish boy, Jakob Baryla was hailed as a Catholic "hero" by blocking an LGBTQ Pride March with a raised crucifix and Rosary in his hand. The boy said, “I directed my prayer to Mary, the Mother of God, by reciting the Salve Regina (Hail Holy Queen), because She is the ideal of purity.” "I didn't think about fear. I was focused on the cross I was holding. I am Catholic, so I focused on God who gives me strength. I have the impression that God was directing me."

Willingness to suffer includes, parents who work two jobs in order to send their children to college. There are people who mow their neighbor’s lawn or the church’s lawn, as an act of charity, even in the heat. Dominican sisters in Alabama wear habits when its above 100 degrees, with no air-conditioning. Chinese Catholics, bishops and priests are in prison, for practicing their faith. All of these people are not afraid to suffer for Jesus because they love Him.

By the Cross, we come to understand the infinite value of suffering. We see in the sufferings of Jesus, that our suffering is not in vain, but rather priceless. If we unite our suffering to the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, it purifies our soul and brings us closer to God.

When we suffer, all we have to say is “Jesus, I accept this suffering, for love of you.” If we unite our suffering with the suffering of Jesus on the Cross, we can help Jesus to save the souls. We are filled with joy to suffer for Jesus and for others-- knowing it will help others to get to heaven. No matter how small the suffering, if we embrace it, it has great value.

Through the sufferings of Our Lord, souls are redeemed and heaven is opened, so that all who freely follow the way of the cross--- may enjoy eternal happiness with God in heaven. By gazing upon the sufferings and death of Jesus, we become sorry for our sins, and we see before our eyes, how our sins not only offend God, but have hurt Him. Jesus carried our sins to the Cross and we nailed Him to the Cross. Can we not carry our cross and endure our sufferings for love of Him?

We should not be afraid to hold high the Cross, in face of evil, and trust that if we suffer for Jesus, and for our faith, we will have a great reward in heaven. As St. Paul said, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present age are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” And in the second reading he said, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.”

I would to close with some words from St. Faustina, who said, “In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent Heart of Jesus stretched on the Cross, and from the exploding flames of His merciful Heart, will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.”