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The Merit of Suffering

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Good Friday is the darkest day in history, but it is also a day of hope. God has been crucified, but He will rise before long. We know that he will soon rise, but today is a day of solemn grief. The Savior of the World has been handed over to men to be scourged and killed.

We hear the culmination of the Suffering Servant songs in Isaiah’s prophecies. Jesus is “crushed for our sins, pierced for our offenses”. We hear his cry in the Psalm: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” The Son of God experiences the depths of loss, ridicule, and pain. He takes on the weight of our sins.

But this suffering is not all darkness: it bears fruit. Not simply in the sense that it is the occasion for Jesus to show His glory. Christ’s suffering itself is fruitful: “Because of his affliction he shall see light in fullness of days; through his suffering, my servant shall justify many, and their guilt he shall bear” (Isaiah 53:11, my emphasis).

What does this mean? We know that there is a purpose in suffering, but how do we understand that suffering itself can be fruitful, regardless of the result? This is one of the greatest mysteries of our Faith, and it is placed before us on Good Friday.

Jesus Christ freely accepted His Passion, knowing the pain that it would cause Him. He endured the harshest treatment, never losing His peace and never complaining. He knew that He would endure the greatest suffering of all — great because of the pain, infinitely greater because of the sacrilege.

Our Lord did this of His own free will, even in His fully human will, firmly resolving to be conformed to His divine will in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew full well that He would endure great suffering, and He also knew that it was this that would best atone for the sins of man. If a true man suffered the penalty of sin with the infinite merit of God, the curse would be broken. Our sin, though its guilt can be forgiven, nevertheless merits divine punishment. The suffering itself pays the price. 

This is one key truth of suffering. Our suffering is a participation in the Cross. Of course, we need to know what exactly the suffering of Christ on the Cross was meant to accomplish to understand what this means. Being united to Christ’s sufferings means that our sufferings are done in expiation for the sins of men. We are pierced for others’ (and our own) afflictions, just as Christ was pierced for ours. Through His salvific work, our own sufferings bear fruit.

There are many other reasons for suffering, more than could be described in a blog post. But for today, let’s focus on one more reason. For all of the explanations we can give, we never really come to terms with suffering. It never ceases to be painful. However, even in our most difficult times, we can fall back on the firm conviction that Jesus suffered. Not only did He suffer, but He suffered greatly. He suffered the worst pain of all, and did it confidently, preserving His dignity and choosing not to spurn any of it. Though we may not always understand, Jesus Christ will always be with us in our sufferings. That was His choice. Today we celebrate that choice and join Him on Calvary.

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David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.

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Saving Sacrifices and Service

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It’s no coincidence that Jesus instituted the Eucharist at the Passover meal. Nearly every part of the Passover is a foreshadowing of Christ’s saving sacrifice.

The Israelites were enslaved in Egypt; humanity is enslaved to sin. The blood of a lamb without blemish is what saved them from death; the blood of our sinless Savior saves from final death. The Israelites were to keep the lamb with them before sacrificing it; Jesus dwelt among us before His sacrifice. They were instructed to eat the flesh of the sacrificed lamb; Christ instructs us to eat His flesh in the Eucharist, and it has become a perpetual institution.

John’s Gospel, interestingly enough, does not include a direct account of the institution of the Eucharist, as the other Gospels do. Some say this is because he addresses the Eucharist in John 6. In any event, in the washing of the disciples’ feet, perhaps Christ is calling us to join in His sacrifice in our own way. None of us will ever be blameless as Jesus is, but we can sacrifice and serve others to help them bring about God’s kingdom, as He did. We can become more Christ-like by humbling ourselves in the service of God.

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J.M. Pallas has had a lifelong love of Scriptures. When she is not busy with her vocation as a wife and mother to her “1 Samuel 1” son, or her vocation as a public health educator, you may find her at her parish women’s bible study, affectionately known as “The Bible Chicks.”

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Be Attentive

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Today is “Spy Wednesday,” the day that Judas betrayed Our Lord. Our First Reading and Psalm speak eloquently of the Suffering Servant of God, the Messiah, who will come to save His people from their sins. He will bear beatings, insults, and ultimately death, but will do so willingly, ready to accept anything to accomplish the will of the Father. We have been hearing these prophecies from Isaiah all week, and we will continue to hear them through Good Friday.

It is good to reflect on just how humble and confident the Lord must have been to allow Himself to be betrayed, beaten, abused, insulted, stripped, and killed so mercilessly. Today, however, I want to focus on Judas Iscariot. Why would he betray Our Lord? This is a good question on its own, but for Judas it is all the more baffling. Why would he betray Jesus Christ, whom he walked with for years and saw as a friend and master?

Judas was a Zealot, a member of a radical Jewish sect that sought to overthrow the Roman government and encourage the Messiah to come forward and lead the insurrection in the process. Many Jews thought that the Messiah would hold secular political power. The Zealots thought that they could help the Messiah achieve victory. Iscariot, Judas’ surname, gives away his Zealot sympathies. This is a title meaning “dagger man,” referring to the Zealots who would carry daggers at all times.

Over the course of Jesus’ ministry, it’s likely that Judas became disillusioned. Somewhere along the line, it became obvious to him that Jesus did not want political authority, at least not in the sense that many of the Jews thought that the Messiah would. He did come to rule and to lead, but in a very unexpected way. Judas may have hung around because of Jesus’ holiness, or simply because he wanted to get back at Him later. Either way, he remained until his betrayal, the fatal move.

Judas’ betrayal was a result of his failure to pay attention to Our Lord. He expected one Messiah, got another, and couldn’t stop and consider that he might be the misguided one. Later on, he understood his error, but was too crestfallen to make amends. Instead, he took his own life, crushed by the weight of his sin.

Job presents another way for us. He too had a misguided view of God. Though he was always righteous, unlike the sin-prone Judas, he too thought that God was different than in reality. Job, afflicted by Satan, expected the Lord to give him a comprehensive explanation. Instead, the Lord says that Job simply can’t understand: “Who is this that darkens counsel with words of ignorance? Gird up your loins now, like a man; I will question you, and you tell me the answers!” (Job 38:2–3).

In the end, Job repents in dust and ashes, admitting that God’s ways are unfathomable. He was attentive, and by listening understood that the Lord’s ways are greater, much more marvelous than his. He allowed God to change his perspective in a radical way, and humbly accepted the consequences. Let us do the same this Triduum, attending to the Lord and allowing Him to transform our lives, even if it means giving up what we might want from Him. On Good Friday and beyond, we will see Him surpass even our wildest expectations, giving the ultimate explanation for suffering.

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David Dashiell is a freelance writer, editor, and proofreader based in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. His writing has been featured in Crisis Magazine and The Imaginative Conservative, and his editing is done for a variety of publishers, such as Sophia Institute and Scepter. He can be reached at ddashiellwork@gmail.com.

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The Glory

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What is the glory of God? How do we glorify Him? How is God glorified in us?

Here at the beginning of Holy Week, we read in the Gospel of John that as soon as Judas left the Last Supper, Jesus declared, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him…”

This does not seem to correspond to our ideas of glory, which probably include greatness, power, bright lights, and myriads of angels singing polyphonic hosannas. At least, that’s what we see in art and cinema, and our imaginations can be flattened by these ideas. We can also have “flattened” ideas about Christ’s suffering and death! Because the crucifix is familiar, and the truth that we are saved by it is repeated so often, we can lose sight of the reality of the life of the Lord and the way it transformed our lives!

Jesus truly came from the Father, setting aside his glory, to dwell among us and act and teach and willingly suffer to save us! Jesus laid down his life so that we might be truly alive, and so that he could please his Father by fulfilling His will for our eternal life. The Catechism tells us that “The world was created for the glory of God.” Not a glory that insists on its own gloriousness, but a glory that delights in pouring out immeasurable and infinite LOVE.

As we ponder the Passion this week, we must ask for the grace to see anew that God is glorified by Christ’s (and our) loving obedience. As Judas sets out with determination to betray Jesus, the Way of the Cross is set in motion, and it is this Way that glorifies the Father because it demonstrates the Son’s total loving obedience: Jesus passed onto his disciples the living truth of the Father, and then “humbled himself and became obedient, even unto death, death on a cross” (Phil 2:8).

Jesus’ self-gift is more than words; his love for the Father is more than words. It isn’t enough to say, “I give myself completely to you.” Complete self-giving is demonstrated when we pour ourselves out (in time, energy, attention, and love), not when we talk about how generous we are. I can say that I love you, but you know it’s true when I set aside what I want to help give you what YOU want. I can say I would give someone one of my kidneys, but it is only words until I have the opportunity to submit myself to surgery! Words must be proved by action.

Jesus prayed in the Garden, “Not my will, but Yours be done.” On the Cross, Jesus proves that his words are true. It is by his complete immolation on the Cross that Jesus fulfills the Father’s will wholly, without reserving anything for himself. It is this complete self-gift, for love of the Father and for us, that glorifies Jesus, and the Father in him.

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Kathryn Mulderink, MA, is married to Robert, Station Manager for Holy Family Radio. Together they have seven children (including newly ordained Father Rob and seminarian Luke ;-), and two grandchildren. She is a Secular Discalced Carmelite and has published five books and many articles. Over the last 25 years, she has worked as a teacher, headmistress, catechist, Pastoral Associate, and DRE. Currently, she serves the Church as a writer and voice talent for Catholic Radio, by publishing and speaking, and by collaborating with the diocesan Office of Catechesis, various parishes, and other ministries to lead others to encounter Christ and engage their faith. Her website is https://www.kathryntherese.com/.

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Give Christ the Best of You

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In the Gospel reading today, we read of Jesus’ visit to the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. As Jesus sat, Mary anointed His feet with an expensive oil and then wiped them with her hair.

Judas Iscariot became upset by her actions, but Jesus told him to leave Mary alone, for He understood what she was doing.

She was giving her best to Christ.

Imagine having Christ over for dinner. Imagine Him by your side to talk with, to eat with, and to laugh with. He was a friend to these three siblings, but they knew He was much more than a friend. They understood that He was the Messiah. And Mary treated Him as such. She gave the best of what she had to Him.

We can learn so much from this Gospel and from Mary’s actions. God has given us many blessings; in return, we must give Him our first fruits—the best of what we have.

What does that mean? It means that we must put Him first and foremost into our days. It means that we don’t forget about Him all day and remember Him two minutes before we drop into an exhausted sleep. We take time for Him. 

Upon waking up, we say a prayer of thanks. During the day, we pause to pray for others, to talk to God, and to thank Him for the blessings we have. We set aside time in the evening to pray. We make sure that, for this amount of time, we are not distracted. We talk, and we listen.

In addition, we make time throughout our days to perform acts of kindness for people—even if these acts are small. They could include a simple gesture like holding an elevator for someone, smiling at someone, or paying for the person behind you in the fast-food line. Or they could include larger and more time-consuming acts like teaching CCE or volunteering at a homeless shelter or a crisis pregnancy center.  

Remember that Christ taught that, in doing for others, we also do for Him. So everything we do for the people around us, we do for Our Lord. 

And all of these things we do for God and for others show our love for Him.

God’s love for us is infinite. In fact, though we try, we cannot even imagine the depth of His love. As Christians, it is our duty and our responsibility to imitate that love and to show it to others. 

Putting Christ first and doing good for others is giving Him the best of us. 

And for this, He is surely pleased.

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Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.

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Be Not Afraid

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I have always found it hard to pray. To find the words. And so recently I have become invested in studying the Psalms, as the Psalms give the words and prayers bestowed to us by God Himself. How moving in particular is today’s Psalm, which strikes such a chord deep in our hearts!
 
Ps 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, from the words of my groaning?
 
In today’s reading, we should note that just before Psalm 23, undoubtedly the best known of all the Psalms, is Psalm 22. I recognize now that Psalm 22 and Psalm 23 are complementary. Christ experienced to the very fullest both the human suffering of Psalm 22 and the love, peace and security of His Father in Psalm 23. Today’s Gospel notes the striking of the shepherd so that the sheep will be dispersed, but just after reminds us to not have our faith be shaken. It is through the difficult times that God can make his glory most magnified.
 
I attended a session this evening that reviewed the significance of hope. Particularly this year in the light of the Covid-19 pandemic. The speaker noted that the joys of Easter Sunday could not exist without first having the sorrow of the Passion. He also noted that the most common words of Christ in the Bible are to “Be not afraid”. Today’s readings remind me of the importance of steadfast prayer; to hold onto God through all times, both the good and the bad. It is because we are in darkness that we can strive to leap towards the light. The speaker also noted that the most common miracle Christ performed was in fact, curing the blind. This includes the physically blind but I would also think of all us who were spiritually blind in the dark. 
 
In further researching Psalm 22 and Psalm 23, I also came across quotes including, “A more complete picture of Christ’s work probably can not be seen anywhere else in the Old Testament.” And another that noted Psalm 22, The Suffering Shepherd; Psalm 23, The Good Shepherd; Psalm 24, the Great Shepherd! How powerful that we come in a full circle from the readings of the Old Testament to that of the fulfillment of the New Testament through that of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice and love for us, his precious sheep.
May the love of Christ be shown unto all during this most sacred week of the year. God bless you all.

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Dr. Alexis Dallara-Marsh is a board-certified neurologist who practices in Bergen County, NJ. She is a wife to her best friend, Akeem, and a mother of two little ones on Earth and two others in heaven above.

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All Will Believe

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“What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him.” ~John 11:48

Although I have never personally met George Washington, I believe he crossed the Delaware River.  I never met Amelia Earhart, yet I do not doubt she flew solo across the Atlantic. I am not personally acquainted with Christopher Columbus; however, I trust that he sailed the ocean blue in 1492.  Why then did I struggle for so long to believe the story of Jesus? Since His ministry included performing signs, I take solace in recognizing I am not alone in this struggle.

Like the previously mentioned historical figures, the story of Jesus becomes part of history because those who witnessed it shared it.

They observed his miracles, heard his teachings, and were present for his gruesome crucifixion. Actual people saw, spoke, and dined with Jesus after his resurrection. More importantly, testimonies included “hostile” witnesses trying to squelch excitement about Jesus, who would have much preferred his legacy not continue for the last 2000-plus years. 

This epiphany of recognizing Jesus as a historical figure was a game-changer.  Understanding the Scripture and tradition in light of eyewitness accounts opened my eyes to the truth, the reality, about Jesus. As Catholic tradition holds, one such witness was the soldier at the foot of the Cross, St. Longinus.

“But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you also may believe.”  It is said that Longinus was nearly blind and healed when some of the blood and water from Jesus fell into his eyes. It was then he exclaimed, “Indeed, this was the Son of God!” [Mark 15:39].  This encounter converted the centurion.

How often I am blind to the truth of who Jesus is.  Witness accounts, such as St. Longinus, remind me of the reality of Jesus’ existence.  People who gave testimony, so that I may also believe. Ironically, the very ones who wanted to silence Jesus, so more would not believe, became the conduit. 

The signs Jesus performed were not just for the witnesses of that day but continue to be seen today, most especially in the Sacraments. In 2015, my family was going through a difficult time. To cope, I started taking walks around my yard and praying the Rosary. One day as my frustration overwhelmed me and I shouted to the Lord, “What do you want from me?” As I turned the corner and faced the road, a truck drove past with the word “FIDELITY” along the side.  I actually laughed out loud; this Latin-rooted word emblazoned on the side of a semi, at the exact moment I prayed for clarity, was no coincidence.  The message filled my heart with peace. Jesus asks for me to be faithful.

While I still want to be that person who believes, I am grateful the Lord knows my heart. Therefore, I gleam great joy from the Fidelity trucks, the occasional butterfly, and the homilies that appear written just for me. Those signs remind me that my faith is not misplaced, that God is real.  Even the hostile witnesses knew, if many saw these signs, they’d all believe.

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Allison Gingras works for WINE: Women In the New Evangelization as National WINE Steward of the Virtual Vineyard. She is a Social Media Consultant for the Diocese of Fall River and CatholicMom.com. She is a writer, speaker, and podcaster, who founded ReconciledToYou.com and developed the Stay Connected Journals for Catholic Women (OSV).   

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Fresh Insight

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The scene in the Gospel today has many Jews picking up rocks to stone Jesus for blasphemy, for making himself God. The people do not recognize that Jesus’ teachings and his works (miracles) have been done to help them believe and understand, “that the Father is in me and I am in the Father.”

How many times have I made a judgement in my mind about a situation, and yet there is an unsettled feeling (if I’m paying attention) deep in my heart? Maybe there is more going on in a circumstance than I’m willing to admit to myself.

A wise woman once said, “Sometimes the longest journey we make is the sixteen inches from our heads to our hearts.” It could be that I am blind to a different perspective, position, interpretation or view of a situation. Am I willing to be honest with myself, to take some time in prayer and to delve more deeply into that instance from a different angle or voice?

On this fifth Friday of our Lenten journey, let us pray for the Holy Spirit to bring a fresh breath of insight into our minds, our hearts and our prayers this Holy Week.

PRAYER TO THE HOLY SPIRIT

Come Divine Spirit –

Rattle our cages –

Break into our locked houses –

Water our parched land –

Undo our bends and twistedness –

Awaken our hearts –

Help us to overflow with kindness –

And – 

Give us unending joy!

AMEN!     
(From an Ancient Pentecost Liturgy)

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Beth Price is part of the customer care team at Diocesan. She brings a unique depth of experience to the group due to her time spent in education, parish ministries, sales and the service industry over the last 25 yrs. She is a practicing spiritual director as well as a Secular Franciscan (OFS). Beth is quick to offer a laugh, a prayer or smile to all she comes in contact with. Reach her here bprice@diocesan.com.

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The Humility of Christ’s Humanity

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“Him whom the heavens cannot contain, the womb of one woman bore.” St. Augustine of Hippo

In today’s Gospel we hear the story of the Annunciation and Mary’s “yes”, her fiat, to becoming the mother of God, Theotokos, God-bearer. Mary is for us the ultimate example of giving one’s life to Christ in humble obedience. She quite literally allowed Jesus to enter her body. 

It has always seemed strange to me that we celebrate the Annunciation so close to Holy Week, the week in which we enter deeply into the sufferings of Christ. Why do we celebrate the joy of the Annunciation so soon before Good Friday? After a lot of reflection, I realized that the Church, in her wisdom, imparts the joy of the Annunciation so close to the sorrow of the Crucifixion in order to remind us of the humility inherent in Christ’s humanity. Christ became man, the Word became Flesh in order to save us from our transgressions. Christ came in order to conform with the Will of the Father. 

We hear in the second reading that, “…when Christ came into the world, he said ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said ‘As is written of me on the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’” Christ, like His mother, accepts the Will of the Father for the sake of all men. God humbled himself and, in order to do so, asked Mary to humble herself and accept His Will, which she did. When we remember Christ’s humanity it makes us more able to enter into his Passion and Death because we are able to understand the emotions and imagine the pain He endured. It is through Christ’s humanity that we are healed and the Annunciation, Mary’s fiat, is the “yes” that allowed God to enter this world as fully God and fully man. 

As we near the end of this Lenten season, prepare for Holy Week, and look forward to the Resurrection of Christ, may we, taking the example of Mary, allow Christ to enter our hearts. May our “yes!” be proclaimed without hesitation. May we walk humbly with our God on His road to Calvary and may we humbly accept His will in our lives.

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Dakota currently lives in Denver, CO and teaches English Language Development and Spanish to high schoolers. She is married to the love of her life, Ralph. In her spare time, she reads, goes to breweries, and watches baseball. Dakota’s favorite saints are St. John Paul II (how could it not be?) and St. José Luis Sánchez del Río. She is passionate about her faith and considers herself blessed at any opportunity to share that faith with others. Check out more of her writing at https://dakotaleonard16.blogspot.com.

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Freedom

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“And the truth will set you free” is a phrase we often hear thrown around in movies but did you know it came from Jesus himself? I didn’t. 

It wasn’t until I was reading today’s Gospel reading in which Jesus says, “If you remain in my word, you will truly be my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free,” to his believers (John 8:32).

Their response, much like my response would have been, is one of confusion because they have never been enslaved.  Weren’t they already free? Aren’t we already free? But Jesus goes on to explain that it is through sin that they, and we, are slaves. 

As we sin, we become slaves to the actions, the inactions, and the impulses that cause us to turn away from God. It is through Christ’s goodness, our Heavenly Father’s favor, that we find ourselves more free than we could possibly imagine. 

Living a life of love and mercy provides us with a joy that will pervade all of our actions. We know this is true because how many hearts have we met that are on fire for the Lord and have that bright glow around them? Just being near them, you feel joy in the Lord. Just by joining in prayer and praise to God with them, you can feel the freedom of peace and of love. 

So today, as we stand only days from Holy Week, I ask you… 

Will you choose freedom?

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Veronica Alvarado is a born and raised Texan currently living in Michigan. Since graduating from Texas A&M University, Veronica has published various articles in the Catholic Diocese of Austin’s official newspaper, the Catholic Spirit, and other local publications. She now works as the Content Specialist in Diocesan’s Web Department.

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Winter Waves

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The wind today is particularly aggressive and our little portion of Lake Michigan is turbulent. As I drove up the lakefront after work I noticed how violent and unsettled the water was. I could see the whitecaps all the way to the horizon and the waves breaking closer to shore reminded me of the ocean, crashing into each other at improbable angles. They seemed to be approaching from both the southeast and the northeast. The water was the color of coffee with just the right amount of cream. 

It wasn’t the first time I sat in that lot and took a crummy phone video of the waves to show my family. There is something that pulls me in there whenever they are active. 

I wasn’t alone. Several photographers arrived with cameras with long lenses around their neck. One squatted down to get the perfect angle. Another set up a tripod. Over on the beach, surfers were rejoicing. A mother shivered next to her son who pointed at the breaking waves. A father called his daughter off the rocks. Couples walked past and a runner stopped and sat on the rocks for a few minutes. People in work clothes jumped out with their phones for a few shots and people in sweats posed for pictures with the waves behind them. We were all pulled to the water. 

I realized the waves looked like how my heart feels – unsettled, at odds, moving in different directions. I wondered if others’ hearts felt the same. 

In this time of an unsettled heart, I am consoled by the plea heard in today’s Responsorial Psalm. “Let my cry come to you. Do not hide your face from me in the day of my distress.” (Ps 102: 2-3) Yes! This is our cry when the waves are crashing.

I wonder if God sees the same beauty in our turbulent hearts that we see in the turbulent lake. I think he does. I think it is in those times when we feel out of control and we cry out to him that he smiles, not because he is glad we are troubled, but because we go to him. At any moment he can still the water and our hearts. 

And he does. “The LORD looked down from his holy height, from heaven he beheld the earth,

To hear the groaning of the prisoners, to release those doomed to die.” (Ps 102: 20-21) He hears our cry, he sees our distress, and he rescues us. He sent his Son to save us from death and he comforts us when the waves in our heart are churned up. He is so very good. 

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Merridith Frediani’s perfect day includes prayer, writing, unrushed morning coffee, reading, tending to dahlias, and playing Sheepshead with her husband and three kids.  She loves finding God in the silly and ordinary.  She writes for Ascension Press, Catholic Mom, and her local Catholic Herald in Milwaukee. Her first book Draw Close to Jesus: A Woman’s Guide to Eucharistic Adoration is expected to be released summer 2021. You can reach her at merridith.frediani@gmail.com

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Silent Trust

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“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil, for you are at my side.”

What do you think of as you hear these words from today’s Responsorial Psalm? 

Trust? Courage?

Trust and courage, two essential virtues, go hand in hand through today’s Responsorial Psalm, readings, and Gospel, which is rather a fitting theme as the dangers of COVID-19 still surround us. 

Trust is complete surrender to the One who knows what the plan is, whereas courage is the guts to actually do it.

Courage, in its simplest form, is the guts to trust in the Lord, the one who holds everything in the palm of his hand. In the readings today we have examples of two women who display both of these virtues.

 In the First Reading, we read about a young woman named Susanna, who was unjustly accused of adultery. Susanna, as we all know, was completely innocent of this crime, but notice that she does nothing to contradict the elders who accused her, save pray to God.

“Here I am about to die, though I have done none of these things which these wicked men  have charged against me.”  She does not even ask to be spared from execution, she trusts the Lord completely, that only his will will come to pass, even if it results in her death. 

Trust. She trusts that the Lord’s plan will shine through in the end, and so she is not afraid. She is brave in the midst of dangers because she knows that “You are at my side.”

In the Gospel, again, we come across a woman accused of committing adultery. She, too, was to be sentenced to death (though the Pharisees tried to trap Jesus into condemning her, which, of course did not work). For a second time we see men testify to a crime with little to no evidence as proof. 

Jesus is not a man to be taken lightly in the matters of condemning someone. He is also not a man to be tricked into condemning someone. Notice that this woman, too, does not say a single thing except answering Jesus. “No one, sir.” 

Trust. 

Like Susanna, she did not ask for pardon. She does not blurt out her story, or even demand to be heard. I wonder if  she was praying. Jesus ultimately saw in her something that the Pharisees missed: courage and trust. The woman, silent yet brave, trusted completely. That is why she stayed silent. It was not that she did not value her life, it was because she knew that God was in control. She did not have to speak to be saved. Courage does not need words; neither does trust.

Both women had courage, they both trusted in the Lord, and as a result they were delivered from death. 

“Even though I walk in the dark valley I fear no evil, for you are at my side.” These words are very true, as outlined in the readings of today. Be brave. Trust in the Lord. And above all, do not fear any evil, for he is at your side.

Perpetua Phelps is a high school student residing in West Michigan and is the second of four children. Apart from homeschooling, Perpetua enjoys volunteering at her church, attending retreats, studying Latin and French, and reading classics such as Beowulf, The Lord of the Rings, C.S. Lewis’ Space Trilogy, and Mark Twain’s Joan of Arc. She also spends much time writing novels, essays, and poetry for fun and competition. A passionate Tolkien fan, Perpetua is a founding member of a Tolkien podcast.

Feature Image Credit: Exe Lobaiza, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/3758-mujer-contemplando