Lenten Reflection

Wisdom 2: 1, 12-22
John 7: 1-2, 10, 25-30

Kathleen Wilkins, Associate

These readings rather starkly remind us that discipleship may be costly, that rejection, persecution and suffering are to be expected by Christ'' followers. The following words of Oscar Romero, words written before his murder, can illuminate this suffering for us.

"The present form of the world passes away, and there remains only the joy of having used this world to establish God's rule here. All pomp, all triumphs, all selfish capitalism, all the false successes of life will pass with the world's form. All of that passes away. What does not pass away is love. When one has turned money, property, work in one's calling into service of others, then the joy of sharing and the feeling that all are one's family does not pass away. In the evening of life, you will be judged on love."

Romero suffered, but not from the pain of being reviled, calumniated and hated by the rich and powerful of El Salvador. No, his anguish grew out of the sufferings of the poor and oppressed with whom he took his stand and from his inability to penetrate the spiritual blindness and deafness of those whom his friendship for the poor had made into enemies.

My own experience of suffering for the faith was private and personal, not public and ideological. When, after five years of marriage, I experienced a powerful rebirth of faith, I experienced as well the bitter opposition of my husband, at first intermittent, but increasingly hardened. To him my faith was inexplicable and decidedly unwanted! The fact that I could understand and, in a way, sympathize with his opposition helped, as did the fact that he had not at all opposed my earlier and continuing dedication to working for first class citizenship for African-Americans. And it was the real joy and faith of my African American women friends who had helped awaken and ground my own! Then, I had the loving support and encouragement of other new friends in the faith! Jesus, after all, promises us not only sufferings and persecution, but homes, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers in abundance! (Mark 10:31)