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Every time I reflect on the Stations of the Cross, I am reminded of the saint name I chose for confirmation. In the sixth station, Veronica wipes the face of Jesus. This station has always stood out to me. I remember choosing Veronica because I found her simple act of compassion towards Jesus to be so profound and moving and for some reason, it really resonated with me. Each one of us has the ability to show compassion and love to each and every single person that we encounter each day, to wipe the face of Jesus. Just as the face of Christ appeared on Veronica’s veil, our lives can reflect the image of Christ to others, by our words and actions.
Whether we realize it or not, every day, we have opportunities to reflect the image of Jesus to those around us. When we complete an act of kindness, offer to pray for someone, listen to another in a time of need, or simply serve someone in any way, we are wiping the face of Christ. The love and compassion we show to others is love and compassion that we show to Jesus. It would have been much easier for Veronica to not step out from the crowd and to remain indifferent. In her feeling of helplessness and knowing that she could not alleviate Jesus’ suffering, she came forward and wiped the blood and sweat from His face. Oftentimes, it is the same for us. It is easier to stay hidden among the crowd, to follow the way of the culture, to not take a stand for what we believe, to ignore the suffering and hurting of those around us, to be indifferent. But this is not the way Christ calls us to. We are called to reach out to others and to walk with them just as Christ walks with us. We cannot all do big things or accomplish tremendous tasks. But we can love. And many times, it is in the simplest and most seemingly small gestures that we can make a difference. Jesus, thank you for suffering and making the ultimate sacrifice for each and every one of us. Give us the courage to step out of our comfort zones to wipe the blood, sweat, and tears from your face. Help us to know that whatever we do for others, we do for you. Imprint Your image onto our hearts so that we would show the world who You are and be a reflection of Your love. Amen.
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Last week at work, an excel spreadsheet was sent to staff members and we were asked to “list our pronouns” on the document next to our names. New email signatures and ID badges are being made and some staff from the DEI committee wanted to encourage all employees to have their “preferred pronouns” included. (For anyone unfamiliar with this, it involves listing pronouns of how people should refer to you, like “she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs or a variety of other options which make absolutely no sense.) As I scrolled through the spreadsheet, I was shocked by how many people had obliged to the request. Almost all approximately 40 people in my department had typed in a list of pronouns next to their names. I could only wonder about the organization’s other 100+ employees and how many of them would be including pronouns on their IDs and email signatures. What I did know was that I could not support or affirm this practice by participating in it. I did not submit anything to the spreadsheet and when a follow-up email was sent, I stated that I did not want anything listed.
In today’s world, this issue is quite prevalent and I knew it was only a matter of time before it would likely come up in this setting. As Catholics, we cannot support the trend of “identifying pronouns” and the rise in the gender ideology movement. A lot of people may say to just give it up and that it’s not a big deal. Others may think that there’s no harm in something so seemingly insignificant. Many people have the mindset that going along with it is respectful and the loving, compassionate thing to do because it shows support. But this is a hill I’m willing to die on. I disagree with all of these arguments. As males and females created in the image of God, we do not get to choose pronouns nor do we need to let others know what pronouns people should use to refer to us. Knowing what words to use when talking about men and women is just a basic part of the English language. God has created us all- as either a man or woman, and this is something that cannot be changed. We live in a society that reduces gender to feelings and appearances. We live in a society that rejects truth. To reject the reality that there are only two genders is to reject truth and God Himself. In the midst of this insanity and all of the people just going with the flow in order to not be seen as bigoted or hateful, there are some people who truly struggle with accepting who they are. We need to affirm them in their goodness and see their dignity. We need to walk with them in their struggle. When it comes to men who think they are women, women who think they are men, or those who think they are neither, we need to treat them with the same love and compassion that we would anyone else. However, to love is to want what is best for someone and desiring good for that person. And this means speaking the truth. We must be firm in our convictions and not back down. Our witness on this issue is an opportunity to be Christ to others and share the truth, beauty, and goodness of the human person and who we were created to be. If you’ve paid any attention to the media recently, whether the sports world or political world, you’ve probably heard about Lia Thomas and Rachel Levine. Both of these males, now identifying as women, have insulted womanhood by reducing it to surgeries, clothing, and how they think it “feels” to be a woman. And to be honest, my heart hurts for the people in our country who accept and celebrate this ideology. It is disheartening that there are so many people who believe that who we are as male and female, and how we are different, doesn’t matter. However, this simple truth is the basis for humanity. God created men and women to complement each other and to reflect His love in unique ways. This can never be changed, no matter what the world thinks. As our country continues in this direction and we try to navigate this gender and pronoun war, we need to keep our focus on God. We need to immerse ourselves in His love and the truth of how he created us- male and female, and in His image. As we continue to encounter people sharing pronouns and asking us to go along with this whole ideology, we must give every person the respect and dignity they deserve, always speaking and acting with love. However, “we can’t surrender to a lie.” -Chris Stefanick For those of you who work desk jobs, you can probably relate to the struggle of trying to maintain good posture and being attentive for hours on end. It is easy to become restless and to lose motivation. What helps me to sit up straight and stay focused is my desk chair with a solid back to lean on. There are a lot of things we probably lean on and depend on to get us through the day. Whether it’s something like a chair, a favorite activity to give us a break, or other people, we all turn to different places for support. But above it all, what, or who, are we leaning on the most? Matt Maher, a contemporary Catholic artist, has a new song, “Leaning.” These lyrics, “Let my restless soul be still and know, I am leaning on your everlasting arms” sum it up quite well.
In all that is happening in the world around us, we need to be still and be aware of the presence of God in our lives. We need to let ourselves lean on the arms of Jesus. This is the strong foundation we all need in our lives. If we don’t lean on Jesus, we will lean on the things of this world. These things cannot hold us up and we will fall into temptation, weakness, sin. But to lean on the arms of Jesus is to know that we will never be dropped. Leaning on the arms of Jesus does not mean that we will never fall. However, it does mean that we will be lifted up and embraced with an infinite and transformational love and mercy. How do we lean on Jesus at all times? We must fully put our trust in Him and surrender ourselves to Him. We must deny ourselves, carry our crosses, and offer up sacrifices, asking Jesus to help us. We are called to live every day with joy and use each moment as an opportunity to love. It is only by leaning on Him that this can be possible. Think of people you know who have a really deep and strong faith that is unwavering. The people that come to mind for me are people who are humble, but confident in Christ’s real and personal love and they are aware of their deep need for Him. I want to be like these people, always leaning on His everlasting arms. Jesus, help us to be still and know that we can lean on You because You are the only one who will never let us down. A few days ago at work, conversation with a co-worker turned to faith. (This is the same co-worker who had asked me about my faith and going to mass earlier this year). The conversation involved discussion of Ash Wednesday, giving up things for Lent, not eating meat on Fridays and involved several questions. She also asked if churches still had Stations of the Cross and told me she used to always go with her grandma when she was young. She stated that she should go back to mass and in an attempt to offer encouragement, I simply responded, “yeah, you should!” She said that I would have to go with her because she would not want to go alone. What she said next is something that I’ve been reflecting on since. “God wouldn’t welcome me back.” I told her that God welcomes everyone back. As Christians, this is what we are called to do. To help others know that God loves them and pray that they would experience that love.
Maybe this is something that we focus on as we journey through this Lent. As we walk with Jesus through the desert and reflect on His suffering and death, we have the opportunity to invite others to enter into their own spiritual journeys of prayer, reflection, and purification. Everyday, as we work to turn our hearts and minds toward God and deepen our prayer lives, the hope is to become more like Christ. And as we become more like Him, the hope is that others might see a glimpse of the love Christ has for them by the words we say and the things we do. Imagine if every single person would look at a crucifix and know that Jesus died for them because of a deep and personal love He has just for them. Imagine if every single person would not only know this in their minds but also believe in their hearts that if they were the only person to ever exist, He still would have suffered and died for them. As we walk this journey and reflect on the passion and death of Christ, may we allow Him to remove every distraction, material attachment, worldly desire, and sinful habit in our lives so that after these 40 days we would be more like Christ. When we become more like Christ, we can better reflect Him and His love to the world around us. My prayer for these next several weeks is that every Catholic, who has left the church or fallen away, would look at Jesus on the cross, with His arms stretched wide open, and know that He is ready and waiting to welcome them back to Him. |
AuthorStriving to share hope, joy, God's love, and all of the good stuff, one blog post at a time. Categories |
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