Homily 6 February 2005 By Fr. Hathaway FSSP Mater Dei Latin Mass Community
Quinquagesima Sunday
On Love Bears All Things
“Love bears all things.”
Among the signs of divine love working in the soul there is, “Love
bears all things” (1 Cor. 13:7) which St. Alphonsus Liguori explains
(The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ), “Those who love Jesus
Christ bear all things for Jesus Christ, especially illness, poverty,
contempt.”
Since the fall of man, all men experience suffering; nor, should it be
said, is it easy to suffer. Yet, it remains a firm truth that we
must bear suffering patiently to advance in the spiritual life.
Has there ever been a saint who did not suffer? No, they
all suffered… and they suffered patiently. All trials patiently
suffered for the love of Jesus Christ will be rewarded; otherwise, they
are wasted. Indeed, St. Alphonsus says true love for our
crucified Savior most plainly manifests itself by a certain willingness
to suffer for Jesus Christ especially during times of illness, poverty,
and contempt.
First, St. Alphonsus encourages us to bear our illness for Christ.
Pains of the body, when endured patiently, obtain a great crown in
heaven. Too often, however, we lose merit because we complain of
our bodily aches. “I am too hot;” “I am too cold;” “woe is me, my
head hurts.” St. Teresa of Avila exhorted her nuns, “Sisters,
learn to suffer something for the love of the Lord, without letting
everyone knowing about it.”
Moreover, we must see in our illness what God wants of us in it.
Some sick persons complain, “Oh, I wish I were healthy so that I could
go to holy Mass and make my devotions.” St. Alphonsus tells
these, “Why do you want to go to Mass?’ or why do you want to make your
devotions? Is it to please God? God is not now pleased with
your going to Mass rather He will be pleased if you stay in bed and
suffer your illness patiently.”
Sometimes the sick complain, “I can not even pray.” St. Alphonsus
responds, “Fine. So you can’t pray your rosary, but you can make
acts of resignation and this is the finest prayer.” When he was
gravely ill, St. Vincent de Paul would, now and again, place himself in
the presence of God and make acts of thanksgiving, trust, or love, and
frequently of resignation, especially when his pains increased.
St. Alphonsus speaks of a holy woman who suffered terribly. Her
maid handed her a crucifix then asked she pray that God rid her of
pain. The woman responded, “How can you ask me to come down off
my cross while I hold in my hand my God who suffered for me.”
St. Alphonsus calls the pains of physical suffering “sweet” for those
who bear them for Christ. The martyrs knew this sweetness and
that explains why they went gladly to the rack, the iron hooks, the
burning metal plates, and the meat axes; that is why St. Procolius,
when being tortured, told the tyrant, “Torment me as much as you like,
but know that for those who love Jesus Christ, nothing is sweeter than
to suffer for Him.”
St. Alphonsus asks, “Why did the martyrs run joyfully to their
torments? Was it because they were insensible to pain or just
plain stupid?” “No,” he responds, “they ran because they
loved.” St. Bernard says, “It is not stupidity, but love that did
this.” They felt pain, but they also anticipated the consummation
of their hope… after suffering momentary pains the martyrs would then
see God for all eternity.
Next, St. Alphonsus encourages us to bear our poverty for Christ.
To endure poverty requires great patience. Going without a
needful thing is an inconvenience. St. Alphonsus, however,
reminds us of our real need. True wealth is the possession of
God. St. Augustine said, “He who does not have God has nothing;
he who has God has everything.” St. Francis of Assisi went
barefoot, in sackcloth, but sang every day, “my God and my all.”
Saints not only embrace their poverty, but they seek to be poor in the
things of this life so as to be richer in God. “If we can not
give up our possessions,” St. Alphonsus says, “let us, at least, strive
to be content with what we do have.” St. Teresa often reminded her
nuns, “the less we have here, the more we shall enjoy there.”
Our blessed Lord said, “Blessed are the poor, for theirs is the kingdom
of heaven.” (Lk 6:20)
The blessed poor are blessed not because they are poor but because they
love their poverty. Poverty itself is no virtue; the love of
poverty is a virtue. St. Alphonsus says many suffer poverty but
without merit because they do not love their poverty. He says
this is true of many religious who are poor but because they complain
about their poverty they obtain no merit. Thus, St. Bernard
observes, “Many religious wish to be poor as long as they want for
nothing.” St. Francis de Sales says of these, “They want the
honor of poverty but not its inconveniences.”
Finally, St. Alphonsus encourages us to bear contempt for Christ.
When a soul gives itself completely to God’s service it must expect
persecution, “if they have persecuted Me, they will persecute you.” (Jn
15:20) If we bear this cross for the love of God, we will yet
have one more proof of our love for Him. But it must be borne at
all times.
St. Teresa of Avila says the soul who wants to be perfect must beware
of saying, “they did that to me for no reason.” She says that if
we only want to carry a cross when it seems reasonable than perfection
is not for us.
Now someone may say, “Why does God burden us with crosses; why does He
seem to enjoy it when we suffer? Is God a tyrant?”
No, God is no tyrant. Rather, as St. Alphonsus notes, God
rejoices to see us suffer so that we might obtain three goods: first,
to repair for past sin; second, to detach us from the love of this
passing world; third, and to win a greater crown in heaven.
Finally, if we really wish to advance in divine love, we must firmly
believe that all trials come from the hand of God… directly or
indirectly. So St Paul writes, “We know that all things work out
together for good for those who love God.” (Rm 8:28)
After love bears all things, St. Paul writes, “Loves believes all
things” which St. Alphonsus explains, “Those who love Jesus Christ
believe all His words.” This will be our topic next
time.