Making Through The Storm

Making it through the storm

(Based on the Sunday Gospel Commentary of Nil Guillemette)

I tried some reading on the geography of the Sea of Galilee, and they say, its geographical make-up is quite unique. The surface of the sea is 685 feet below the level of the Mediterranean Sea, since the Jordan Valley, in which it lies, has there sunk to such a depth. On the other hand, high hills surround it on almost all its sides. This means that there is usually a great difference of temperature between the air on the top of the plateaus surrounding the sea and the air on the low-lying water. When a strong wind blows from the north-eastern high plateau of the Syrian desert, which is some 3000 feet about sea level, the rush of cold air falling on the surface of the sea and the rush of hot air rising under this pressure produce a vertical air flow or convection current of great power. The results of this are sudden, violent storms, which agitate the Sea of Galilee in a most frightful fashion. Thus, terrible squalls hurl themselves, even when the sky is perfectly clear, upon these waters, which are ordinarily so calm. The storms come literally unexpectedly, and the most experienced fishermen cannot predict them. Such storms can produce waves up to 20 feet high or more.

Today’s gospel reading reports such a storm, one that came with shattering and terrifying suddenness. It mentions that Jesus was occupying in Peter’s boat the placed reserved for any distinguished guest. As the Gospel puts it, “Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion.” (It must be a very comfortable place indeed.) Not only that, exhausted by a day of preaching, Jesus was asleep when the storm broke out and he continued to sleep soundly until the disciples woke him up. And we know that he calmed it down.

A noted bible scholar Nil Guillemette, would say that this story was written or preserved for two obvious reasons (obvious at least for himself). First, it illustrated the power of Jesus over nature and indirectly therefore, hinted his true identity. The Bible often presents God as ruling the storms of the sea (Ps 107:23-30; 89:9; 29:3; 46:3; 93:3-4; Nah 1:4; Hab 3:15; Jb 38:8-11). Now, the fact that Jesus could command the sea showed that he shared the very power of God – in other words, that he somehow belonged to the sphere of the divine.

The second reason is its symbolic value. Peter, let us recall, was a fisherman whom Jesus called to become fisher of men (Mk 1:17). As head of the Church founded by Christ, the boat he steers becomes an image of the Church. And, consequently, the storms he meets become symbols of the various storms and crises of the Church. To complete the picture in this connection, the sleeping Christ represents the apparent absence or non-intervention of God during times of persecutions, schisms, heresies. However, the awakening and storm-calming Christ represents the eventual overcoming of crises by the powerful intervention of God through unforeseen events or through the raising up of great saints and charismatic leaders in the Church.

This scene was highly inspiring to Mark and the readers of his gospel. Mark wrote this gospel between the years 65 to 70 according to the almost unanimous opinion of the experts. Now that was at the time of the first Roman persecution of the Church, the one launched between 64 and 68 by the cruel Emperor Nero. Both the apostles Peter and Paul perished in that persecution, along with many other leaders of the Church. (So, the early Christians were asking): Where was God in all this? Why was he permitting all this bloodshed? Was he asleep amid the storm? Mark, by reporting this episode of the calming of the storm, was reassuring the storm-tossed Church of Rome. He was saying in effect: “Christ might seem to be sleeping now, but do not worry. One of these days he will wake up and calm the storm.” Mark was right. In the year 68 Nero committed suicide and the storm abruptly ended.

In the course history, the Church has experienced many storms such as persecutions, controversies that involve money and sexual scandals. However, it is not only the church as a whole that experiences storms and crises, the church as an individual, we too, ourselves, have and experience a lot of storms and crises in our lives. Very common among them is financial crises, in the form of debts, loss of jobs, bankruptcy among others. In addition, we encounter relationship crises, marriage crises and/or family crises. A lot of my classmates in HS who are married are having difficulties in their marriage, and that’s becomes my problem as well, because, even if I am in Congo, they would call or email me to just to tell me and consult about their marriage problems. Many think that priests are lucky because they have none of these problems. Yes it is true we have none of the many of your concerns like raising children or an unfaithful husband or wife, unless, we keep one. But we too encounter a lot of problems in our work, with our co-priests and even with ourselves, that is why, there are those who are living the priesthood.

My dear brothers and sisters, the fact is, there is no way we can avoid storms in life. There will always be storms coming on us because we are living in a not so perfect world. Given our imperfect situation, it is up to us, it is left on our hands to make the best of out of these limitations. I very well remember what the Chinese often used to say in trying moments: “Crises are not something to be avoided but are opportunities to be exploited.” Simply said, crises, difficult situations are opportunities, opportunities to renew and strengthen relationship, opportunities for us to discover and exploit our hidden talents and skills and opportunities to fully develop ourselves. I believe this is also, how God suggests us to see trying moments in our lives.

It is here that I am reminded of Ray Charles, a renowned Gospel singer in US, a man whose songs are filled with emotions, who collected for himself numerous musical awards counting among them several Grammys. He is considered an icon in the word of music, a genius in fact, so much so that a film is made out of his extraordinary life. Like all of us, he too was knocked down by a storm, a really hard one. At the age of six, he was completely blinded. But that did not stop him from becoming one of the greatest musicians of our time, one that many considers a genius, who inspired others with his songs for God.

We are not blind like Ray Charles, if Charles did make it through the storm, the more it would be so for us. The gospel story should then inspire us during and amidst the storms of life. However violent and frightening they may be, we must trust that God is always at our side. True, he might wait a bit before intervening, for his own good reasons. But if we pray for his help and trust in him, we will always be given the strength and the courage to weather our storms. With him on board our boat, there is nothing to fear.

Simplicity and Sacrifice

Simplicity and Sacrifice

Kenosis is a familiar yet oftentimes theologically misunderstood Greek word. The word means “emptying,” based on its root, kenos, meaning “empty”. In the Christian-Catholic traditions, kenosis is taken as a theological term to explain the self-emptying act of Jesus as mentioned in Philippians 2:6-7, “Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance.” In other words, by becoming man through the Incarnation, God who becomes Jesus subjected himself to human laws of suffering and joy, pain and gladness, etc. Taking in mind that Jesus is God, we understood this gesture of abasement as his self-emptying; the Greek word for it is kenosis. In the words of the (first reading today,) Second Letter of Paul to Corinthians, the poverty of Christ, “For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that for your sake he become poor although he was rich, that by his poverty you might become rich.”

Complex might be this theological heritage of Paul; it has much to teach us in the way we can best live out our faith in Jesus and our vocation as missionaries. First, in putting into action our being Christians, Jesus’ teachings and life of poverty calls us to nothing but a life of simplicity--as simple as that. Yet we know that we are unable to live as simple as we want to be because we complicate things by being entangled into trends, fashions and the demands of the consumerist society. No wonder, we developed in ourselves such outrageous desire to wear this branded clothes and shoes or to acquire this latest model of cellular phone or that upgraded digital device. As a result, many of us Christians complicate our lives and find ourselves in difficult situation with so much unsatisfied needs and wants.

Second, as to our being a missionary, the call is constantly live in the Spirit of sacrifice. This is manifested in our professions of vows as a form of renunciation of ownership—poverty, of following my personal desires—obedience, and of exclusive relationship—chastity, for the sake of the Kingdom and our mission. Interestingly, the moment we embrace the religious-missionary vocation, we gain as much privileged as we have renounced. This privileged comes to us as people accord us with much respect and high regard in society. However, what happens, we, religious and missionaries claim for ourselves and even shamelessly demand this privilege and respect forgetting that in the first place Christ has called us to constantly live in the spirit of sacrifice. In effect, many lay faithful oftentimes complain of their priest, of nuns and seminarians no longer within their reach and unmindful of their flight and concerns.

Several years ago, I read an open letter addressed to priests, religious and seminarians coming from an African youth. She was complaining of the drastic change in the attitude and lifestyle of his friends who became seminarians. She was asking, “What happened to him? Why does he no longer play with us? Why does he no longer come to eat with us, and why does he become so different from us?” I read of his letter while I was a seminarian. Back then, I already believed the truths of his observations as seminarians becomes different in the sense that they become an elite in the eyes of common and ordinary people. More so now, that I am a priest, in many ways, many ordinary people finds it difficult to identify with their priest, to such a point that they are ashamed, discouraged and unable to approach them. It is because; the life of simplicity and spirit of sacrifice is gone.

The challenge remains the same for all. Be like Christ who humbled himself and has become poor for our sake. It is in simplicity and sacrifice that we become like Christ.

Jesus Sends the Advocate

Jesus sends the Advocate
(Tuesday 6th Week of Easter)

Let us say one night, a power interruption suddenly occurs and your room is completely wrapped in darkness. Now you find yourself with nothing to do except play with your mobile phone. Unfortunately, you have forgotten where you placed it. So, you reached for the lamp inside your drawer and started looking for your phone. But let me ask you an obvious question, how do you use your flashlight to find something in darkness? Of course, your response would be, point it away from you but to the things in front in order to illumine the things before you and let you see what you are looking for. Interestingly, the light is directed not to ones face; otherwise, it will blind him or her and fail to see properly.

My dear friends, this is also how the Holy Spirit, the Advocate works (more or less) in our lives of faith as Jesus has demonstrated to his disciples in our Gospel today. In the words of Jesus, “when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgment.” (Jn 16, 8) Positively formulated, the work of the Holy Spirit is like a flashlight that illumines, and provides light for us to see the truth of things.

In our Gospel today, this work of the Holy Spirit of illumination is specified in three ways:

(a) that the basic sin was and is refusal to believe in Jesus. Sinning is not how much lies about this thing or that thing have we made this week. Rather it is about how our lives speak of our faith in Jesus. Do our lives speak of our fidelity to Jesus or of our denial of him? I believe your studies in theology have told you that sin is essentially the refusal, that is, denial of God.

(b) that, although Jesus was found guilty and apparently died in disgrace, in reality righteousness has triumphed, for Jesus has returned to his Father. Others would say that the peak moments of Jesus’ life is the Paschal Mystery, that is, the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus. This is so, in as much as by his passion, death and resurrection, what Jesus lived and shared to his disciples by his extensive teaching finds not only its validation but its substance as well. Thus, without, the paschal mystery, our faith would make no sense.

(c) finally, that it is the ruler of this world, Satan, who has been condemned through Jesus' death. Satan, the devil, evil, death or whatever its name might be personifies all that is opposed to goodness. Greed, malice, hopelessness, indifference to the needs of others are some of its contemporary forms. Again, through the paschal event, more particularly Jesus’ dying on the cross, the prince of this world lost its power, that is, death no longer has the gripped upon humanity because Jesus has offered life to the full for all. Thus, a person of faith is not tainted by greed, malice but rather shows concern for others.

To end this short reflection, let me share with you a story of the great Norwegian explorer Ronald Amundsen, the first to discover the magnetic meridian of the North Pole and to discover the South Pole. On one of his trips, Amundsen took a homing pigeon with him. When he had finally reached the top of the world, he opened the bird's cage and set it free. Imagine the delight of Amundsen's wife, back in Norway, when she looked up from the doorway of her home and saw the pigeon circling in the sky above. No doubt, she exclaimed, "He's alive! My husband is still alive!"

Brothers and sisters, in the coming Sunday is the feast of the Ascension of Jesus. This feast is a strong reminder that Jesus is no longer with us in person because he is now with the Father. But at the same time he remains and continuous to be with us in the Spirit because he has sent the Advocate, the indication of his presence in our midst. Let us then constantly remind ourselves of Jesus words in today’s Gospel, “it is better for you that I go. For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.”(Jn 16, 7)

Love and Sacrifice

Love and Sacrifice

(6th Sunday of Easter)

In 1961, an Italian woman, by the name of Gianna Molla was expecting her fourth child. During the second month, Gianna developed a fibroma (a cancerous tumor) on her uterus. After examination, the doctors gave her three choices: an abortion, which would save her life and allow her to continue to have children; a complete hysterectomy (removal of the uterus), which would preserve her life, but take the unborn child's life, and prevent further pregnancy; or removal of only the fibroma, with the potential of further complications. Under these circumstances, the Church teaching would have allowed her to obtain a hysterectomy, but would forbid an abortion. Yet, wanting to preserve her child's life, she opted for the removal of the fibroma.

After the operation, complications continued throughout her pregnancy. Nonetheless, Gianna was quite clear about her wishes, and told her husband “If you must decide between me and the child, do not hesitate: Choose the child; I insist on it. Save the baby!”

In biographical book co-authored by her husband--Saint Gianna Molla: Wife, Mother, Doctor (by Pietro Molla and Elio Guerriero), the former talks of Gianna knowing she will probably die in childbirth, but of trying to keep from worrying him. He writes, “I watched you silently tidying up every corner of our house, every drawer, every dress, every personal object, day after day as if for a long trip. But I did not dare to ask myself why.”

On April 21, 1962, Good Friday of that year, Gianna went to the hospital, where her fourth child, named Gianna Emanuela as well, was successfully delivered via Caesarean section. However, Gianna continued to have severe pain, and died of septic peritonitis (an infection of the lining of the abdomen--a result of her choice to preserve the life of her child) 7 days after the birth.

In 1997, at a Conference of the Family held in Brazil, Pope John Paul II was visibly touched by then-Blessed Gianna’s family testimonies about her. The Pope began to cry as he listened to young Dr. Gianna Emanuela Molla – for whom Blessed Gianna gave her life – address a word of thanks to her beatified mother. “Thank you mother, thank you for having given me life two times: in conception, and when you permitted me to be born, deciding for my life. Intercede and help always all mothers and all families that come to you with confidence.”

The Church does not formally recognize many saints until centuries after their death. But Gianna’s cause for canonization began within three decades after she died. The miracles necessary for the process occurred in a relatively short period of time, so that her husband, three surviving children and siblings were all able to attend her canonization by Pope John Paul II on May 16, 2004.

My dear friends, I am sharing to you this wonderful story of Gianna because it perfectly illustrates the message of our Gospel today: “There is no greater love than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:12-13). I truly believe, the life of Saint Gianna and our gospel today are strong messages of contrast, are words against our modern world where the culture of death thrives and the sanctity of life is belittled and given less importance. I find it boldly touching that Gianna is ready and willing to sacrifice and suffer for the sake of her unborn child, for the sake of a nascent life in her womb.

Above all else, her life and story is a testimony that the example of Jesus and his teaching of love and sacrifice can be lived by men and women of all walks of life and that following Jesus is very possible in our modern and digital world. Following Jesus is not only for priest, nuns, and missionaries like us but for all, whether she or he be a teacher, a government or private employee, an accountant, a diplomat, or a doctor and a mother like Saint Gianna.

Finally, in our gospel today, I find it interesting to note the words of Jesus to his disciples: “This I command you: love one another.” (Jn 15:17) So, I asked myself a question: can love, like what we do with paying taxes, be made into a law? Can we command love? My response is in the form of another question, can you refuse love? I believe when Gianna, the mother decided against safer treatment for her in order to save the baby in her womb, the yet to be born Gianna could not refuse the offer of love of her mother. What is true of the effort of Gianna to offer love for her unborn child is also true of Jesus who offered his life for all. I for one will not refuse Jesus gesture of love on the cross. How about you, will you? Now, when great love freely offered and received, I cannot help but respond with the same love, because I am duty bound—commanded by the same love—to share the same love to others as well. Jesus would have likely said as well: in the name God’s greatest love for you, love one another!

Vendredi-2eme Semaine de Paques

Notre trait d’identité comme Chrétiens

(l’homélie sur Jn 6, 1-15)

Parmi les Européens, comment connaissons-nous immédiatement si ces gens sont anglais ? Nous les connaîtrons comme anglais, s’ils vous offrent à boire du thé. Parmi les Asiatiques, comment connaissons-nous immédiatement si ces gens sont philippins ? Nous les connaîtrons si vous leur sifflez, ils se tourneront la tête vers le son. (P. Alex, c’est vrai ? N’est pas ?) Parmi les africains, comment connaissons-nous immédiatement si ces gens sont congolais ou ghanéens ou zambien? Dites-moi, comment vous pouvez connaître immédiatement la nationalité de ces gens parmi vous ?

Or, parmi les chrétiens comment connaissons-nous qui sont les catholiques ou qui sont les luthériens ou qui sont les anglicans? Les catholiques, nous les connaissons parce qu’ils port les chapelets, font le signe de la croix sur lui-même, etc. (Est-ce que vous avez un chapelet dan la poche ? Montrez moi ? Ceux qui n’ont pas le chapelet ne sont pas catholiques…hehehehe…)

Dans notre Evangile aujourd’hui, l’un de ces traits des catholiques a été présenté. C’est le repas avec le Seigneur Jésus. Quand le Seigneur fait manger les gens très nombreux avec cinq pains d’orge et deux poissons.

Rappelons dans les apparitions du Jésus après sa résurrection, c’est le repas qui fait connaître Jésus à ses disciples faisant route vers d’Emmaüs. Alors que les disciples faisaient route avec l’inconnu, ils ne le reconnaissaient pas comme le Seigneur Jésus parce que leurs yeux ne sont pas ouverts. Mais, quand il était à la table avec eux, il a prit le pain, a dit la bénédiction, l’a rompit et le leur a donné, puis leurs yeux se sont ouvert et ils ont reconnu le Seigneur Jésus. Donc, c’est le moment du repas qui leur a donné la capacité à reconnaitre le Seigneur comme ressuscité.

Pendant sa vie sur la terre, Jésus a fait beaucoup de repas avec ses disciples, avec les autres ou avec les pécheurs quand même. Souvenions que Jésus fasse un repas chez les publicains comme Lévi, chez Lazare, Marthe et Marie, chez Zachée, le chef de publicains, chez Simon, un Pharisien et beaucoup les autres. Tout cela nous a dit que le repas était un trait unique de Jésus très connu parmi ses amis et ses disciples.

Très important de tous les repas que Jésus a fait est le dernier repas avec ses disciples. Ses détails sont connus parmi nous. Mais, c’est très important à souligner qu’il a dit a ses disciples, <> Donc, dans notre temps, en rappelant ces mots du Seigneur Jésus, le repas, c’est-a-dire, l’Eucharistie, reste comme notre meilleur trait d’identité comme catholiques qui vraiment aiment le Seigneur Jésus.

Espérons et prions ardemment toujours que l’Eucharistie se trouve au centre de notre vie comme missionnaires de l’SVD, comme parent responsable, comme fils et filles fiable et comme bonne citoyens de notre pays RDC. Parce que, c’est le Christ, Jésus notre Seigneur que nous a donné lui-même afin que nous ayons le pouvoir à vivre dans la justice, l’amour, l’espérance, et la paix, ou simplement selon la volonté de Dieu. Amen.

Moment of Conversion

Moment of Conversion

Homily on Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season of Lent. During this Lenten season, two popular words come to mind: Penitence and Abstinence. We refrain from eating meat as a form of abstinence, and we are encouraged to go to confession for penitence. These and so many other forms of penance and abstinence are meant to bring us into conversion. I believe, at the core of lent is the experience of conversion.

This reminds me of a “touching” experience I have had with my mother as a young boy. One afternoon, I had some quarrels with my siblings and my father. So, in order to express fully my displeasure, I refused to enter our home. In front of our house, there I stage my protest. I kept my post, until it was evening. Then my mother came out of the house and sat beside me and utter these words, “Why are u doing these to us, to me. It hurts me more than the way I almost died giving birth to you. Remember how much I have sacrificed and suffered for you.” What she said hit me deep in the heart. It was all that I need. After that, she took my hand and I followed her inside. That was my moment of conversion.

Conversion in the domain of faith is not simply turning away from sins. It is not only about the experience of sin. Indeed, sin is a reality that should not be ignored. But there is one who came greater than sin, Jesus, who showed us how much the Father has cared and loved us. By Jesus’ obedience, he let us knew of the extent God can suffer and sacrifice for our sake. We have sinned but God comes to sit beside us and tells us, “Remember how much I have sacrificed and suffered for you.” To assure us of his endless love ready to embrace us back. Conversion happens because of God who loves.

Today, ashes will be imposed upon us. Long time ago, as ashes are imposed, these words are said, “Momento homo: Quia pulvis es, et in pulverem reverteris.” (Remember Man: you are dust and unto dust you will return). It is frightening. All because, it wants to bring out sorrow in us, that is, sorrow for the sins we have commited. In the Old Testament, the donning of dust or ash is a form of penitence, an expression of sorrow for offenses against God and His people. King David did this, and so the King of Nineveh upon the admonition of the prophet Jonah, and so many others. But this outward marks of are expression of the inner workings of the heart, that is of a contrite heart. Our first reading today, proclaimed the need to translate into action the sorrow of the heart. For this reason, the new words of the imposition of the ashes, “Repent and believe in the Gospel” brings to us more meaning by giving more weight to the need for conversion and the joy that lies beneath, the joy that comes in knowing God who suffers and cares the most for us. In this way we cay say that Lent is a season we celebrate; we celebrate the triumph of love over sin and death.

Baptism of the Lord

Not what I want but what God wants

Yesterday, we went to the “centre ville” of Kinshasa to buy provisions for the week. Inside one of the commercial centers, I overheard a kid asking his peers: “Quelle ambition avez-vous?” Meaning, what is your ambition? (I said to myself, wow, these kids are great, their French is better than mine!) So I walked slowly to eavesdrop over their conversation to check how is my French. One boy said, “Me, I want to be a doctor.” “I like to be a teacher, like my Father.” Said the other boy, “how about you?” he demanded back: “Oh, me… become like Barack Obama!”

Once in our life, on our younger days we have dreamed of becoming someone we like to be… a doctor, a pilot, a teacher or a JFK perhaps… You might ask: “Was it your constant dream since then P. Arnold to be a priest, a missionary for Afrika?” I do not want to disappoint you but my answer is no, it was not. I was rather dreaming of becoming a soldier then!

Ask me: “What happened, why did you not pursue it?” The answer is in front of you! Look, since second year HS I stopped growing up! How would I be admitted in the military school. (hehehehe..) But, please do not make a follow up question about the school where I want to go… WESTPOINT!

So I said to myself, yes we dream of becoming someone we’d like to be but we become other than our dreams. For oftentimes, something happens that directs us to be somewhere and somebody else!

I believe Jesus like many of us have also dreamed “for he was like us in all things except sin.” As a growing up boy in Nazareth, Jesus might have dreamed of becoming a master carpenter like his Father Joseph. But along the way something happened that changed all this. What would that be?

Bible scholars explained that like many pious Jews, Jesus was attracted and becomes convinced of John’s preaching, so he followed and sought the baptism of John. And it was during this that a life-turning event took place—the heavens opened, the Spirit descended upon Jesus and a voice from heaven says, “You are my beloved Son. With you I am well pleased.” From this time on, everything no longer remains the same for Jesus. He went to spend 40 days and 40 nights fasting and praying in the desert to clarify more the meaning of these. He gathered 12 close friends and given up his life on the cross. With these combined it become clear to us that his baptism inaugurates the mission of Jesus given by the Father.

We too have received our own baptism. I believe it meant the same for us as in Jesus. It is also our event of inauguration into God’s given mission. Not so much about spending 40 days and nights in the desert, not so much about gathering 12 close friends and of being crucified but of becoming what God wants us to be instead of what we want to be. All because what happened in Jesus’ baptism is repeated in the very baptism we received from the Church through its ministers. Such that by our baptism the heavens opened, welcoming us into the communion of the living and the saints. This is the Spirit of God’s saving grace dawning upon us. Thus, through our baptism, we are not merely children of our parents but we become Children of God. In theology we called this, Divine Adoption. Simply said, God owns me as his son or daughter!

All that we say about respect, love, forgiveness, justice, and the dignity of the human person is based on this deep and ever beautiful reality that we or I am God’s son or daughter in baptism. This is what God wants us or me to be: to live in love, show respect, grant forgiveness, uphold justice and dignity of the human person. Is this also what we want to be? But when one destroys the good name of another, or ignores his wife/husband and children, or takes advantage of another, this is very far from doing what God wants. To end our reflection today, let me share with you this story.

There was a couple who went to shop in a beautiful antique store. Seeing an exceptional tea-cup, they asked “May we see that?” As the lady handed it to them, suddenly the tea-cup spoke, “I have not always been a tea-cup. There was a time when I was just a lump of red clay. My master took me and rolled me, pounded and patted me and I yelled out, “Don’t do that. Let me alone,” but he only smiled, and gently said; “Not yet!” Then, Wham! I was placed on a spinning wheel and suddenly I was spun around and around. ‘Stop it! I’m getting so dizzy! I’m going to be sick!’

But the master only nodded and said, quietly, ‘Not yet.’ He spun me and poked and prodded and bent me out of shape and then he put me in the oven. I never felt such heat. I yelled and knocked and pounded at the door. “Help! Get me out of here!” “When I thought I couldn’t bear it another minute, the door opened. He carefully took me out and put me on the shelf, and I began to cool. Oh, that felt so good! But, after I cooled he picked me up and he brushed and painted me all over. The fumes were horrible. ‘Oh, please; Stop it!’ I cried. He only shook his head and said. ‘Not yet!’ Then suddenly he put me back into the oven. It was twice as hot and I thought I would suffocate. I begged. I pleaded. I was convinced I would never make it. Just then the door opened and he took me out and again placed me on the shelf, where I cooled and wondered ‘What’s he going to do to me next?’ An hour later he handed me a mirror and said ‘Look at yourself, you’re beautiful.’

Becoming what God’s wants us to be is easier said than done. It is a constant struggle with oneself. I remember Saint Paul saying, “why is it that I do what I do not want to do and not do what I am supposed to?” I believe this struggle is meant to bring us to something beautiful as the tea-cup underwent under the hands of the Master Potter. Becoming what God wants us to be is dying to oneself, but it’s worth it!

So in this mass, let us pray as Jesus taught us, “Your will be done on earth as in heaven.”