Have You Grown Weary?

I received an e-mail from a friend today, written to several Franciscans. She shared some of her struggles which are so similar to mine lately that I could have written it myself. She writes: “As we near the end of Lent, I pray that you have all had a fruitful journey. For me it has been a rough, dry walk. I have grown weary. Friends have told me that it is because I stretch myself too thin. I’m sure that’s true because I’ve always been a ‘Martha’ and find it hard to just ‘sit and know.’”

Does this sound familiar to you? It does to me. Yesterday (Saturday), after work, I started driving to Mass and was so overwhelmed with fatigue and pain that I turned around, went home and went to bed. These problems are ongoing.

For God's people, there is comfort in reading the lives of the saints who struggled with illness, various trials and had periods of dryness. For example, in reading about St. Francis, we are reminded about the period during his youth, when he went to fight with Assisi against Perugia and how Assisi lost the Battle of Collestrada in 1202. Francis was wounded and taken prisoner. He was 20 years old and spent a year in prison in Perugia. He was not well when he returned home. He spent weeks in bed and was ill for a long time.

Thomas of Celano, in The Life of Saint Francis, wrote:

• "When he had recovered a little and, with the support of a cane, had begun to walk about here and there through the house in order to regain his health, he went outside one day and began to gaze upon the surrounding countryside with greater interest. But the beauty of the fields, the delight of the vineyards, and whatever else was beautiful to see could offer him no delight at all. He wondered at the sudden change in himself, and considered those who loved these things quite foolish."

How unlike the St. Francis we know - the lover of all creation! And then, there were other illnesses and sorrows to come. Probably he was sick all of his life from his 20's on, and as the numbers of Little Brothers grew, so did his sorrows as they drifted from his dreams for the Order.

At the end of his life, he wrote his great Canticle of the Sun and added his final verses as he embraced Sister Death and gave praise to God: "Praise and bless my Lord, and give Him thanks and serve Him with great humility."

Just as the Lord had plans for St. Francis, he has plans for us as well. Do not despair for the Lord is with us, and the Blessed Mother prays for us.

O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good,
for his steadfast love endures for ever.
Psalms 118:1

BOOK RECOMMENDATION

Francis

Let Us Show Each Other God's Generosity

by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen

The following is an excerpt from a sermon on the love of poverty by Saint Gregory of Nazianzen, Office of Readings for Monday of the First week in Lent. Gregory of Nazianzen was patriarch archbishop of Constantinople at the time of the First Council of Constantinople which revised revised the Nicene Creed in 381 AD.

Recognize to whom you owe the fact that you exist, that you breathe, that you understand, that you are wise, and, above all, that you know God and hope for the kingdom of heaven and the vision of glory, now darkly as in a mirror but then with greater fullness and purity. You have been made a son of God, co-heir with Christ. Where did you get all this, and from whom?

Let me turn to what is of less importance: the visible world around us. What benefactor has enabled you to look out upon the beauty of the sky, the sun in its course, the circle of the moon, the countless number of stars, with the harmony and order that are theirs, like the music of a harp? Who has blessed you with rain, with the art of husbandry, with different kinds of food, with the arts, with houses, with laws, with states, with a life of humanity and culture, with friendship and the easy familiarity of kinship?

Who has given you dominion over animals, those that are tame and those that provide you with food? Who has made you lord and master of everything on earth? In short, who has endowed you with all that makes man superior to all other living creatures?

Is it not God who asks you now in your turn to show yourself generous above all other creatures and for the sake of all other creatures? Because we have received from him so many wonderful gifts, will we not be ashamed to refuse him this one thing only, our generosity? Though he is God and Lord he is not afraid to be known as our Father. Shall we for our part repudiate those who are our kith and kin?

Brethren and friends, let us never allow ourselves to misuse what has been given us by God’s gift. If we do, we shall hear Saint Peter say: Be ashamed of yourselves for holding on to what belongs to someone else. Resolve to imitate God’s justice, and no one will be poor. Let us not labor to heap up and hoard riches while others remain in need. If we do, the prophet Amos will speak out against us with sharp and threatening words: Come now, you that say: When will the new moon be over, so that we may start selling? When will the sabbath be over, so that we may start opening our treasures?

Let us put into practice the supreme and primary law of God. He sends down rain on just and sinful alike, and causes the sun to rise on all without distinction. To all earth’s creatures he has given the broad earth, the springs, the rivers and the forests. He has given the air to the birds, and the waters to those who live in the water. He has given abundantly to all the basic needs of life, not as a private possession, not restricted by law, not divided by boundaries, but as common to all, amply and in rich measure. His gifts are not deficient in any way, because he wanted to give equality of blessing to equality of worth, and to show the abundance of his generosity.

Operation Rice Bowl

Operation Rice Bowl is the official Lenten Program of Catholic Relief Services. For 33 years, Operation Rice Bowl has called participants to pray with their families and faith communities; fast in solidarity with those who hunger; learn about our global community and the challenges of poverty overseas, and give sacrificial contributions to those in need. For more information go to their website by clicking here.