TrulyGrace

Bible Study: The Cross and God's Love, October 2012

Yesterday evening at Bible study Fr. Steve L facilitated the discussion between us over the reading of one of Blessed Newman's homilies: "Now it is high time to awake out of sleep" [Romans xiii.11]. Donna paraphrased St. Jeanne d'Arc's words, when questioned whether she were in God's grace: "...if not, may God put me there."

The quote, from
http://www.stjoan-center.com/quotable/
was translated into English as below:
"If I am not, may God put me there, and if I am, may God so keep me! I should be the saddest creature in the world if I knew I was not in His grace."

We also discussed how to find God's peace, and we pondered the reading: Humbled and sober, we are free [to choose] "'rigorous self-denial' to pick up [one's] cross daily." Sean noted that there is little talk in the five pages of the homily of God's love. After the talk, we discussed the mere passage of "Our hope of you is knowing that as ye are partakers of the suffering, so shall ye be also of the consolation. [2 Corinthians i. 7]," which hints at God's love. I revealed to him that I thought at one time that the Liturgy of the Eucharist seemed a celebration of the Last Supper---the last meal before the Passion of the Cross. "What's that all about?" I exclaimed, "Are we celebrating suffering?" It was a long time after that that I realized we were celebrating not only just Christ's last Pesach, last meal before the Cross, and the Cross but also His Resurrection that I could feel comfortable again in the Celebration of the Eucharist. (And the Cross and Resurrection are the expressions of God's Love for us.) After my explanation to him, Sean replied, "We're glad that you celebrate the Eucharist again."

I suppose that Sean was thinking of God's love and joy that fill us when we do good works and deeds. For example, one gives of one's time, energy, and talent when one does a good deed. In the enacting of that good deed, one finds God's love. An example might be for a cantor at Mass who spends hours on end sacrificing time and energy to develop talent to sing and proclaim Good News. And the cantor will sacrifice the hour or two, offer it up to sing at a Mass. The sacrifice of one's resources for that deed to occur is necessary for one to experience God's love. Sean's difference with the passage was, I believe, that there was little mention of God's great love [which emanates from picking up one's Cross daily].

~~~
I read in this morning's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that there were several robberies in the neighborhood of the Oratory. Must be vigilant when walking from that neighborhood at night...

posted by Grace @ 10/02/2012 08:19:00 AM