Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Not a hair on your head will be destroyed

The Way Wednesday
. . . . .
Even if we die at sea, even if we are scattered on the ground, even if we are torn apart by savage beasts or birds of prey, he will raise us up by his power, for the whole universe is held in the hand of God. “Not a hair of your head,” he says, “will be destroyed.” That is why he urges us in these words: “It is by your perseverance that you will gain life.” [from The Apostolic Constitutions (380), a canonical and liturgical collection. A resumption of the Didascalia of the Apostles, text of the first half of the 3rd century (cf SC 329)]
. . . . .
Fear? Uncertainty? Despair?

Joy! Certitude! Hope!

Opposite sides of the same coin? or totally different coins?

Today, the universal church celebrates the life of St. James of the Marches [late 14th through middle 15th centuries] - born in Ancona Italy along the Adriatic Sea. He held doctorates in canon and civil law. He fasted nine months of the year; he slept three hours a night. St. Bernardine of Siena told him to moderate his penances.

This extremely popular preacher converted many people (250,000 at one estimate). His sermons prompted numerous Catholics to reform their lives. Many men joined him as Franciscans.

He was not afraid to be martyred, although God did not asked that of him. Twice assassins lost their nerve when they came face to face with him.

His life belonged to God. He is a model many can follow. I bear the name James, and pray the grace to aspire to service as he. Reading the lives of saints can inspire to greatness - who will tomorrow's saints be?
. . . . .

3 comments:

Sheila said...

Your quotation from the apostolic constitution reminds me of what I call my "even if" litany - it's what I tell myself whenever I am afraid about the future. Even if I lost all my friends and nobody loved me, I would still have the Lord. Even if I lost my job and lost my health and I was living in poverty, I would still have the Lord. Even if I had to live in a war zone, I would still have the Lord. It's the most comforting thought. And it helps when I'm making decisions too - even if I make the wrong choice here, I will still have the Lord and He will help me through ...

uncle jim said...

the voice of wisdom lives in your heart.

thanks for sharing this.

Adrienne said...

Sheila, I like the "even if" thingy. Think I'll be using that in the future.