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SAINT <\/b>Seraphim of Sarov once said, “Acquire a peaceful spirit, and around you, thousands will be saved.\u201d Maybe this is another reason why the world remains unmoved by Christians today: we too are restless, worldly, fearful, or unhappy. But in today\u2019s Mass readings, Jesus and St. Paul provide the key <\/i>to becoming truly peaceful men and women.<\/p>\n
After what appears to be a fatal stoning, St. Paul gets up, goes to the next town, and starts preaching the Gospel again (who needs caffeine?).<\/p>\n
\nThey strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.\u201d (Today\u2019s first reading)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
But there\u2019s more to these words than meets the eye, for hardships alone are not enough to enter the Kingdom. Don’t\u00a0pagans and Christians alike suffer? The key, as Paul so dramatically illustrated, lies in the disposition of the heart toward God. So great was his trust in the Lord, that He continued to preach the Gospel not knowing if the next drubbing was right around the corner. That\u2019s faith.<\/p>\n
Yet, how many times do we allow even small trials to rock our faith in God? In the parable of the sower, Jesus describes such souls as ones whose hearts are like rocky soil, where the roots of trust are only surface deep.<\/p>\n
\nWhen some tribulation or persecution comes because of the word, he immediately falls away. (Matt 13:21)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
So before He ascended into Heaven, Jesus gave some crucial words to His followers:<\/p>\n
\nPeace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give it to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid\u2026 I will no longer speak much with you… (Today\u2019s Gospel)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
I will no longer speak much with you. <\/i> That is, the Lord is not going to give you explicit instructions every time a trial comes along. \u201cI am going away and I will come back to you,\u201d<\/i> He said. That is, He will now guide you through His peace<\/i> unlike anything the world can give. It is a supernatural\u00a0peace found in the heart, far below the roaring waves of words and emotions… if we but look for it, and wait for it, before proceeding in this or that way.<\/p>\n
But in order to find it, He says, \u201cDo not let your hearts be troubled or afraid\u2026 for it is necessary to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.\u201d <\/i>That is, abandon yourself to Him\u2014totally, entirely. Surrender to His will\u2014completely, without reserve. Wait upon Him\u2014in docility, trust, and silent waiting.<\/p>\n
Let Satan cast His stones\u2026 but as for you, trust in the Lord.<\/p>\n
Jesus concludes today’s\u00a0Gospel saying,<\/p>\n
\n…the world must know that I love the Father and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
Likewise, the world must know that you and I \u00a0<\/i>love the Father and that we do just as the Father has commanded\u2014whether that is resisting temptation to sin, trusting in financial hardship, accepting a poor turn in health, enduring unemployment, giving until it hurts to those in need, and serving others when no one serves us\u2014and doing all of this in a spirit of abandonment and peace.\u00a0Do this, and around you, many will be drawn to the \u201crivers of living water\u201d flowing from within you[1]<\/sup><\/a>cf. John 7:38<\/span><\/span>