Having Confidence and Not Being Afraid

“The greater and more persistent your confidence in God, the more abundantly you will receive what you ask.” St. Albert the Great

Recently, I took my international students to see the movie “Cabrini.” The audience was what I expected but I was worried that the movie might not appeal to my group. One comment from a person sitting in front of us was that she had never heard of Cabrini. How could someone not know about such a juggernaut as Francesca Cabrini? I am a movie buff but this movie, though it might not win an Oscar, was riveting from beginning to end. As a society, we reduce everything to minimize its significance, but I cannot see how someone could reduce Francesca Cabrini.

“Real love is demanding. I would fail in my mission if I did not tell you so. Love demands a personal commitment to the will of God.” John Paul II

I used to light the candles at the morning mass but someone else begged to let them do it. I just smiled and said, ‘Here you go.’ After the movie, I thought how much we trivialize what we do. Cabrini faced obstacles throughout her life – her health, politics and even the Church. Yet she did not back down. She did not live in fear. It was awe-inspiring to watch this movie and live the experience of Mother Cabrini. She is an example we need today especially in a world fraught with confusion. Since the pandemic, I find people are searching for answers, which is not so different from how people were living in Cabrini's time.

“God doesn’t call you to be successful, he calls you to be faithful.” Mother Teresa

Work of holy people begins and ends with Christ. We often forget this since, in our minds, we are the masters of our own destiny. I submit that it is exactly the opposite. Christ is the master of our lives, and he wants what is best for us to build the kingdom. We like to fool ourselves with frivolity. Mother Cabrini arrived in New York with a suitcase, a few nuns and prayer. We have everything, yet we sometimes do not know where to begin. The movie about her life was so amazing. She told the Holy Father that the world was not big enough for what she wanted to do. The Pope told her to begin in the West and he was correct. God built something through her which rivaled any rich magnate. But her work was based on Christ as she helped the Italians who were lost in New York and that work spread out around the world from there. Remarkable! Being of Italian descent helped me appreciate the movie in a special way. It was great to know about more cultural history of the Italians in North America. 

"We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success...but on Jesus alone." Mother Cabrini