To Begin is for Everyone

“To begin is for everyone. To persevere is for saints.” St. Jose Escriva

A question was posed during one of the last RCIA meetings. If Jesus walked into Jerusalem so triumphantly, what happened in such a short period? It was a fair question, and it made me think. I do not think fickle is the word to describe what happened during Holy Week, but it was dramatic. Recently, speaking to my friends in the Carmelite Cloister, they recounted how a tradition of theirs involves having a special dinner in honour of Jesus since he had nowhere to sleep in Jerusalem, so he headed back to Bethany with Martha and Mary and Lazarus. He had loyal friends, and maybe many people abandoned him at the end, but the ones who stayed did the right thing despite the difficulty. I think often how we try to hire young people at work over the last while and they do not seem to stay. It is like a revolving door at times. What is surprising about that is that online I have read many articles about the huge numbers of conversions this Easter in many places around the world. These are happening and there is the fact that many people have returned to the Church. There is hope.

“The things that we love, tell us what we are.” St. Thomas Aquinas

A less well-known blessed is a recent martyr, Bl. Gaspër Suma. He was Albanian and suffered under the communists as did many religious. He became a priest in 1921 and served for years until the Communists arrested him and many others. He was thrown into a small cell with 28 other priests without windows. He was a strong healthy man before he went to prison and upon his death from cancer, Holy Thursday 1950, he was so thin, he was unrecognizable. So many suffer for Christ. In April of 1404, Bl. Giacomo (James) Oldo of Lodi died. He was married, and he and his wife never missed out on any pleasure. Upon the death of a friend, he thought about his life after death and what it would be like. When a replica of the Holy Sepulcher traveled around, he wondered how his height measured to Christ. Interestingly, this led to his conversion. His wife and his mother followed him into the Church and after his wife died, he became a priest, after being a Secular Franciscan. He was so austere that his bishop ordered him to eat at least three times a week.

“The Lord measures out perfection neither by the multitude nor the magnitude of our deeds, but by the manner in which we perform them.”  St. John of the Cross

I always pay attention to Pope Leo XIV’s activities and messages. Recently he went to Monaco and there was a bit of an eyebrow raise because he chose such a rich enclave. He is the Holy Father, and we need to trust what he does. “Dear young people, do not be afraid to give everything — your time, your energy — to God and to your brothers and sisters, to pour yourselves out completely for the Lord and for others,” the pope told the young crowd at the church of St. Devota. “Only in this way will you find an everlasting joy and an ever-deeper meaning in life,” he said. “The world needs your witness to overcome the errors of our time, face its challenges and, above all, to rediscover the sweet taste of loving God and neighbour.” We need to be reminded all the time, in every moment that we need to be attentive. We need to open our eyes and ears – watch and listen. It is difficult to do all the time. However, we might want to surround ourselves with people who can help us do this. Maybe this last week of Lent is a beginning, not simply an end.

"Nothing great is ever achieved without much enduring."– St. Catherine of Siena