BREAKING NEWS - God's Plan Is Better Than Yours

Whenever we take on a big project, we have to put some contingency plans in place. If everything works out perfectly, if everyone shows up and does their job, then we can implement Plan A. If, however, someone calls out sick or the computer system is down, we have to settle for Plan B. Plan A is always the best case scenario when everything functions smoothly. Plan B is not as good as Plan A, but will take effect just in case something goes wrong.

Because He is infinitely creative, God has a different way of implementing His big project of salvation. For God, when Plan A fails to work because of human sinfulness and weakness, his Plan B is not an inferior fall back. Rather, Plan B turns out to be even more wondrous than Plan A. In fact, even God's Plan Z is superior to his Plan A. God does not suffer setbacks in the working out of His plan to reconcile all things in Christ.

We see this illustrated in the readings for the Seventh Sunday of Easter. In the first reading from the book of Acts, Peter mentions Judas' betrayal of Jesus. No doubt Jesus' Plan A for Judas was that he, like the other apostles, be a witness to His resurrection and work to spread the Good News to the ends of the earth. But Judas, in his weakness, falls prey to doubt and greed. Then God's Plan B went into effect. Judas would now become instrumental in Jesus' death for the salvation of the world. This by no means makes Judas a hero. Rather, it shows that God's plan is fulfilled despite human sin and weakness.

The whole history of salvation can be understood in this light. At the Easter Vigil, during the Exultet, we rejoice in the "happy fault" of Adam because it sets in motion the plan of salvation in Christ. Without Adam's fall, we would have no need of a savior. God has willed from the beginning that human beings cooperate with Him in the spreading of the kingdom. Our human weakness does not frustrate or hamper God's will. On the contrary, in some mysterious way, it actually advances that will. God maintains control all the while. Jesus made this clear throughout His passion when He let it be known that His life was not being taken from Him, but that He was freely laying it down. Similarly, both Peter in the first reading and Jesus in the gospel state that Judas was "destined" to betray Jesus because His actions had already been mysteriously accounted for in God's saving plan.

This is important for us to keep in mind today. As individuals and as a Church, we will be continually beset by difficulties and challenges. We will fail, and sometimes dramatically to the point of scandal. In the eyes of the world, we are on the brink of collapse and irrelevance. Yet God's plan of salvation is mysteriously working itself out in our lives and in our world. The gospel is being handed on to a new generation of witnesses. Minds and hearts are converted to the truth. The sick and the poor are being comforted. God is dwelling among His people through love. This does not mean that we may grow complacent about our sinfulness or about our Church's constant need for reform. Instead it means that we pray and work with the confidence that God has everything under control.

This is developed even further in the gospel reading. Through his prayer, Jesus gives His disciples a peak into His intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus wants them to know that He has been protecting them and will continue to do so even after He is gone from this world. This text has been called Jesus' "high priestly prayer" because it shows us that He is constantly interceding to the Father on behalf of His people. While we tend to picture Jesus as the one who receives our prayers, we do not often focus on Him as one who prays for us. Yet that is precisely what He does, offering Himself continually to the Father on our behalf. What confidence it should give us to know that the Son of God Himself is supporting us in prayer!

In the course of the prayer, Jesus asks that His disciples be protected from the evil one while they remain in the world. Throughout his gospel, John uses the term "world" to describe all the forces opposed to God and His will. In our day, we would identify these forces as those, among others, who exploit the poor, corrupt the young with a materialistic worldview or promote the objectification of women. In our struggle against evil, we can often feel overwhelmed by their vast influence and resources.  But when we consider the sovereignty of God's will and the power of our Savior's intercession, we realize that no matter how dire it may look, it really is not even a fair fight! Even when we appear to fail, God's kingdom mysteriously advances as we are equipped with the Spirit of Truth. 

And so our approach to this world is not one of hatred or defiant opposition, but love. If God can make good come from our failings and weaknesses, he can also demonstrate His power and sovereignty through those who do not recognize him.

Furthermore, it was for this world that Jesus came, not to condemn it but to save it. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once said that before we can hope to change people, we must love them; and they must know that we love them. The second reading reminds us that if we have experienced God's love by way of forgiveness and mercy, then we must show love to others. When we love, God dwells in us, and the invisible God is then seen in us. And was that not God's Plan A to begin with - that His image be perfected in us through love?  

In Anticipation Of The Holy Spirit

These ten days between our celebration of the Ascension of Jesus to heaven and of Pentecost, the day when the Holy Spirit came down upon the apostles and Mary, are days of expectant prayer. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit anew upon his people so that we may be re-energized in our faith and given new power to spread the good news of Jesus' death and resurrection to all the world.

The Holy Spirit is the life-breath of the Church. Through the Holy Spirit we are given the power to follow Jesus' example and live the good news.

Sometimes the Holy Spirit is called the forgotten member of the Trinity. We are very comfortable bringing our prayers and worship to God the Father and to Jesus. But the Holy Spirit is often overlooked although it is through him that we are even able to pray at all.

And so as we spend these days asking God to pour out his Spirit upon us anew, let us look at the readings which the Church offers us this day and ask the question, "Who is the Holy Spirit?" As we reflect on the Scriptures set before us, we see that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of truth, of unity and of love.

First of all, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth. He reveals to us the truth about God and his love. The Holy Spirit is given to us to speak to our minds and hearts about what God requires of us. 

Today's gospel reading from Saint John shows us Jesus in prayer for his disciples and for those who would believe because of their testimony. At the end of the prayer, he asks that they be consecrated in the truth and says that God's word is truth. The truth about who God is and what his plan of salvation is can be found in his Word, the Bible. We believe that the Bible was written by men, but that they were inspired by the Holy Spirit to such a degree that God can truly be considered its author. Therefore, we find in the Bible a sure pathway to understanding who God is and how much he loves us. Furthermore, the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts guides us so that as we read the Bible we are able to grow in our understanding of it and in our ability to apply it to our lives. Spending time in prayer reading the Bible is indispensable to the life of every follower of Jesus if we are to be consecrated in the truth by the Holy Spirit. 

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Unity. He gathers together people of different languages, ethnic backgrounds and abilities into one Church which extends itself throughout every century into every nation.

Again, in the gospel reading, Jesus begins his prayer for his disciples by asking that they be one as he is one with the Father and the Holy Spirit. The followers of Jesus are not meant to be a bunch of individuals scattered about the world doing their own thing. Rather we are meant to work together and to worship together. The closer we get to Jesus and the more his Spirit takes up residence in our souls, the closer we become to one another. Nowhere else is this more evident than when the Church gathers to worship on Sunday. All of us here are very different people. We would have no other reason to be gathered here together except for the faith we share in Jesus and in his presence in the Holy Eucharist. What's more, we are not alone. Throughout our country and throughout the world, people are gathering to worship with the same words and reflecting on the same readings we have pondered today. The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Unity, makes this possible.

Finally, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Love. Because he is God, the Holy Spirit is love itself. When the Holy Spirit dwells within us, we come to experience the unconditional love the Father has for us and are empowered to show that love to others.

Today's second reading from the first letter of Saint John teaches us that, when we love, God dwells within us. When we show love, the invisible God who is love itself is then made visible to the world. As Saint John tells us, "No one has ever seen God. Yet, if we love one another, God remains in us, and his love is brought to perfection in us." This love is not merely having warm feelings for others. It is a love that shows itself in action by forgiving those who wrong us, by visiting the sick, by instructing those in error, by witnessing to the power and presence of God in our lives to those who are lost and by putting aside our own comforts to wash the feet of others. It is the love that Jesus showed by offering himself to us on the cross. It is not a love which we can show by our own human power. It is only possible by the Spirit of love who dwells within us.

The Holy Spirit we worship is a Spirit of truth, of unity and of love. We know that we are drawing closer to God when those three characteristics of his Spirit are growing in our lives. So as we approach the feast of Pentecost, let us focus our prayers more on the third person of the Blessed Trinity. Let us bring him our worship and adoration. Let us ask him to make his home within us and reveal to us the truth of God's burning love for us. Let us ask him to set our hearts aflame with love for God and for one another so that we may be renewed as his People and bring the good news to all the world.

Sent

In the history of the world, there has been no regime as oppressive as the Soviet Union was in the twentieth century. It was particularly cruel in its hatred for religion and determination to persecute people of faith.

Seeing what Christians were suffering there, the Holy Father at the time, Pope Pius XI, made an urgent appeal to the priests of the world to go to the Soviet Union as missionaries.

One young man who responded to that call was Walter Ciszek.

Born in Pennsylvania to Polish immigrants, young Walter had a turbulent childhood and even joined a gang. However, much to his parents’ surprise, he made a break with his past and began studies to be a Jesuit priest. He was then sent to Rome to study Russian language and history so that he could serve as a missionary in the Soviet Union.

When he was ordained in 1937, he was sent first to Poland which was in the midst of the Second World War. Through Poland, he entered Russia posing as a refugee. For a year, he worked as a logger, celebrating Mass and hearing confessions secretly.

However, in 1941, the police discovered his activities,  charged him with being a Vatican spy and sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor. He was sent to Lubyanka prison where he was severely beaten and tortured. Then he was transferred to the infamous Gulag. During those years, he met the spiritual needs of his fellow prisoners offering Mass, spiritual direction and even retreats. All those years of solitary confinement, torture and hard labor were never able to break his spirits. He was determined to serve others no matter what the cost.

After being released from prison in 1955, he continued to minister by establishing underground parishes. Whenever the police would discover his activities, they would send him away to another town where he would just start another parish. In so doing, he let the persecuted Christians of that country know that Jesus had not abandoned them but was still in their midst ministering to them through this courageous and selfless priest.

Then, in 1963, the Soviet government allowed Fr Ciszek to return back to the United States as part of a prisoner swap. He spent the rest of his life teaching and offering spiritual direction until his death in 1984. The Vatican is now examining his life in hopes that one day he can be declared a saint.

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells the apostles that great signs will follow their preaching of the gospel. To our modern ears, the signs that Jesus points out such as picking up snakes and drinking poison sound strange. However, His point was that all things would be possible to those who respond with faith to His call.

Though it would certainly catch our attention to see people drive out demons or cure the sick, there is a still greater sign that accompanies the preaching of the gospel. It is the life of holiness and faith that we see manifested in the saints. Since the day that Jesus ascended into heaven and sent the apostles into the world, women and men like Fr. Walter Ciszek have responded with courage and generosity to His call to preach the gospel and serve the poor. It is because of their dedication, inspired by their faith in Christ and empowered by the Holy Spirit, that Christ’s Church has been able to spread throughout the world. It is because of the sacrifice of countless Christians who risked their life to bring Jesus to others that we are free to worship here today.

On this day, we celebrate the ascension of Jesus into heaven. Though we cannot see Him, He continues to be present among us. The signs of His presence will not necessarily be as bold and dramatic as someone driving out demons. Rather, we will see Him most clearly in those among us who love as He loved and who serve others out of love for Him. In fact, no matter how compelling our preaching may be, how inspiring our music or how inviting our programs, if we are not being transformed by the mysteries we celebrate then it all means nothing. No one will listen to us, no matter how convincing our arguments may be, if we are not loving people.

Like Fr Ciszek and so many saints in the history of our Church, we must make Christ present to the world through lives of holiness. It means that no matter what circumstances we may find ourselves in, we respond with love, compassion, kindness and forgiveness. In that way, Jesus will be made known more clearly and certainly than by any other sign we might perform.

Passing On The Mission To Us

Vera was just a junior in high school when she attended the funeral of a religious sister who had been her English teacher. Though she attended Mass every Sunday and would go with her grandmother to Stations of the Cross on the Friday afternoons she was with her, she did not consider herself particularly religious. However, during the funeral Mass, an overwhelming sense came over her that, now that the religious sister was gone, Vera would have to take her place.

At first, she struggled with accepting her call to religious life. She dismissed what she experienced at the funeral as a figment of her imagination. She tried to convince herself that she could do more good as a wife and mother. She told herself that maybe the call she experienced was to be a teacher and not necessarily to be a religious sister.

However, with prayer and the advice of a wise teacher, she finally accepted her call and began her studies with the Holy Union Sisters. LIke the religious sister whose funeral she attended, she spent over fifty years teaching English in High School. Over those years she inspired many young people to follow their dreams and to serve their Lord. At her own funeral, the church was packed with her former students, some of whom had been inspired by her to be religious women themselves or to enter the teaching profession. Her “yes” gave others the courage to say “yes” themselves and to discover that, whenever we agree follow Jesus, miracles happen.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension. After spending forty days with His disciples, instructing them about the Kingdom of God as Saint Luke tells us in today’s first reading, Jesus ascends to His throne in heaven. Just as young Vera experienced, the disciples now discover that they are left behind to take Jesus’ place, to continue His saving mission to the world.

Today’s scripture readings give us three indications about what it means to continue Jesus’ mission in the world. They are, to be witnesses to Jesus, to build up the Body of Christ and to pray for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus tells the disciples, “...you will be my witnesses...to the ends of the earth.” What exactly are they witnesses to? His death and resurrection. They are to go forth and tell the whole world that,  with their own eyes, they saw Jesus raised from the dead.  They were to announce to all people that He was crucified for our sins but now He has been raised to give us the promise of eternal life. The heart of the message is that, in Jesus Christ, we find forgiveness and healing.

Though we are not eyewitnesses to the resurrection, we still find our identities as believers in that call to proclaim to everyone we meet that Jesus is alive and active in the world. Sometimes with all the crises and controversies that accompany being a Christian in today’s modern world, we can lose sight of this simple fact. Our central message is that Jesus Christ loves us and has changed our lives. Once that truth comes across - once people see in us a joy that the world cannot give and a love that extends even to those who harm us - the other truths which go along with being a follower of Jesus will be easier to understand and accept.

Besides being called to witness to Jesus, the disciples were called to “...build up the Body of Christ”, as Saint Paul teaches us in today’s second reading from the letter to the Ephesians. When Saint Paul uses the term, “Body of Christ”, he is speaking about the Church. In his first letter to the Corinthians he explains that our connection to one another as believers is similar to the connection our body parts have to one another. Through baptism and faith, all of us who follow Christ are interconnected in a real way. The disciples, then, understood that they were called not only to preach the gospel but to establish communities of disciples who would continue their work.

Therefore, being involved in a community of believers is central to being a follower of Jesus. None of us can live the Christian life alone. We need the support of others. And each of us is called to use our gifts to further the mission of the Church. Some of us are called to teach, some of us are called to preach and others of us are called to pray. Whatever our talents may be, we are all called to contribute in some way to build up the Church so that it can be a clearer sign of the ongoing presence of the Risen Lord in our world.

Finally, besides witnessing to Jesus and building up His Church, the disciples were called to await the gift of the Holy Spirit. On the day He ascended into heaven, Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came down upon them. At the time, they were still confused and fearful. With all they had seen during those forty days, some of them still had doubts. All of that would change once the Holy Spirit came down upon them at Pentecost. Now they did not even fear death but preached the gospel boldly.

We too must pray constantly for the gift of the Holy Spirit to come down upon us both as individuals and as a Church. If we rely on our own talents and organizational skills, we will not get very far. We need the Holy Spirit to inspire us, to strengthen us and also to soften the hearts of those we are called to witness to. Living the Christian life today is becoming increasingly difficult. With all the hostility to the message of Jesus and all the temptations the world offers, we cannot last long without the strength and consolation of the Holy Spirit. That is why along with witnessing to Jesus and building up His Church we must spend time in fervent prayer everyday. As the saying goes, “Those who kneel before God can stand up to anyone.”

Brothers and sisters, many generations of Christians have gone before us. They have sacrificed themselves, even to the point of death, so that we could hear the good news of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Now it is up to us to be witnesses to the gospel and to build up the Body of Christ with the power that comes from the Holy Spirit. If we say “yes” despite our fears and doubts, we will experience many miracles, the greatest of which might just be that we will actually inspire others to take our place once our journey has ended and we are called to join Jesus in His Heavenly Kingdom.

Miracles And Healing

John Sullivan’s dream was to become a deacon. That dream, however, was threatened when he developed debilitating back pain. A CAT scan revealed that several of his vertebrae were compressed so tightly that they were creating a bulge. Not only was it creating intense pain for him, but he was faced with the possibility of being paralyzed for the rest of his life. Medically, the only hope he had was to undergo surgery but even that could not guarantee that the pain would go away or that he would ever walk again. He would have to discontinue his studies to become a deacon and give up his dream.

Then, one evening, he was watching a documentary on the life of John Henry Cardinal Newman on the Catholic channel, EWTN. He was an Anglican priest who lived in the nineteenth century who eventually converted to Catholicism. His writings have influenced many important Catholic thinkers including our present pope, Benedict XVI. While watching the program, he decided to turn to Cardinal Newman in prayer and ask for a healing. He prayed,  "Please, Cardinal Newman, intercede with God so that I might go back to classes and be ordained." 

After uttering that prayer, he began to feel almost immediately relief from his pain. He was able to walk again and resume his everyday activities including his diaconate classes. However, about three years later the pain returned and he had to undergo surgery after which he developed severe complications leaving him in even more pain. Once again, he sought the intercession of Cardinal Newman and immediately felt a tingling heat shoot through his body. He got right up out of bed and began walking as if he had never had surgery.

He returned to his doctor who confirmed that there was no medical explanation for his healing. Of course, there was no doubt in John’s mind that he had been healed as a result of Cardinal Newman’s intercession. And so, when Cardinal Newman was beatified by Pope Benedict XVI in London, John Sullivan - now a deacon - was invited to participate in the Mass as a witness to the whole world of the healing power of prayer still at work in our world.

As we read in today’s gospel, before Jesus ascended into heaven, He promised His apostles that signs and wonders would accompany their preaching of the gospel. We see His promise confirmed throughout the Acts of the Apostles. Peter and John heal a crippled man at the gate of the Temple. Paul raises back to life a young man who died after falling off a balcony.

However, such miracles are not a thing of the past. As the story of Deacon John Sullivan reminds us, miracles are continuing to take place in our world today. Though Jesus has ascended into heaven, He has promised to remain with us always as we live and preach the good news of His resurrection. We should expect to witness signs and wonders, then, as part of living out our Christian faith.

While physical healings are impressive, the most wondrous miracles of all are those which take place in our heart and in our soul. It is the power to forgive someone who has deeply wounded us. It is the conversion of a heart hardened by despair and disappointment that is finally penetrated by God’s love. It is enemies who settle their differences and become friends. So many of those miracles take place on a daily basis. We may not read about them in the paper or see them on TV but they are no less wondrous than any physical healing.

And while those who receive miraculous healings will eventually get sick again and die, those who receive spiritual healings will keep them through to eternal life. We can expect to see such miracles if we are both living and preaching the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and if the grace of God is pulsing through our lives.

Today we celebrate the feast of the Ascension when Jesus, forty days after His resurrection, ascended to the right hand of God. From heaven He prays for us. We can turn to Him however great our need or however desperate our circumstances are and expect that He will answer us. More importantly, we can take risks in our life of faith and expect that He will support us. If we want to witness signs and wonders then we will have to live our faith courageously. As Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN, so often says, “If we are not willing to do the ridiculous, then God cannot do the impossible.” 

Do What He Says Until He Returns

The evangelical preacher, Jack Graham, tells the story of a man who brought his young son and daughter to the beach. While they were jumping around in the waves, a powerful riptide began to drag them out to sea. The father, realizing that he would be able to save only one of them, called out to his daughter, "Honey, listen to me! I'm going to bring your brother to shore. I want you to float on your back like you learned in your swimming lessons. You can do that for a long time. Then Daddy promises he will come and find you." The daughter, her voice trembling, said "Okay, Daddy", and the father fought the riptide to bring his son to shore.

Once on the beach, the father cried frantically for help. Someone offered the use of his boat, and they put out to look for the girl.

The father was sick with worry as he called out his daughter's name over the waves. After about an hour, they found her floating on her back just as her father had told her to do.

Getting her to safety on the boat, the father, overjoyed at finding his daughter, hugged her and said, "I'm so proud of you, honey! You were so brave!"

The daughter, shivering in his arms replied, "Daddy, I just did what you told me to because I knew you would come back for me."

"I just did what you told me because I knew you would come back for me."

The faith and courage this young girl displayed in trusting that her father would come back for her is the same faith and courage we are called to have on this day when we celebrate the ascension of Jesus to his throne in heaven.

First of all, we are to believe that Jesus is coming again. We have not been abandoned by God. We are not left to drift aimlessly through a life devoid of meaning and purpose. Rather we are called to have an active expectation that he will come back for us. As the young men dressed in white tell the apostles after Jesus ascended to heaven, "This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven."

Whether it is at the time of our death or at the end of the world, we will come face to face with our Savior. It will be a time of judgment when the deeds we have done and the intentions of our heart are laid bare in the light of his glory. It will also be a time of mercy when the one who died for us will welcome us into the joy of heaven. No matter how far off it may seem, that expectation must be the driving force of our life. Like the girl in the story, it is what gives us courage as we face our daily difficulties and fears. It helps us to realize that whatever challenges we are facing are only temporary. We know that we have been created for something more than this world can offer. We also know that this world is passing away and that our hearts are set on the kingdom of heaven.

Secondly, while we wait for Jesus to come back for us, we must do what he tells us. God's Word is meant to keep us safe as we make our way through the waves of this life on earth. Just as the girl focused on the instructions her father gave her while she waited for him to rescue her, we are to keep God's commandments in mind, especially the great commandment of love. During the forty days between his resurrection from the dead and his ascension into heaven, Jesus was preparing the apostles for the mission they were to undertake after he would be taken from them. He helped them to understand how the Scriptures foretold that his death would be a ransom for our sins and how he would overcome death. The words of Jesus have been left to us in the Bible and in the teaching of the Church. Also, the Holy Spirit which we received in baptism gives us the power to live that teaching so that we will be kept safe up to the time when Jesus will come back for us.

Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. On this feast of the Ascension of our Lord to his throne in heaven, we recall that Jesus will one day come again to make the Father's will done on earth as it is in heaven. When he does come again, we want to be found to be faithful to his word in the power of the Spirit he gave us. Then we can say to him, "I just did what you told me, because I knew you would come back for me."

Love Saves A Life

Late one evening, a  priest got a call from the local fire department asking for his help. A young woman had climbed up onto the top of a bridge and was threatening to jump off. Despite all their efforts, they had not been able to convince her to come down. With no other options, they were hoping he could help.

The priest rushed to the scene as quickly as he could and looked up to see the young woman sitting at the top of the bridge just as the fireman had said. Since she was so high up, it was clear that the only way he was going to be able to talk to her would be to climb up onto the bridge himself. There was only one problem. He was deathly afraid of heights. At the same time, he knew he couldn’t just stand there while the young woman took her own life.

So, saying a quick Hail Mary and summoning all the courage he could, he put his hands on the cables and started to climb up the beam, putting one foot in front of the other and trying not to look down.

However, the higher he got the more the wind picked up and the less steady he felt on his feet. Soon, panic set in and he broke into a cold sweat. Paralyzed with fear, he didn’t think he could take another step.

About that time, the young woman caught sight of the priest and her heart was moved. Seeing how terrified he was, she called out, “It’s okay, Father. You’re almost here. You can do it.”

Encouraged by the young woman’s words, the priest decided he would keep his eyes on her and make his way slowly up the beam. Soon he was close enough to her that she could take his hand and help him steady himself enough to sit down next to her.

He took a minute to catch his breath and wipe the sweat off his face and neck. As his heart rate returned to normal, he knew he should probably talk to the young woman to find out why she wanted to take her own life. But the only thing he could think to say was, “How are we ever going to get down from here?”

To his surprise, she turned to him and said, “Don’t worry, Father. I’ll help you climb down when you’re ready.”

And so, the young woman got up and took the priest’s hand. Walking slightly ahead of him, she guided him down the beam helping him to steady himself until they both were at the bottom of the bridge and safe. Once on the ground, the fire fighters came and wrapped them both in blankets and gave them coffee.

As the priest started to return to his car, a fireman pulled him aside and asked, “What did you say to her, Father, to make her climb down the bridge with you?” The priest replied, “She saved my life.”

This story illustrates for us the power of love. Seeing the young priest’s act of courage and love made the young woman forget whatever it was that had compelled her to attempt suicide. Knowing that someone cared enough about her to risk his life to save her made all the difference. The priest didn’t really have to say a word to her. By his actions he showed her that she was cared for, she was valuable and she was important. Perhaps for the first time in a long time, she came to understand that her life mattered even to someone she had never met before. In the heroic actions of that priest who faced his fear and risked his own safety to save her, she saw the love of God. That glimpse of God’s love was enough to give her hope to continue living.

This is the love that Saint John speaks about in today’s second reading,  “In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him.” How can we know what love is unless someone shows it to us? How can we know the love of a God we have never seen before? We see it by looking at the cross. The God we rejected, the God we disobeyed, the God we have fled from has loved us enough to send His Son to die for us. In that cross, we see God’s love and so find hope to continue living.

It is not enough to witness that love, however. We must also accept it and respond to it. When the young woman saw the priest coming up to her on the bridge, she could have had a different reaction. She could have told him to go away and leave her alone. She could have decided to jump off the bridge anyway. However, seeing his love and courage, she decided to respond with love. Since he was willing to risk his safety for her, she wanted to return the favor by helping him get down from the bridge. She wanted to show him love in return for his love.

The same is true for us. We can look upon the cross and decide  to reject God’s love. We can decide not to respond and, instead, keep on living only for ourselves. We can decide not to share His love with others. We can decide to make our own choices about what’s right and wrong rather than live by God’s commandments. However, such an attitude will only leave us isolated and alone. We will eventually find ourselves like that young woman at the top of the bridge - alone with little hope and few options.

Jesus shows us another way. He tells us in today’s gospel, “If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love.” The way to respond to the love God shows us in Jesus is by obeying His word. And His greatest commandment is that we love one another. We know that we have accepted and welcomed His love into our hearts if we are showing love to others, especially when it is difficult, when it requires facing our fears and when we are faced with rejection.

But what a difference it makes when we choose love! It literally saves lives!

(story taken from Sister Bethany Madonna, “Desires of the Heart: Receiving the Gifts of the Father”, Lighthouse Talks, Augustine Institute)