In Matthew 19:16-17, Jesus himself unequivocally confirms the necessity of good deeds/works for eternal life. When specifically asked, “what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” Jesus replies, “If you would enter life, keep the commandments.” To “keep the commandments” essentially means to do good works. Every good work we could possibly do falls under one of the Ten Commandments – either love of God, or love of neighbour. Faith must have an element of love to make it a saving faith. We cannot be saved by our faith alone. We must both believe in God and love him – by keeping his commandments (1 Jn 5:3). And this all comes through the grace of God (Acts 15:11, Jn 15:5). Jesus himself emphasizes that simply confessing him as Lord, while certainly good, is not sufficient for salvation: “Not everyone who says ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of my Father” (Mt 7:21). He is emphasizing not just the need to believe, but to act as well – to do the will of his Father. Similarly, in Matthew 25, Jesus speaks of separating the sheep and goats. Both the sheep and the goats have faith and call him “Lord.” But only the sheep are saved – those who feed the hungry, clothe the naked ... the ones who do the good works. St. John beautifully summarizes the needed balance between a confession of faith and the necessity of good works. In 1 John 3:18-24: “Let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth. His commandment is this: We should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another.” Loving one another and keeping the commandments are all actions – the grace-inspired good works of Catholic theology that unite to form a truly grace-filled saving faith. God will judge us by how we respond to the grace he offers. This includes our acts and actions, as well as our faith in him. A full response to God’s grace involves responding in faith and responding in the way we live. We will be judged by the things we do and what we do not do. We can see this in the parable of the sheep and the goats that Jesus tells his disciples (Matthew 25:31-36). Those who enter heaven are those who have helped Jesus through the good they have done for others. Therefore, the more positive / good works / actions we perform the more we remain in friendship with God (sanctifying grace). Hence the more good works we perform the more we remain in friendship with God. God will judge us in the end by our actions done throughout our entire lives. Throughout our lives we can choose to remain in God’s friendship / grace or not. We have free will to choose whether to obey God or not and if we choose to disobey God, which is to sin, then we choose not to remain in God’s friendship. Yes, we must have faith that our savior is Jesus Christ, but at the same time our actions must reflect that faith. To merit heaven is not being nice or sincere or being good enough; to merit heaven is through the Blood of Christ, and faith is the acceptance of that free gift. But the Church insists that good works are necessary too. This means the works of love of charity. Good works are not mere external deeds, but the works of love. And love is not mere feelings, but the works of love (charity, agape). That is why Christ can command them; feelings cannot be commanded. St. James clearly teaches that "faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead" (James 2:17). And some of Christ's parables teach that our salvation depends on charity . .. "as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me". Mt 25:40 Original sin corrupted the pure nature of our souls and made it concupiscence. Therefore man is inclined to sin and Catholics know that when we sin we have to make reparation by going through the Sacrament of Penance or Confession, and receiving the penances for it. Fulfilling the penances (works) received from confession do we regain sanctifying grace to reconcile with God. Penances are usually in the form of prayers or good works of charity or some form of fasting. Without fulfilling these penances (works) we cannot make reparation and cannot merit heaven - salvation. As we know life on earth is a pilgrimage to merit heaven - a life of work and the many trials which help us (IF we in our morning prayers “offer it up” to God) as a way of purifying our souls or to make up for our sins. Reading about the life of the Saints, they lived penitential lives. Lives of self sacrifices and mortification; they knew it was required for purifying their souls to attain heaven. If Saints need to do this, what more of us! If we appreciate that God is all pure as well as the purity of heaven, our souls need to achieve the purity prerequisite of heaven. The Church provides us the Sacraments, to attain sanctifying grace, practising the virtues, fulfilling our penances, fulfilling our station in life, our works, or even having to spend some time in purgatory; how else are we to purify our souls worthy of heaven. By faith and good works, we thereby love and serve God. By deepening our faith, learning to love Jesus more each day; appreciating His undying love and mercy for us; imitating Christ’s meekness and humility of heart, and recourse to the Sacraments, we can do the good works expected of us. "No one reaches the kingdom of Heaven except by humility"
--St Augustine "Humility, which is a virtue, is always fruitful in good works." --St. Thomas "You cannot attain to charity except through humility." --St. Augustine 'There is no doubt that God will never be wanting to us, provided that He finds in us that humility which makes us worthy of His gifts, the desire of possessing them, and the promptitude to co-operate industriously with the graces He gives us.' --St. Ignatius of Loyola Why turn to St. Agatha in life’s difficulties?Life is often ups and downs and never a bed of roses. It is often filled with trials and tribulations but many do experience some sprinkling of happy and loving moments also. There will often be times of dread like Monday blues, grief and anguish when everything appears to be falling apart, so much pain and sadness that tempts us to lose our faith in God. It is during those moments of difficulty where we need to cry out to God in our anguish and ask him for help. One powerful intercessor in this regard is St. Agatha, who was from a well-off family in Sicily in Roman times, probably in the third century. After dedicating her life to Christ, her beauty drew powerful men to her like a magnet. But she refused all suitors in favor of the Lord. During the persecution of the Emperor Decius around 250, she was arrested, interrogated, tortured, and martyred. She refused to renounce her faith or to give in to the powerful men who desired her. For her obstinance she was imprisoned, beaten and subject to excruciating torture that eventually involved the shearing off of her breasts. An ancient homily relates: “A true virgin, she wore the glow of a pure conscience and the crimson of the lamb’s blood for her cosmetics.” This holy virgin and martyr, is held in great veneration by the Greek as well as the Latin Church and is the patron of Sufferers from diseases of the breast and she is also protector against fire, from the particular mode of her martyrdom, her body being exposed flames, to increase the torture, she was not permitted to be burned to death, but taken back to her dungeon to die in agony. If anyone who knows about pain, it is St. Agatha! Saint Agatha is represented in Christian Art wearing a long veil. The veil of St. Agatha was drawn tightly round her lacerated bosom when, by God's command, St. Peter came into her dungeon to heal it with precious ointments. Hence she is usually represented wearing a long veil. The shears are always in evidence, either in her hand or lying beside her. Sometimes she has a salver containing a female breast. She remains an example of faithfulness during trial and can intercede for us, asking God for the grace of perseverance. Below is a prayer for this intention, a prayer to St. Agatha for perseverance in hopes that whatever trial we endure, our faith will not be shaken.
The Feast of Saint Agatha is still massively celebrated on February 5 in Catania, Sicily. Hundreds of thousands of faithful process through the streets in honor of that island’s patron saint. If you truly realize what life is about, you know it’s not a bed of roses not even for the rich. For many life can be downright difficult at times. It can box you in and beat you down, even to desperation. Many of us were ill-prepared for just how hard things could get. Never thought it would happen to you. When we go through repeated trials of failures and setbacks, getting through those tough times in life can seem unbearable. How are we supposed to manage, especially when we have little support from the people around us? How you will discover that so called friends will turn you down with excuses. If you’re going through a difficult time right now in your life, then my heart goes out to you. I sincerely feel for you because I am all too familiar with it. I know the heartache and pain that comes along with major failure, not to mention some humiliations. I can’t claim to know what you’re going through, wading through the seas of hopelessness, and may not be able to give the advice you are looking for; but what I will convey to you is what I have learnt and embraced in my life in order for me to cope with my difficulties and hopefully it will bring you some comfort and a sliver of hope. The Catholic Church sees human suffering as a chance to follow the example of Christ and believe that it is a part of God's plan. Reconciling our suffering and pain here on Earth for the love of Christ united with His suffering in His Passion and death on the cross, is meritorious. May I here below share with you some excerpts of a beautiful article by Bert Ghezzi which has brought me more meaning in my life with Christ. An Acceptance of Suffering We imagine that God’s promise of blessing means that he will spare us all pain. But it doesn’t work that way. Jesus made suffering a normal part of the Christian life. He promised his disciples multiple blessings, but tacked onto the end of the good things he said they could expect was a promise of suffering: “There is no one who has left house, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children or land for my sake and for the sake of the gospel who will not receive a hundred times as much, houses, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and land—and persecutions too—now in this present time and, in the world to come, eternal life” (Mark 10:29-30). So suffering is not an option for Christians. It’s a guarantee. At the root, the word suffering means enduring pain or distress, sustaining loss or damage, being subject to disability or sickness, and ultimately submitting to death. It comes in all shapes. Daily nuisances frustrate us. Repeated failures discourage us. Bills we cannot pay pressure us. A disintegrating relationship racks us. Depression defeats us. Violence wounds us or harms a loved one. Illness ravages us or overtakes a family member. Suffering afflicts everybody.” “Jesus not only promised suffering; he also made bearing personal crosses a daily requirement for all of his followers (see Luke 9:23, NIV). Making the sign of the cross proclaims our yes to this condition of discipleship. When we sign ourselves we are taking up our cross and accepting whatever suffering comes our way. With that ancient gesture we are saying that we welcome suffering on God’s terms. And we are subordinating our will—that would rather not endure pain—to God, just as Jesus subordinated his will to his Father when he gave himself to the cross. So tracing Christ’s cross over our body has serious consequences. It builds character,” we say. “I don’t want character,” says the sufferer. “I want relief.” Then come the inevitable questions (from those who do not fully comprehend what is suffering): “Why does God let bad things happen?” and “Where is God when it hurts?” The care that good parents give their children suggests answers to both above questions. God is like just like a good father. He lets us navigate our way, but he stays alongside us. He does not prevent bad things from happening because he wants us to learn to deal confidently with hardship. But when we suffer, God scoops us up in His arms and stays with us. He shares our pain, sustains us, and consoles us. That’s the message of the cross, and signing ourselves opens us to hearing it. God’s only Son became a man in Jesus Christ. In his human nature, God himself suffered rejection, humiliation, ridicule, abandonment, buffetings, scourging, crucifixion, and death. He embraced suffering as a man so that he could comfort us in our suffering. When we make the sign of the cross we invite the Lord to join us in our suffering. We touch our forehead and move down to our breast, telling the Lord with this gesture that we want him to bend down to us. Then we cross our shoulders in a movement that asks him to support us—to shoulder us—in our suffering. In many psalms, David sings of taking refuge beneath the Lord’s wings, which the Church Fathers understood as a prophecy of our finding safety in the shadow of his crucified arms (see Psalms 17:8; 36:7; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7). The Lord’s outstretched arms pledge that he understands our suffering and shares it with us. Today we see the cross clearly as a sign of God’s mercy and consolation. I take advantage of the grace and support the Lord offers me with his outstretched arms. When trouble strikes, I sign myself often, saying, “Lord, scoop me up in your everlasting arms, carry me through this trial, and comfort me.” Strengthened by his response to that simple gesture and prayer, I find the hardship endurable. What beautiful edifying words of consolation to realize in our life and to bring to mind when trials and sufferings come upon us. Knowing this we could turn sufferings to our benefit I.e. by accepting the sufferings He sends us and in prayer, offering them in union with His sufferings, we receive the greatest rewards. The Saints’ lives teaches us that if we patiently bear our sufferings, we merit the crown of martyrdom. Moreover, suffering borne patiently brings out all that is good in us. If we bear these facts clearly in mind, it certainly becomes much easier to suffer. When God gives us any suffering, He does not give us more than we can bear. Through prayer we can ask Him for the strength to bear it. Many, who do not have such knowledge nor pray, get excited and revolt in their tribulations. Sadly many out of ignorance or lack of the knowledge of a life in union with Christ’s sufferings, bewailing their sufferings and impatience really make their suffering harder to bear. Such agitations increases our sufferings a hundred-fold and robs us of all the merit we could have gained otherwise. How is it that some people pass through a tempest of suffering with the greatest calm and serenity? It is the knowledge of how Christ suffered patiently, while being falsely accused yet He answered not one word, and the practice of uniting one’s suffering with Christ, in prayer, as described above that one can have the calm and patience. It is the secret of happiness amidst trials. Then one would also understanding and appreciate the meaning of the following quotes which help enforce the calmness and patience in a Catholic’s life.
As Catholics, we have to confess and do penance for our sins to obtain God’s forgiveness. Uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of Jesus Christ, we are doing the easiest and best penance we can perform which may deliver us entirely from Purgatory while at the same time gaining great graces and blessings.
Catholics remember clearly that:
In addition we have a great, great remedy in our hands, that is, prayer. Prayer can be defined as talking to God, but it is much more than that. Prayer is an act of worship that glorifies God and reinforces our need for Him. Through living a life of prayer, we respond to Christ's work of salvation and communicate with the very source of and purpose for our existence. Therefore we should pray earnestly and constantly, asking God to help us in our sufferings, to console us, or if it pleases Him, to deliver us from suffering. We, in all our troubles, should above all pray to Our Lady, the Rosary,which she taught to St. Dominic. We should ask her, by the abundance of her sorrows during the Passion of Our Lord, to help us. God gave her all the immense graces necessary to make her the perfect Mother of God, but He also gave her all the graces, the tenderness, the love necessary to be our most perfect and loving Mother. No mother on earth ever loved a child as Our Blessed Lady loves us. Therefore, in all our troubles and sorrows, let us go to Our Blessed Lady through the Rosary with unbounded confidence. As Catholics we are thankful that our faith, our love and trust in God brings us such consolations such as what has been elaborated here to enable us to bear the trials of this life. We wish and we pray that more people could share in this same life and find the consolation and the strength to bear whatever tribulations come their way. God be blessed and thanked. |
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January 2024
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