Sometimes being thankful comes easily for us; those
times when we get our own way, when life is treating us well, and our cupboards
are full. These are the times when being
thankful is no challenge - although I would submit to you these are also the
times when it is so easy to take such blessings for granted.
We also know there are times when things are not so
good. We have all suffered such days
when even getting out of bed has been a real challenge. Maybe it is fear or loneliness that paralyzes
us. Maybe we are grieving, maybe we
suffer from some form of depression or other forms of physical pain. I doubt there are many of us who do not suffer
to one degree or another, for one reason or another. We're human, and we are bound to have such
days.
So reading encouragement or even admonishment from
one or more of the biblical writers to "give thanks in all
circumstances" actually compounds our misery especially when we
are told that to do so is the "will of God in Christ Jesus";
and that failure to do so is to "quench
the Spirit". On top of
whatever it is we may be suffering, it does not help that a generous sprinkling
of guilt is added to the mix!
None of the biblical writers downplay the impact such
suffering can have on the human psyche; however, we have to remember that the
apostles and the prophets who gave us most of what we read endured much
worse. So while it may be easy for us to
think they nor anyone else can possibly understand what our own brand of
suffering is about, it is surely true that we cannot really understand what
they endured for the sake of the Church and the Word of The Lord.
So I suppose everything is a matter of
perspective. Yet it falls on us to have
a proper perspective rather than to try and pretend what we are going through
is unique. It may be a new experience
for us but it is also written in Ecclesiastes,
"There
is nothing new under the sun."
We are all challenged to one degree or another. We are also assured, however, that such
suffering, such misery, such pain, such loneliness is never in vain - unless we
choose to stay in that pain and misery.
These are only some of the trials of life we must endure for the sake of
"sanctification", Paul's
earnest wish and prayer for the faithful.
Sanctification is not a word we use nearly often
enough in the Church and among the faithful. It never
comes up in conversation. We get
entirely caught up in "justification", what some traditions refer to
as "getting saved", and thus ignore what it means to "grow up"
in the faith; what it means to mature.
It is no secret we are all getting older by the
minute. It may be, however, the Church's
best kept secret that with all our natural aging and acquired wisdom which goes
with it, there is something more we need beyond that moment of
"justification". Our souls
require "sanctification".
Methodism's John Wesley believed Divine Mercy has
three components, each complementing the next rather than opposing. There is, first, "prevenient" grace
(or mercy) in which The Lord is already at work in our lives before we are
aware. We must consider The Cross to be
that defining moment of Divine Mercy before we were even born! Wesley likened this point as the "front
porch" of a house.
"Justifying" grace (or mercy) is when the
front door of this house is opened to us.
Because of The Lord's mercy, we are able to come in from the elements
and find shelter from the storms of our past sins. We are now under The Lord's shelter.
"Sanctifying" grace (or mercy) moves
beyond the front door. Just as we would
not enter into a house and only stand just inside the door, so we also cannot
only stand just at the threshold of "justification". There is more. So "sanctifying" mercy is likened
to moving around inside the house. As we
explore each room and notice the appointments and fixtures throughout the
house, we get to know more about that house.
It becomes more and more familiar to us, and our level of confidence in that
house is raised.
Now of course we cannot imagine any physical
structure so large or so grand in scale that we cannot get to know this house
in pretty short order, so there are human limits to such a definition of
"sanctification". Yet when it
comes to matters of the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no end in human sight of
what we can discover as soon as we open yet another "door".
Our Lord encourages us to "knock" on these
doors so they may be open to us. It is a
life devoted to pursuit of spiritual perfection as it is written in the Letter to the Hebrews: "Let
us go on toward perfection, leaving behind the basic teachings about
Christ" (6:1).
This matter cannot be overstated for any Christian,
for this is how we grow up. This is how
we come to understand a little more each day, each hour, about the nature of
the Holy One - and ultimately discover even more about ourselves. Maybe this discovery involves more about our
personal brand of suffering and how to overcome it.
We are quite familiar with our stations in life,
very familiar with our human limitations and conditions. We think we already know who we are and where
we are. It is all too common among
Christians, however, that we may not be fully aware of exactly where we're
going or how we're going to get there.
Whatever we may be suffering at any given time, whatever we may be
challenged to endure may well be yet another "door" through which we
must pass.
It is the sanctifying life filled with Divine Mercy
that challenges us at every turn, but pursuing the Divine Will in Christ is
entirely about moving beyond each moment - AND - having the increasing confidence of knowing
we will not move alone.
This is entirely the point of what it means to "rejoice
always" and "give thanks in all circumstances". It is not about being thankful for the misery
for its own sake; it is about being thankful there is yet another door through
which we are being invited to pass. And
each moment of "testing" (as it is written) prepares us for the
next. It is life's certainty that there
will be more.
Our Lord is not playing with us arbitrarily. Our Holy Father is preparing us for the
moments to come. Just as when we passed
from one grade to the next in school, each grade is designed to prepare us for
the next. So it is with life, and the
full embrace that we are truly not "getting older" (as the old TV commercial
went); we're "getting better" with our Holy Father in Christ Jesus! This is what it means to be "sanctified".
This is more than enough to be thankful for, so let
us learn to give thanks in all things - the good and the bad; for in the end,
it will all have been worth it. This is
our assurance; this is our Holy Father's Eternal Covenant. Amen.
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