Thought for the day: The challenge of imitating the saints.

Love isn't easy, certainly not as easy as hate. Someone injures us and we want justice; someone slanders us and we want revenge; someone lies about us and we want to take them down. Isn't that true? 

Don't we want to give back the blows we get from others and add a kick as well? Forgiving those who don't ask for forgiveness or even acknowledge the wrong they did is especially hard. When I read about a mother who forgives the person who murdered her child, I'm amazed, more than amazed, shocked. How do you do that? The martyrs did it, of course, but it's easier to pay lip service to our Christian beliefs than to act on them.

In the Roman coliseum, St. Perpetua faced her executioner and saw his hand trembling at the evil deed he was about to perform. She guided his sword to her throat. It was an act of charity and forgiveness, as if to say, "I do not hold you accountable for what you are about to do. I forgive you."

One of my substack readers, Mimi, posted  a quote from St. Vincent de Paul. It's one I need to read over and over. It's too easy to complain of mistreatment by others when few of us deserve anything but chastisement. Those who hurt us actually do us a favor giving us opportunities to grow in humility and patience, not to mention realizing it's well deserved to atone for our past sins. 

St. Vincent de Paul was so holy some commentators believe, like Therese of Lisieux, that he never committed a mortal sin. How many of us can claim that? His voluminous writing offers tremendous fruit for meditation and spiritual growth. At my age, I look forward to reading his book on preparing for death. 

This one quote is worth reflecting on numerous times.

“Let us beware of complaints, resentments, and evil-speaking against those who are ill-disposed to us, discontented with us, or hostile to our plans and arrangements, or who even persecute us with injuries, insults, and calumnies.

Rather let us go on treating them as cordially as at first, or more so, as far as possible showing them esteem, always speaking well of them, doing them good, serving them on occasion, even to the point of taking shame and disgrace upon ourselves, if necessary to save their honor.

All this ought to be done, first, to overcome evil with good, according to the teaching of the Apostles; and secondly, because they are our allies rather than our adversaries, as they aid us to destroy self-love, which is our greatest foe; and since it is they who give us an opportunity to gain merit, they ought to be considered our dearest friends.”

—St. Vincent de Paul

I wish I could claim to act like this in the face of suffering. But tomorrow is another day to read and reflect, pray and ask for the grace to make this a reality in my life. 

St. Vincent de Paul, please pray for me! 

Angel guardian, guide me!