There are some principles that help to describe our spiritual life. One that is non-negotiable is that familiarity with the cross of Christ always precedes familiarity with the crown of glory. The reason for that has to do with the fact that people can only exhibit the graciousness of God to the degree that it exists within them. A crass analogy would be to say that only someone who has practiced and polished a skill over time will stir the imagination of others to say something like “that kid is the next Wayne Gretzky, Celine Dion, Michael Jordan, or Oprah Winfrey.” The same is true of Christians. The primitive Christian Community was called “Christians” for the first time in Antioch (Acts 11:26). What made them identifiable was that their behavior mimicked Jesus’ own behavior. The ancient Roman historian, Tertullian was led to remark, “See how they love one another.” The Apostles became so identifiable by their behavior that it made the outcomes of their lives similar to Jesus’ own. They subscribed to the fact that Good Friday always precedes Easter.

Another principle of spirituality is that the compelling character of people who manifest the graciousness of God is the serenity they exhibit. They are not smug, hubristic, or suffering from terminal grandiosity, but instead they are calm in the midst of the storm, but not unaware of the danger. It’s as if they have seen enough glimpses of the end time to be convinced that redemption is neither fiction nor sad. They have a presence that shows they are familiar with the peace of Christ and that the Holy Spirit is resident within them. They are fed by the baptismal spring of life, always green, always fruitful.

In the gospel of John (20: 19-31), Thomas makes his belief in the testimony of the other Apostles that Jesus is risen from the dead contingent upon putting his finger into the nail marks in Jesus’ hands and his hand into Jesus’ side. The problem was not that Thomas wanted proof, but that he was blind to the evidence right before him. He represents so many in our culture and time. It is blind to the evidence.

Do you see now why testifying to your faith in the risen Jesus is so critical in our time? Perhaps the people to whom you give witness are not so much skeptics or cynics as they are blind. You are the sign, the evidence of the Kingdom’s presence. You may wish to dispense yourself from the obligation to give witness to your children, grandchildren, neighbor, or employer because you are not perfect. The Apostles were not perfect people before or after witnessing God present in the work of the Son. They still had all the awkward experiences in life we have, confusion, disillusionment, hope, impatience, etc. Their witnessing cost them dearly. For them, it seems that in the choice between blissful ignorance or intimate knowledge of God’s love, they chose the latter and it led to your conversion.

Yours does the same for others.

De Colores!
Fr. Dan