July 14, 2018 – Christ Lives! In Him I Trust!

“It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher.” —Matthew 10:25, RSV-CE

In the original temptation, Adam and Eve were tempted to become like gods (Gn 3:5), knowing what was good and what was evil. They sinfully succumbed to that temptation, and soon it was not enough for them to have this knowledge. In a sense, Adam and Eve became their own “God.” They decided to be greater than their master (cp Mt 10:25).
Jesus teaches: “It is enough for the disciple to be like his Teacher” (see Mt 10:25). Disciples imitate Jesus in His character and in His ministry. They strive to be holy as the Lord is holy (1 Pt 1:15-16). Disciples beg the Lord to send them out in His ministry and mission (Is 6:8), and then they proceed to humbly and obediently do only what the Lord assigned them (1 Cor 7:17).
St. John the Baptizer, as he was succeeding greatly in His ministry, resisted the temptation to become more than his Master and said, “He must increase, while I must decrease” (Jn 3:30). The prophet Isaiah was given a vision of the holiness of God to help him resist this temptation (Is 6:1ff). This vision helped him to grow in fear of the Lord and an awareness of his own sinfulness. Then he began a prophetic ministry which still endures 2,500 years later. Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord (see 1 Pt 5:6). Imitate the Master as His disciple. Heaven and earth will be changed. That is enough.

Prayer: Father, give Your people an overwhelming outpouring of the spiritual gift of fear of the Lord.
Promise: “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?’ ‘Here I am,’ I said; ‘send me!’ ” —Is 6:8
Praise: St. Kateri chose to join the Church and reject the warring behavior of her parents’ tribes.

Let me start with holy charity, the root of all the virtues and the gift most characteristic of Camillus. He was so fired by this virtue, both towards God and towards his neighbours, especially the sick, that just to see them was enough to melt his tender heart and to make him forget every pleasure, every earthly delight and attachment. Indeed, even when ministering to just one sick man, he seemed to burn himself up and wear himself out with the utmost devotion and compassion. Gladly would he have taken upon himself all their sickness and sufferings to alleviate their pain or take away their weakness.
So vividly did he picture and honour the person of Christ in them that often when distributing food to them he thought of them as his ‘Christs’, and would beg of them grace and the remission of sins. Hence he was as reverent before them as if he were really and truly in the presence of his Lord. Of nothing would he speak more frequently or fervently than of holy charity. He longed that it should take root in the heart of every man.
To fire his brethren in religion with this fundamental virtue, he would impress on them these sweet words of Jesus Christ: ‘I was sick and you visited me.’ Indeed, so often did he repeat these words, he seemed to have them engraved on his heart.
Camillus’ charity was so great and wide-ranging that he took to his kind and loving heart not only the sick and the dying but also all other poor and wretched people. His heart was so full of devotion for the needy that he used to say: ‘If ever there were no poor to be found on the face of the earth, people would have to search them out and even pluck them from below the earth in order to do good to them and show them mercy!’