Where You Will Go We Will Follow

There is a saying that if you travel far and long enough you may just meet yourself.  This is true for many of us but in a spiritual way.  We come face to face with God Himself at our end of days.  We see ourselves in His reflection and know fully as we are fully known.  Thomas, the doubter once said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him" (Jn 11:16).  His willingness to follow Jesus offers us a valuable lesson: it reveals a total readiness to stand by Him, to the point of death.  That is extreme, especially for us as humans and for those who do not understand the nature of eternity.

In those times of desperation and hardship we tend to shy away from Jesus.  We blame Him for our troubles and in the case of the unborn; this is the most grievous of sin.  Looking for excuses at the bottom of a bottle, in the whiff of smoke or in a mother’s choice to destroy a life that has not even had the chance to live, is like dropping pennies in a wishing well, hoping your dream will come true.  In many cases our wish almost never materializes.  In prayer, we ask God to give us what we need – a demand so to speak.  If you have a personal relationship with Him, you know these are seldom realized.  What we are given is mercy but at the sake of justice.  Love, like all hard love, is forged by the soul of fire and in His ability to reveal our true heart to Him.  “A disciple of Christ is one who, in the experience of human weakness, has had the humility to ask for his help, has been healed by him and has set out following closely after him, becoming a witness of the power of his merciful love that is stronger than sin and death.” – Pope Benedict XVI.

I have had many experiences like this and have witnessed His personal message to me.  “It is not for you to decide what is best for you – that choice is left up to Me.  Come to Me with a sincere heart and an open mind and I will make of you what I would like you to be - BELIEVE.”

It is a scary thing to follow someone when you know not the outcome.  But remember, we are not of this world and this certain peril means eternal life.  Through struggle, sacrifice and pain we are shaped into the apostles we are all set out to be.  Today, even now more than ever, the Church is being attacked from all sides.  Declaring war on this institution is like declaring war on God Himself.  Be mindful of such actions.  Defend life from conception of the Holy Spirit to the ultimate.  We are being tried; let us not disappoint our Father.  To honor this name which is above every other, I say to you Lord, “Where You will go, we will follow.”

Celebrate every birth that breathes the air of freedom and in a magnificent country still largely in its infancy.  May you feel the gentle breath of the Holy Spirit, may your lives be filled with the graces of Christ, and may His peace be with you, always.