Rise

Day's Saints
Goar of Aquitane, Hermit
Nazaria Ignancia March Y Mesa, Nun

Gn 22:1b-19 Sacrifice of Isaac

Gospel Mt 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
"Courage, child, your sins are forgiven."
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
"This man is blaspheming."
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
"Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,'
or to say, 'Rise and walk'?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins"–
he then said to the paralytic,
"Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home."
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.

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I was struck by the statement in the narration of the life of St. Goar of Aquitane, that he "began" to be a hermit. He was not selected by a bishop and consecrated; he simply began. God plants seeds, and watering them and giving them sun and helping them find nutrition in the soil, a great work is begun.

Neither did St. Francis of Assisi. He simply began by giving away all he owned and living a beggar's life, loved God and his companions, seeking to draw them to the love of God He felt in a very personal way. He did not have to force people to do anything; they were already hungry for a living example of the Evangelical life embodied in people.

It is most important to also realize, that he submitted himself to the bishop, and when prompted to get the approval of the Church, he journied to Rome and saw the Pope who have his permission to Francis to have a religious order which we now call the Order of Saint Francis.

Neither did Francis start rebellions or reformations or apostasies, but sought to be more closely united to the Church and Christ.

We are meant to be vessels of the Holy Spirit, filled with the waters of life so abundantly provided us through piercings He endured on the cross, being entirely opened for us to be the recipients of His miracles and His holiness. In the name of those two things, men conquer in a way which enriches instead of impoverishing, and builds rather than destroying.

Jesus bulds His Church, and united to Him by our fideltiy to the Church, the world is surpassed and men invited to eternal bliss.

Surely there is impetus enough in all this to move our hearts and in this moment dispose us to serve Him and one another in love.