Monday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time

The Infant reminds the Saint of
his coming passion and death. 

Lectionary: 479

The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit
that we are children of God,
and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ,
if only we suffer with him
so that we may also be glorified with him.

The Mirror of Perfection, to add to yesterday's reflection, gives the devout a vivid experience of genuine virtue. We see in the Lord Jesus, and in his saints and martyrs an enchanting beauty. Gazing into it arouses a holy admiration for the men and women who have lived so faithfully by the Law of God, even as we sense the disappointing witness of our own lives. But, because our preoccupation remains with the Lord and not ourselves, we often return to it. 

We may respond to Romans 8: 16 with questions, "Does my life bear witness to the Spirit of God in our world? Do people see in me a mirror of perfection?" And it's impossible to not reply, "I don't think so!" 

There is nothing Christians enjoy as much as pointing to our own disappointing self-assessment. We  do it defensively, before our critics come down upon us. And that shuts down the whole conversation like a pork chop at a bar mitzvah. I suppose I could point to whatever success I might have enjoyed recently, or in the past, and say, "Well, I'm not such a bad person! Remember when I...." But that's too much like a small band-aid on a large ulcer. The odor remains, and it's not of sanctity.  

But that too is pointless. Saint Paul has armed us with the best retort, "Stop judging me! I do not even judge myself!" We let God be our judge and gaze once again into the Mirror of His Reflection. 

it seems important to me that we permit the Spirit to bear witness with our spirit that we are children of God. How faithfully we do that is for God to judge; and it's better not to look for success. If people are delighted by what we've done, that's nice. If they're angry, we cannot know if they're angry at our hypocrisy or our fidelity. We should only persist in doing God's will, as best as we can discern it. And if we're wrong, or our motives are less than pure, the Lord in his mercy will show us that too. It's all about God. The rest doesn't matter.