This morning as I walked to the bus stop, I heard a sound that has been so unfamiliar to my ears for many months now. After such a harsh winter of record snow falls, and below zero temps, the recent warm up has been welcomed. As I was walking I heard the beautiful song of the birds. They were singing! How beautiful their song was! Their song, lifted my soul to praise God in all his works. Even the birds are happy when spring comes around. It reminded me of how even the little birdies praise the lord! Let everything that has breath praise the lord!
Pondering the beautiful song that was written this morning by God, and sung by the birds, I remember the death, and Resurrection. I remember my Baptism. I remember the promise of New life. During this dead time of year, where all life seemed to sleep, is now awakening. I have to ask my self if I would appreciate this sound if there was not a "death" or a slumber. A wise man once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every 10,000 years? I know! We would be awake the whole night, praising God for his wonders! If we didn't know that it even existed would we not miss it? But once we found it, would we let it go, and let it loose its sweetness?
Awakening from their slumber, arising from the darkness, it's the dawn of the new day. It's the resurrection. But we must first pass through the great darkness, this great slumber, to get to the light. Not only to get to the new light, but to appreciate the beauty of the light. The greatest of all saints, and even a few of us, might experience this deep slumber. Something called the "Dark night of a Soul". We can relate this to Christ in his passion, in his death... and the emptiness one felt. Even Christ felt this emptiness, in the time where he was glorified the most! On the cross! Where the victory over death was made, the greatest battle ever. We too must model our lives after this example and not give up. We will experience long periods which we feel as if we are in the darkest night, as dry as if you were in a endless desert, but we must remember... Christ in his most victorious, glorious time, was the time when he was abandoned, in every sense that could be. Emotionally and physically drained to the point of crying out " My God my God why have you forsaken me? ( Matt 27:46 & Mark 15:34 ) "Eli Eli Lama
sabahthani." We unite our sufferings and our darkness with the same suffering that Christ endured on the cross, because it is redemptive. It brings us victory over our sin. Padre
Pio once said "The longer the trial to which God subjects you, the greater the goodness in comforting you during the time of the trial and in the exaltation after the combat. " Just as Christ and his Victory, the glorious Resurrection and defeat of sin! We shall never give up, even in the most difficult times. The Lord only gives you what you can handle. If that cross is so heavy you can hardly carry it, know that God thinks ( knows ) you are some strong person! Know that when he fell, and could no longer carry the cross, someone came to his aid. He too, will come to our aid, and help us through! The good Shepard will carry us for he says that his yoke is easy and burden is light ( Matt 11:30). Do not get so lost in the darkness that you loose hope for the light in the dawn of the day. That you believe that the darkness...is the light. For he is there waiting for you, he can hear you. Only testing you and your love for him, only offering you a cross that he knows you can bear. Giving you a key to heaven, because we know that Saint Faustina said that our Suffering is our Key to heaven. Jesus told her "
If the angels were capable of envy, they would envy us for two things: one is the receiving of Holy Communion, and the other is suffering." (p.1805) So, Stay close to him in the Eucharist, and hold on tight to your cross. Be nailed to it with him, united with him so closely. What Glory! To be nailed with him! Only to experience the beauty, and the majesty of the resurrection with him. If you want to be with him in the resurrection, you must be there with him in the
crucifixion. In order to appreciate all that the lord will give me in heaven, and to appreciate the drinks of water I find in this desert, I must experience the suffering. I must first be thirsty to understand quench. I must first be tired to understand repose. I must first suffer, crucified to my cross, to understand and love the Resurrection and New life. The greater the agony, the greater the reward.
Who knew birds would have started all this ? I guess my Dad was right when he called me Coo Coo! ;-)
Luke 22:44 "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly."
