2228AFC071522 – Fruitful Pain
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Luke 8:15 – 15 But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.
Colossians 1:24-25 – 24 I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church. 25 I became its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known
¡Que la bendición esté siempre con ustedes y que Dios los bendiga, Amados! (May blessing always be with you and may God bless you, Belovéd!) In 1968 I moved to San Antonio TX as a guest of Uncle Sam. I was there to take the second half of the Medical Laboratory Technician program. This was a bit odd because I didn’t take the first half where all of the didactic training prepared students for the second half which was the practicum hands-on training. I was setting out to learn how to do things about which I knew practically nothing. I had somehow survived Basic Training, done a few weeks in Wichita Falls TX learning basic medical first aid, and then on November 4, 1968 my whole world jumped the track and went aerial. She stuck out her hand amidst that gaggle of 12 or so strangers – although they knew each other because they did complete the first half together – and she said, “Hi. I’m Airman Gonzales.” That was 19,611 days ago, and 166 days after that meeting I had been baptized as a Catholic convert and married Crucita. Somewhere between mid-December and early January we found each other to the exclusion of all others. That amazing evening we were preparing to go to the airport to meet the older sister, Judy, of one of our classmates, Michele, and there in the back seat of Fr. John McMahon’s car we celebrated with our friends our falling in love. (↔ Music Link) This memory is always in my mind and heart. Michele was Crucita’s Maid of Honor, and she actually traveled all the way to Lihuʻe to fulfill that role again for our 50th Anniversary Luau. There was a lot of love in that group, and many of us are still in contact even after all this time. That bit of family history is presented so that you can understand this next paragraph.
Michele shared with us that Judy has cancer in her hip that has metastasized. It’s not going to be contained. It is going to be painful. Judy and Michele asked for the MBN to pray for Judy as she intends to unite her suffering with the Lord on behalf of other suffering souls. She is offering her suffering for salvation of souls. Please pray for comfort, courage, and testimony. Judy totally gets it when she reads that Key Verse from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Colossians. Many of us do. There are quite a few of us who read this set of weekly posts who live in pain. I know that many of us, like Judy, truly understand the Gift of the Grace to offer it up. That’s a phrase often heard among Christians – “Just offer it up.” All of us, I’m sure, would much rather not have to do that and would rather not have the pain. But it is our particular Gift, and there is reward in giving it. We look up to our Lord on the Cross, or see our brother and sister being senselessly murdered by intense bombing. We see our neighbor persecuted for his genetic heritage. We see millions of innocent life murdered in the womb. We know the Gospel says our love can make a difference in those circumstances – not necessarily ending them, but at least mitigating them – and we understand Jesus words “hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance.” We hang on through the pain and say, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.” That endurance is the Gift in our pain.
It is easy to forget that not all thorns have roses. As The Gambler used to say, “Ya have to play the cards you’re dealt.” A friend from many years ago offered this advice: “You have to row with the oars you’ve got.” In each of those adages there is a gift and an action. If you’ve got oars, you can row. If you’ve got Aces and Eights, you can still lay down a full house if you want to play. Another one that we hear often on TV is “He’s in it to win it.” Long story short – if we have a Gift, we have to use it or lose it. “Honor the Giver by Accepting the Gift.” And we return a just portion of that Gift to the Lord as our own practice of our own stewardship. Sunday’s readings start with the familiar story of Abraham sitting under the Old Oak Tree and he sees three travelers approaching. He runs out to meet them, prostrates himself before them, and invites them to come out of the sun and into the shade with him so that he can refresh them on their journey. He has Sarah prepare a HUGH batch of rolls, picks out a young fatling from his immense herd of cattle and a servant 
prepares it. He brings water and a basin to wash their feet. In these actions we see that my old friend Abraham was a very wealthy man who gave high value to hospitality. Hospitality is one of the Four Pillars of Stewardship. This is a gift the Lord had given to Abraham in abundance – he was A-Number-One in hospitality. The visitors – mysterious to the end – continued their journey after one of them said, “I’ll drop by here about this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Such things are the outcome of good stewardship of God’s Good Gifts. When God spoke, Abraham always responded “Ready!” (↔ Music Link)
The Apostle Paul tells the people in the city of Colossae “I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church.” For many years I slid right past that statement because I didn’t want to understand it. That phrase “lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body bothered me. Christ suffered greatly once and for all (← Check it out!) Then one day “the rest of the story” dawned on me – “ that is, the church.” What does that mean anyway!? Well, it certainly does not mean that there was any deficiency in the suffering of Christ on the Cross. The lack is in Paul’s suffering which is incompletely conformed to the suffering of Christ: his suffering is part of his Gift of Apostleship and Missionary to the Gentiles. He is suffering in his own body for them for whatever might be lacking on our part that would help conform us to the sufferings of Christ. The Apostle Paul is “offering it up” to the Lord for the sake of the Church in which some are not able to offer their own suffering. He tell them this Gift of suffering is balanced by an extraordinary reward in 2 Corinthians 1:5 – 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. Every time we choose to give back to God a just portion of his gifts to us we are rewarded, compensated, consoled, and refreshed (↔ Music Link) “ten-fold, thirty-fold, sixty-fold, or a hundred-fold.” Sometimes what seems like suffering is really part of the reward.
Think of the 
and Martha who are introduced to us in the Gospel from Luke 10. Jesus has been welcomed into their house by Martha. Martha gets all wrapped up in perfecting her hospitality, and her sister is just sitting there listening to Jesus. Martha complains to Jesus, “Lord, I’m overwhelmed with all the work of serving and don’t you think it’s unfair that my sister is just sitting here doing nothing? Tell her to help me.” Oo-o-o-o-o-EY!! Martha was rejecting her gift of hospitality. Perhaps she was a bit envious of seeing her sister staring at the Master? She presumed Jesus would be sympathetic to her complaint. Instead she gets a gentle correction. “Martha, Martha, you’ve brought all this work on yourself, and overdone it. Mary has chosen to sit and listen, and that’s the better thing (↔ Music Link) to do. She will not be deprived of that gift.” Martha was suffering her own way and counting on Mary to share in it. Eventually these two sisters hosted one of Jesus’ last “family dinners” as he resolutely set his face toward Jerusalem to offer up his suffering for the entire World. Like the Apostle Paul, my suffering is still lacking what is needed to conform to Christ’s; nonetheless, I can offer it up with him, share my Gift with him by patiently enduring it on behalf of his Body which is the Church. Where I am most lacking is in the two areas most important – patience and endurance. I whine too much most of the time; but there are times when I “get it,” when I understand that the people on the Intercessory Prayer List who are counting on all of us to pray for all of them. They really need those prayers and our offerings of our sufferings for their sake so we can take up some of what they can no longer bear.
Now I have another way to understand that. When I want to be a better steward of my Gift, I now know I can tell the Father, “I’m subbing for Judy today. Let me carry some of her burden for a while.” Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry Jesus Cross toward Golgotha. It is important for us to recognize that Jesus accepted Simon’s help even though Simon had no choice in the matter. Jesus was beaten nearly to death at his scourging, had stumbled under the weight of his Cross, and perhaps the soldiers were afraid if he died on the way, there would be trouble for them. I imagine it turned out to be trouble for Simon! He likely got some of the taunts, insults, and hatred from the crowd for helping Jesus even though he didn’t want to. He later was mentioned as the father of Rufus and Alexander. It is thought all three served as missionaries to other nations and were martyred.
All of these persons we have seen were like the good soil mentioned in the first of today’s Key Verses: But as for that in the good soil, these are the ones who, when they hear the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bear fruit with patient endurance. Belovéd, hold fast to the Word in your honest and good heart so as to bear much good fruit through your patient endurance. And once in a while just say to God (all three persons), “Good morning Lord! Thank you for this day! I’m eager to know what you’ve got for me today. I’ll be filling in for _________.” That blank line could be Judy, or Mike, or Eddie, or Ferdi, or Chick, or Mary, or Rosie, or Ilima, or Ben, or … anyone your heart shows you who can benefit from a little respite so that you too will be in the Church as its servant according to God’s commission that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known. Be the hands and feet of God here on Earth by offering up your Gifts to honor the Giver of all Good Gifts. (See James 1:17) Don’t feel like you could shoulder more than what you’ve already got? Try offering to bulk up someone’s suffering by standing beside them instead of standing in for them. That works, too. Your reward is the Fruit of the Holy Spirit. (← Check it out!)
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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