Alter Christus - Trust in God

Among the many graces of Eastertide, to which we can look forward in a special manner, is a growth of our trust in God. We shall live in the company of our risen Saviour and hear the repeated message of hope He brings us in all His apparitions: "Pax vobis...", "Nolite timere...", "Ecce vobiscum sum omnibus diebus...". - In the power of His triumph and in the tenderness of His love we shall find a sure guarantee of His ever-abiding help and protection. May the virtue of Hope in us deepen into an habitual and unshakable confidence and trust in God, which will expel from our life all pusillanimity born of fear and fill us with the energizing strength that comes from assured power and victory.

PARALYSING FEAR

How much, perhaps, we need that growth in confidence, if we are to live our life fully! Is many a spiritual life not paralysed or stunted by fear and distrust? We give up fighting against our defects and habitual faults, because we get discouraged at the difficulties of the struggle. Discourage­ment may even make us fall into grievous sins, because we are afraid of not having the power to resist the allurement of evil and the onslaught of temptation. And certainly this sense of fear and distrust often blocks the way to a life of higher perfection: we hear the call and feel drawn to the ideal of closer union with God and of more beroic virtue; but we dare not set out on that path because we distrust our courage and strength; or, if we set out at all, we soon desist because we get discouraged at the repeated failures that necessarily accompany first efforts. . .

In the sacred ministry, too, what havoc does not the lack of confidence often play! We are afraid of so many things; held back by fear, we leave so much undone! We are afraid of upholding true, undiluted Christian ideals before our people, and of urging them to the more perfect life and to apostolic action. We hesitate to approach sinners and to speak boldly to them of conversion. We are timorous of preach­ing Christ to those outside the fold, and despair of success in the work of evangelization. When opportunities of new works present themselves, we take shelter behind Our Lord's recommendation to sit down and calculate the cost before building a tower, and we forget all about His other em­phatic pronouncement that if we have faith like a grain of mustard seed we shall move mountains. . .

* Let us examine whether we do not allow a sense of fear and distrust to paralyse our efforts in our spiritual life and in our ministry.

Which are the particular occasions when we too would have deserved Our Lord's reproach: "Modicae fidei, quare dubitasti"?

ENERGIZING CONFIDENCE

Confidence assures success, even in human enterprises, as it gives courage and energy. Much more so in spiritual matters, where the grounds for confidence exclude deception.

If we were intimately persuaded that we can be saints, we should soon be far advanced on the road to holiness... "What is a saint?" wrote Mgr d'Hulst; "It is a man who trusts in the promises of God, in the power of His grace, ­who says with St Paul 'Scio cui credidi', - who with St Peter walks on the waters, - who does not stop to con­sider how he will be able to follow Christ, but boldly sets out, leaving it to Him to supply the means. . ."

And as to the sacred ministry, what courage and strength would not come to us if we trusted not in our power but in God's, persuaded that He is ever at our side, ready to help us in whatever we do for His greater glory. Thus are ex­plained the marvellous achievements of so many great servants of God. They lived St Paul's motto: "Omnia possum in eo qui me confortat." An attitude of mind admirably embodied in the quaint saying of St Teresa: "Teresa and 3 ducats is nothing; but God, Teresa and 3 ducats is everything."

* Is our attitude in life one of manly and steady courage, never hesitating to carry on bravely where the interests of God and of souls are at stake, never dismayed by difficulties and obstacles?

Do we find our strength in the assurance of God's help? We owe it to Him not to put limits to our confidence!

Do we pray, in all humility, for a growth in that confidence? "Credo, Domine, adjuva incredulitatem meam."

SOURCES OF CONFIDENCE

We are always prone to look at the natural side of things, and very much inclined to rely only on our own power and strength: hence the weakness of our confidence. We must first realize our total dependence on God in our being and action; as long as we secretly rely on ourselves we can have no real trust in God, and God's help would only feed our secret pride. The Saints are so bold because they are so humble. "Deus...sine quo nihil potest mor­talis infirmitas".

Then, try to realize God's attributes of power, mercy and goodness, - the burning love of the Sacred Heart, - the inestimable treasures that have come to us with Redemption: divine grace, holy Church, the Sacraments, - Our Lord's promises of divine assistance especially to His priests, His "ambassadors" and instruments (it is not I who live and work, but Christ lives and works in me), - the protec­tion and intercession of our heavenly Mother, of the Saints and the Angels. . .

* Do we endeavour to ground ourselves and our Christians more and more in these thoughts of faith?

What is, v.g., our reliance on the power of holy Mass and Com­munion? Blessed de la Colombiere found courage for his heroic vow of perfection in the thought: "I will say Holy Mass every morning: Jesus would have but little power if He could not sustain me from day to day." Let a like trust be ours, let us instill it into the laity.

"Dominus lux mea et salus mea: quem timebo?" etc. (Ps. 27).

"In te, Domine, speravi, non confundar in aeternum" (first line of Ps. 30 & Ps. 70).

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Adapted from Alter Christus, Meditations for Priests by F.X. L'Hoir, S.J. (1958)
Meditation 28.

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Please pray for our priests and pray for vocations to the priesthood.