From the Friars: Come Out!

I want you to go to the darkest room in your house. Shut the door and pray to your Father who sees in secret (Mt. 5: ). But one more thing…turn off all the lights and sit there in the darkness. If the room is cold it’s even better! When you’re comfortable, ponder the fact that this is how—part of you—will spend years of your existence. Yes! Go to a place where, even when you open your eyes as wide as you can, you see nothing. Sit there in the darkness and ponder the grave. See what thoughts come to mind, and, like the cake-mix box says: ‘Mix. Stir. Repeat’.

This exercise is a recipe for growth in humility. Sadly, we are not very humble. We don’t pray; and if we do pray, we really just spend hours talking to ourselves like the Pharisee (Lk. 18) or falling asleep, like the Franciscans. It strikes me as odd that we live in such a busy culture, yet we complain that we are not happy. Doesn’t it feel good to help people? Isn’t the Gospel about helping our neighbor and making a difference in society? No! The Gospel is about a Father—Whom we casually call God—Who sends His only Begotten Son to save mankind from the mess which he is incapable of escaping—which we fearfully call death. This is the Gospel, and it has little to do with you and me.

The Good News is that we can be a part of the story! Lazarus in the Gospel was a close friend of Jesus, and I hope you are as well. Jesus waits for Lazarus to die on purpose, to raise him from the dead. We often forget this detail, that Jesus allows his friend Lazarus to die so that we might see the Glory of God in the resurrection. Lazarus died believing in Jesus; he believed in the resurrection. Martha professes, “I know [my brother] will rise in the resurrection on the last day”. However, their belief in the resurrection was not complete; and so, Jesus says, “I am the Resurrection and the Life”.

This week, go to your inner room and pray. Turn off all the lights, and you will see the Resurrection.

–Fr. Francis