A CHALLENGING WAY OF LIFE
The Dogmatic
Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium, states: "Since Jesus, the Son
of God, showed His love by laying down His life for us, no one has greater love
than he who lays down his life for him and for his brothers (cf. I Jn 3:16, Jn
15:13). Some Christians have been called from the beginning, and will always be
called, to give this greatest testimony of love to all, especially to
persecutors.
Martyrdom makes the disciple like his
Master, Who willingly accepted death for the salvation of the world, and
through it he is conformed to Him by the shedding of blood. Therefore the
Church considers it the highest gift and supreme test of love. And while it is
given to few, all however must be prepared to confess Christ before men and to
follow Him along the way of the cross amidst the persecutions which the Church
never lacks" (n.42b).
Today the Church honors St. Paul Miki,
priest and martyr, and Companions, Martyrs. It is because of their preaching of
the Gospel that a new era has come for the Church in Japan. Although the number
of Catholics is not large, the Church is respected and has total religious
freedom. But, the Church is still challenged in Its growth of new members to
the Faith. St. Paul Miki and his companions were mocked and tormented and
finally crucified at Nagasaki on February 5, 1597.
From the very beginning, following Jesus
has indeed been a challenging way of life. Mark's Gospel gives us a glimpse of
that today. Jesus is portrayed as being well aware of how stressful proclaiming
the Good News by word and deed can be, particularly in His own native place and
especially in His own house and among His own kin. Our Lord was amazed at their
lack of faith, but it didn't stop Him from proclaiming the Good News.
Jesus knows that the challenge for us in
our time is that ministry can consume all of our time. So much so, that we will
even put eating on hold. In His wisdom, Jesus makes a very important point to
us. He does not encourage work-a-holism, which drains us of all energy, resources,
and creativity. What He encourages is that we go to a place of solitude in
order to get reconnected with all that is essential for being effective in
doing God's Will and work (cf. Mk 6:31a).
For those who lead the way for the love
of Christ - which includes us - are called to a ministry that is a way of life
and not an endless series of projects to be accomplished. We need to remember
what we read later in Mark's Gospel, "Come away by yourselves to a
deserted place and rest a while" (Mk 6:31). For He will teach us many
thing