Conviction

 

The Spiritual Waiting Room

Conviction

Stand Firm

Faith   Labor   Love

You Are God's Chosen

Hope

(Photo and poem by Kathy McNamara)

Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 1:4

St. Paul was writing to his friends in Thessalonica. He had shared the Good News with them and felt very close to them. He was encouraging them to endure in the faith that they had embraced, and he wrote:

Know always, sisters and brothers, that you are loved by God and you are God's chosen.

Reflection

I have always admired people with deep conviction. I think of the saints like St. Francis of Assisi who was convinced that God wanted him to rebuild the Church and devoted his whole life to that conviction.

I think of Mother Frances Cabrini who devoted her life to helping immigrants who were trying to adjust to a new country and were facing discrimination and poverty.

I think of Dorothy Day who was convinced that she was being called to the Catholic Church and sacrificed her relationship with the man she loved when she made that choice.

These three and many others inspire us because they stood firm in the face of much opposition and ridicule. It is amazing that when that opposition and ridicule died down and people saw them standing firm, many others joined them and contributed to and carried on their work.

They were motivated by faith. They felt that God was speaking to them and asking them to follow God's call in a way that was different. They took a stand against their culture. Many considered them weird and strange. Even their fellow lay Catholics and members of the clergy told them that they were wrong and that they should return to a "normal" path.

They did not labor for recognition or acceptance by those in power at the time. They challenged those authorities and pointed them in a different direction---the path of the Gospel. Their labor was for Jesus and not for themselves.

They were in love with Jesus. They talked with Him every day and followed His message. Their love for Jesus grew through their prayer and helped them to overcome the daily obstacles they faced.

That love inspired St. Francis to embrace lepers, Mother Cabrini to establish hospitals for the immigrants who were not accepted at the private hospitals of her day, and Dorothy Day to publish a newspaper featuring articles about the social justice issues of her day and to establish houses of hospitality to feed the hungry.

They felt that God had chosen them for this labor of love. They knew that this would not be an easy path and many of their "friends" questioned them. 

What helped them to persevere? They all had the conviction that God had chosen them for this labor.

The Church had to be rebuilt---it was too complacent and corrupt.

Immigrants had to be helped---Jesus was dwelling in them and with them.

The hungry had to be fed---Jesus was on the bread line with them.

People of conviction like St. Francis, St. Frances Cabrini, and Dorothy Day are signs of hope for us. They remind us that God has a message for each one of us and calls us to a labor of love. God asks us to reach out to those who are hurting, neglected, and forgotten.

God has a message of Hope for them through us:

you are loved!

1. Who are some people of conviction that you admire?

2. What has given you the strength to hold on to your convictions in the face of ridicule and opposition?

3. Are you willing to make sacrifices for your convictions?

4. What are some of your convictions that challenge the culture of today?

5. What do you see as you ponder Kathy's photo?

(Scripture adaptation, reflection, and questions by John McNamara)