St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

The most glaring evidence of God's desire to be involved in our lives is the sacrament of the Eucharist. Every Mass, when Jesus becomes truly present in the Eucharist, is like another Bethlehem, another Christmas. Through the Eucharist, Jesus continues to accompany and nourish His people, staying involved in their lives, even in the most unlikely of places.

 

Archbishop Fulton Sheen told the story of a group of Catholics who protested when the Communist government in China arrested their bishop. They were put into prison right next to the bishop. Every morning, a four-year-old girl was allowed to visit them and bring each of the twenty prisoners a small loaf of bread. Hidden inside each loaf of bread was a small cloth napkin, and inside each napkin was the Eucharist. In this way, these persecuted Catholics were able to receive Holy Communion each day they were in prison. But they would leave one loaf uneaten and keep it in a corner of the cell. That way, throughout the day, they could pray to our Lord in the Eucharist and adore Him there.

 

When South Vietnam fell to the Communist regime in 1975, the Catholic Archbishop of Saigon, Francis Nguyen van Thuan, was arrested. He spent the next 14 years of his life in various prisons, solitary confinement situations, and reeducation camps, along with other political prisoners, many of whom were Catholics. The communists wanted him to recant his faith, which would be a blow to the Catholic resistance. But even inside the concentration camps, the prisoners were able to smuggle in enough wine and bread for the future Cardinal to celebrate Mass in secret.

 

In one camp the prisoners were forced to sleep in common beds, each one having the right to 50 centimeters. The Archbishop would arrange to have five Catholics with him. After the lights went out at 9:30 p.m., he would curl up in the dark and celebrate Mass for them, by memory, with three drops of wine and one drop of water, in the palm of his hand. Underneath the mosquito netting they would make little containers from the paper of cigarette boxes to reserve the Blessed Sacrament. So even amidst the hardships of Communist prisons and work camps, Jesus stayed involved – so closely and intimately involved – in His people's lives.

 

We all believe that God wants to be involved in our lives. Yet, sometimes it feels as if He is pretty far away. Sometimes, in the face of economic difficulties, sickness, and so many other kinds of suffering, it seems hard to find Him. But we can actually get better at finding God's hand in all things, even our crosses, if we do three things.

 

First, we need to have an honest, regular prayer life. Too often we only pray to God when we are in trouble. We need to recommit ourselves to daily, personal prayer, even if it's only for 10 or 15 minutes. If we learn to converse with God every day, we will be much more likely to hear His voice on the terrible days.

 

Second, we need to take the crucifix seriously. It is no coincidence that the crucifix is the central image of our religion. God chose to save us by sharing in human suffering. We need to look often at the crucifix, and contemplate it, and teach ourselves to remember that suffering is not outside of God's plan of salvation, but an essential part of it.

 

And third, we need to help others carry their crosses. The devil's favorite tactic is to make us think so much about ourselves that we lose sight of the bigger picture. When we go out of our comfort zone to support, console, and encourage those who are suffering even more than we are, we break the devil's spell.

 

This week, if each of us chooses just one of those three tactics, I can guarantee that we will all gather again for Mass next week having had a deeper experience of God's involvement in our lives. And along with that experience will come a bigger share of Advent joy.