3 November 2017
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
Recently, an old friend of mine was trying to reach out to me through my sister. I have not been in contact with her since I moved to the United States over thirteen years ago.
It was such a treat to be able to reconnect with my friend and share stories of our journey. It seems like yesterday when we were together in high school. Now she has become a mother of several children and I am just a Jesuit Scholastic on my long pilgrimage. I still remember our last conversation which took place almost twenty years ago. She expressed her concern over the state of my soul. At that time, I was drifting away from Catholic faith and in a spiritual wilderness. Of course I was skeptical about her comments concerning my soul, but in retrospect, what a gift to have a friend who deeply cares about the state of my soul.
In the letter to the Romans, St. Paul expressed his great sorrow and anguish. Moreover, he is willing to be cursed and cut off from Christ – to forfeit his own salvation – for the sake of his fellow Jews who have failed to believe in the Messiah despite all of their privileges. The privileges that have been neglected by the Jews include the adoption, the covenants, the worship, the promises and the Messiah himself. Paul’s statement is more than a cry of frustration, but rather a sacrificial love, for he knows that Christ has become a burden for others.
We do not have to offer ourselves by severing our relationship with Christ. However, in your prayer today, at least reflect on the following questions: Do I care about the state of someone’s soul? How can I best accompany others in their faith journeys? What I can do to help someone who lost his or her faith?