A Martyr, a King and a Hiatus: A Blog Post in Three Acts

     In the Church today, we celebrate the anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Miguel Pro. Father Pro was a priest in Mexico during the early 20th century. This was a time of great persecution for the Church in that country, as the government sought to kill as many Catholics as possible. In the face of this hatred and danger, Father Pro never backed down. He went from village to village, stopping in each to celebrate Mass and hear confessions before moving quickly and secretly to his next station. In November 1927, Father Pro was finally apprehended by the government and hastily sentenced to death by firing squad.

     On the 23rd of that month, Father Pro was walked out to the prison yard where he was to die. Moments before the bullets riddled his body, he refused a blindfold, and stretched his arms out to form a cross with his body. One of the guards asked for his forgiveness. Father Pro replied, "You not only have my forgiveness, you also have my thanks." Then, this servant of God shouted his final words: ¡Viva Cristo Rey! (Long live Christ the King)

     This Sunday happens to be the Feast of Christ the King. During His life on Earth, many of His followers believed that He was the long awaited messiah who would bring them to victory over the Romans and found an earthly kingdom of which He would rule as king. That never happened, as Christ was crucified by the Romans under the taunt: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. Yet Father Pro now knows intimately what we believe by faith: that Christ is King...of Heaven.

      How strange it seems then that just as we are meditating upon the splendor of Jesus in His final state as King of the Eternal Kingdom, we are a little more than a month away from Christmas. It is fitting and proper--a blessing really-- that we have the entire season of Advent to ponder the mystery of the Incarnation, of the Word made Flesh to dwell among us. The dichotomy of Christ, that is to say God the Creator of all, as both a King and a defenseless Baby lying in a manger (sans donkeys) shows us the scandal that sin caused and that God is willing to enter into in order to draw us back to Himself. As Saint Paul writes: For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Cor 5:21) I always have to stop and reread that sentence. It's hard enough to fathom God allowing us to possess His righteousness like a book that is lent to a friend. It's entirely incomprehensible, for my weak imagination at least, to imagine becoming Righteousness. Yet nothing short of that would render us able to enjoy eternity with the Perfect Being that is God; for any blemish would render us so ashamed in His wondrous Light that we would be miserably uncomfortable. How often we all shudder even in this world at the thought of God, though we know at best but a small whisper of His Glory.

     Usually Lent, the period before Easter, is considered the chief season of purification and amendment. But there's a special message in the Nativity--one of humility and unconditional love--that we risk missing if we ignore the time of study and reflection that Advent affords us. To this end, I'm informing all you dear readers that I and this blog are going on hiatus until at least after Christmas, most likely until after the next semester starts in mid-January. This post is the eighty-third I have written since March and I have been amazed at the breadth this silly little personal project has endeavored to reach through the Grace of God--thousands of "hits" from over 38 different countries on 5 continents (apparently the Holy Spirit doesn't work in Australia or Antarctica!). In my first post I wrote, If this blog can help but one person grow in their faith or challenge them to live a life that glorifies our heavenly Father, then it will have been a success. I hope I can say that at least that is a mission accomplished.

      Of late I have been spending perhaps what some might consider an inordinate amount of time wrestling with what it means to "live the Truth in Love." To that end, I hope to spend even more time turning that beautiful and mysterious phrase over in my mind, in my prayers, and in my spiritual readings. Christ didn't respond with anger when people mocked him or when people rejected what He offered. Christ's response, and therefore the Christian response, was and is to weep for them out of love and regard for their eternal welfare. This was echoed 13 centuries later when Saint Dominic would be heard in the early hours of the morning moaning and sobbing, intermittently stopping to exclaim Oh Lord, what will become of these unrepentant sinners?

      A Christian is obliged to, as Saint Peter states, always be prepared...to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and reverence. (1 Peter 3:15) After much prayer, I feel I need to better understand how to articulate my account in a way that is gentle and reverent, while still always being Truthful with a capital T.

      I suspect this blog's absence will, in short order, be little noted. And rightfully so--for everything I have written about can and should be found in the Bible and/or the teachings of Christ's Church. There are many better sources of nutrition for your spiritual diet, a few of which I will mention in case you are so interested:

1. This site has short (5 lines or less) daily reflections on scripture.
2. This site has short (5-10 minute) audio reflections on scriptures. Probably my favorite and the one I find most captivating.
3. This flocknote page, in conjunction with this being the "Year of Faith" has broken up the Catechism of the Catholic Church into bite-size dailies that take 5 minutes to read and a day (or more) to muse on. If you every want to give Catholicism a fair shake or know what it is you reject, this is really a must-read. If nothing else, you will be reading the summary of a 2,000-plus year institution that has outlasted nearly every great civilization. In other words, the Church is kind of historically significant.

      So that's it! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I will keep the blog active so as to allow anyone who wishes to view my previous posts. Also, I'll respond to any comments posted. When I return, the blog will be under a new, yet-to-be-dertermined name (as I will no longer be in Costa Rica), so keep an eye on Facebook or follow me on Twitter. God Bless!

      Yours in Christ,

      Joseph