Reflection: Feast of St. Gertrude
There are some things in our world
that are so connected that it is hard to think of one and not also think of the
other. Like salt and pepper, macaroni
and cheese. The two are closely
connected and are a pair. People are
like that too. When you think of
someone, you may immediately connect them with the work they do or a product
they have made. Bill Gates is connected
with Microsoft, Steve Jobs with Apple computers, and the Manning brothers with
football.
When I was growing up, we had a
priest in my hometown who helped us renovate our church. We would have always connected him with the
renovation if it weren’t for the fact that when he left, he said he did not want
to be remembered as the priest who painted the church, he wanted to be
remembered as the priest who loved. He
did not want his connection to be to a certain action in his life, but rather
to a way of life, a way of being.
When we think of ourselves, with
what do we see ourselves connected? Are
we so connected to Jesus that the Gospel passage rings true, “Remain in me as I
remain in you.” St. Gertrude whose feast
we celebrate today, knew this connection well.
She said to God, “I can find no pleasure in anything on earth save in
yourself alone, my sweetest Lord.” To
this, God responded, “And in the same way, I find nothing in heaven or on earth
which could please me without you” (The
Classics of Western Spirituality, Gertrude of Helfta: The Herald of Divine Love, 1993).
When people see us and speak with us, do they see
Christ? Is Christ so alive within us,
and we are so connected with Christ that it is impossible to tell where I end
and Christ begins? St. Paul knew this
connection well when he wrote in Galatians, “I no longer live, but Christ lives
in me” (Galatians 2:20). John the
Baptist was also aware of this connection. “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John
3:30). When people see us, do they see
the work we do or the products we make or do these things lead them to
something greater than ourselves? Do
they see much more in our words and actions?
Do they see Christ? Do they
experience love?
There’s a story of a man who went to
the doctor and was told he had 3 years to live.
You can imagine the shock he experienced. He decided he was going to live life to the
fullest. He was kinder than he had ever
been before. He was gentler. The things that people said or did that would
bother him in the past did not bother him anymore. He saw people in need and helped them. He gave away all the nonessentials in his
life. People noticed a huge difference
in his personality and behavior. They
were drawn to him. He was now connected
to Christ. He saw Christ in the people
around him, and people saw Christ in him.
Christ remained in him. He lived
in such a way that Christ radiated through him, through his words and
actions.
After some time, the man went back
to the doctor, and the doctor said, “Great news! We have found a cure. You will have a complete recovery.” This was great news to the doctor, but it
wasn’t for the man. He began to
cry. He was afraid he would slip back to
his old ways.
Christ is always with us, all around
us, ready for us to bear much fruit if we remain in him and allow him to remain
in us. Remaining in Christ is like a
fish remaining in water. Water is the
life source for the fish. Christ is our
life source to God. We remain in Christ
as Christ remains in God. Without
Christ, we can do nothing.
To remain in Christ, we cannot just
stay at the surface level and be satisfied.
There’s a story of a little boy who fell out of bed. When asked why he fell out, he said, “I guess
I just stayed too close to where I got in.”
We continue our journey to God, not satisfied with staying at the
surface level, but growing more fully aware of God’s love and presence with us
and around us.
The priest in my hometown did not want to be
remembered as the priest who painted the church, but rather as the priest who
loved. When people see us, what do they
see? Do they see the Gospel passage
being lived, “Remain in me as I remain in you.”
Do they see Christ so alive in us that they no longer see us, but Christ
who lives within us?
