The Answer: Surrender

I recently listened again to the marvelous homily given by Bishop Slattery at the Pontifical High Mass at the Basilica National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C.. In his homily the Bishop talked about suffering. He talked how suffering can reveal the mercy of God. His meditations may be the best I've heard on the subject (it's up there for sure). The homily can be found at this link (originally posted by Cleansing Fire) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D_IW4lFjHh0. Part two can found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvsUXTvzSgQ&feature=related. The other thing that Bishop Slattery states so well. He talks of the obedience with which we become true disciples of Christ. This is to be obedient to the Father with the obedience of Christ.

It is this upon which I now meditate. One of the things my housemate and I has discussed often is the way to freedom. As it is termed, absolute freedom under the law. What does this mean? To many in society, freedom is being able to do what we like, but to the Christian, freedom is, as John Paul II stated so well, "the ability to do what we must." In simple layman's terms, do the right thing. In our terms, right action, guided by right reason. These are things ordered by God.

So what is this freedom? This freedom can only be achieved one way, surrender. For those that are reading and scratching their heads, that was not a typo. It may not make sense to some. In fact, it may seem backwards. The fact is that it is the truth. Jesus says "Deny yourself daily, pick up your cross, and follow me." He calls us to drop everything and follow him. As the good bishop said in his homily, the things of this world "are perishable and finite." We cannot grow connected to these things. The balance is to be part of this world and yet not. We must engage the world but not become enslaved by its temptations. Instead we as Christians have to turn to God and that which is imperishable and infinite. It is essential to remember that our hope is not in this world but rather in the next.

So what does this really mean? How am a connecting the bishop's homily to surrender? Well the answer is simple: one way we become obedient to God is to surrender to His will. Sometimes he allows us to go through times of difficulty. It is up to us to accept these and unite our suffering with that of Christ. As the bishop said, "Christ reveals Himself to those who suffer in Christ." What I am really going to try and hammer home is the relationship of our obedience to what this freedom is.

On the cross, Christ made the supreme sacrifice for all. He took the sins of humanity upon Himself. His blood is the blood of our redemption. Then he broke from the powers of death and was fully resurrected in His bodily form. Thus bringing about the restoration of life. The result of sin is the death of the soul, but for one who abides in Christ, he or she is freed from the death.

Our desires on their own, save for our desire for God, are disordered. By the stain of original sin, our will does not act in accord with our reason. Our reason will tell us that God's will is perfect and that we have to submit to it. Our will however, will tell us it is too painful. Sometimes that submission can be painful. Often times we have to give up on certain things we feel matter. That being said, the reward that awaits in heaven for he who patiently bears his trials is beyond imagination.

Christ set the example of love and obedience by His sacrifice on the cross. He made His most sacred heart open and available so that we open our hearts to God. God's love for us is so strong, that if we let Him in, He will keep us close. The fact is that He gives us more than we need.

The fruit of our obedience is to experience more fully this love. To have the freedom from worldly desires and to have them become godly desires is more fruitful than secularists realize. The thing to remember is that this is true freedom. It is a freedom from the enslavement of sin.

As good as it may feel for one to give into selfish desires, they are not truly fulfilling. The true fulfillment comes from God. It is in this that obedience shows its fruit. Christ's action of obedience was to die, and so to must ours. This death is not a physical one, but rather a death to self. Thus by surrendering ourselves entirely to God, we render ourselves His servants and thus become more loving of those around us. By surrendering to God, we are filled with every goodness, even in those moments that are most painful (this is when God is our comfort). Lastly surrender to God brings the greatest level of joy. I can speak to it personally, and countless others will testify to the same.