Prepare for Battle

Sirach 2:1 says “My son, if you come forward to serve the Lord, remain in justice and in fear, and prepare yourself for temptation.” Some translations replace temptation with “trial” or “battle”. This verse has never been more pertinent to our modern lives, enveloped in comfort, with priorities of maximizing pleasure and avoiding all suffering. Here’s the deal, if you are trying to avoid battle and suffering you are on the wrong path. This past week I attended mass where the relics of St. Padre Pio were displayed and venerated. This was man of suffering, a man who did battle daily. The homily, reflecting on the coming of Thanksgiving, asked the question “Do we thank God for our sufferings?” St Pio suffered daily with the stigmata for fifty years. He was ridiculed, humiliated, rejected and suffered real pain each day…then he battled the devil at night.

The bar for men is way too low these days. We are built for struggle. We are designed for battle…but we are addicted to comfort and run from all suffering. The whole of Sirach 2 is fantastic, but verse 5 is especially pertinent: “For gold and silver are tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation”. This was St Pio. What suffering are you embracing? What struggle are your currently engaged in? Are you smack dab in the furnace of humiliation? If so, rejoice, because that’s were men are forged, that’s where the ground of holiness is gained? You don’t have to seek out suffering, just stop running from it. God will bring us difficulties and suffering to form us…as gold is tested in the fire.