"Goodness in the face of evil must suffer, for when love meets sin, it will be crucified."
-Ven. Fulton Sheen
I came across this quote from Ven. Fulton Sheen regarding many related areas to explore including perhaps, what love is; redemptive suffering; injustice and indignation; following the Good Shepherd by picking up my own cross and supplying the only thing that is lacking in the suffering of Christ: my own. Let's ponder together the depth of this beautiful quote to get us started in a deeper meditation in our daily prayer.
What is love? This is a question for the ages, for every soul, for every day, for the present angst. The words of popular music propose the very opposite definition of what love is. If one had to choose only one Christological word to define love, one might choose 'sacrifice'. If one were to choose only one secular word to define love, one might choose 'pleasure' or 'comfort'. The first being other focused, the second being self focused. 'What can I do to help?' vs 'what can you do for me?'
With this perspective on what defines the essence of love, we might give reason to it's goal or work or purpose. In the one story that spans all time, the love story between God and the human heart, the rescue mission so that the two can be together, the phrase 'redemptive suffering' surfaces. It is fruit of God's nature, but for us in this human experience of life on earth, it is a work full of practice, imitating Christ who demonstrates the work of love and in turn that both transforms us, others and slowly, the whole of humanity. We can call it redemptive suffering because in fact, the whole of humanity is in need of redemption. Apparently this is not passive work though.This rescue mission has a promise of victory in time. So that we may share the victory, He invites us to join the battle, a battle that will hurt but with such assurance of hope, how can one refuse?
In a thousand ways, we miss these moments of battle. In the numerous moments of the day when we are caught up in our daily lives, we lose perspective and meet the numerous injustices with indignation. 'This shouldn't be happening!' 'This challenge is ridiculous!' We often look for someone to commiserate with about the injustice or worse, meet the injustice with further injustice, when as Fulton Sheen says, 'Goodness in the face of evil must suffer'. That evil exists in the world is not new information. Our response is the very remedy needed in this disorder. In order to have less of that evil or injustice, we might become goodness; become light in the darkness, by allowing God, the source of all goodness & Light, to dispel the darkness through us....with our cooperation.
That leads each of us to the unique examples that collectively comprise our daily life. My cross looks different from yours and yet we can relate to one another. As Sheen says, 'When love meets sin (in all it's forms), it will be crucified.' It is arresting to think of it in those terms since my self control to hold my tongue or my willingness to give a little more when I think I am out of strength, is precisely sufficient weapon of love (the cross) to wage battle with the evil of sin in that moment. Christ's weapon of choice, the bloody cross, is once again enlisted to conquer the darkness of sin, and what is even more profound for me, as is much of God's greatest work, is that it is hidden work; often unseen, but no less beautiful and of eternal and infinite value.
Dear friend in Christ, 'Agape on!'