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Persuading Our Families to Love God
"When as a superior it was necessary for [St John of the Cross] to correct his subjects, he was cautious lest through impatience or anger he would succeed only in saddening or discouraging them. "He made his corrections with much gentleness and charity and always saw to it that the one being corrected would not leave his presence sad." His method of governing was not one of harshness. "Who has ever seen men persuaded to love God by harshness?" he used to ask. And he said that when Religious are brought up with such irrational severity, they become pusillanimous [ie: cowardly; faint-hearted; timid] in undertaking things of great virtue. Another characteristic of his "wonderfully gracious" manners was his custom of asking his subjects for their opinions in various matters or problems which arose. All of this created a holy environment of serenity and joy in the relationship of the friars to their superior."
from "The Collected Works of St John of the Cross", trans. Kavanaugh & Rodriguez, ICS Publications, Washington, DC, 1979, p29
posted by Holly at 8:20 PM
1 Comments:
As mothers, we too have need of correcting those in our charge. But 'how' we do it is most important.
The witness of St John of the Cross shows us two very important things.
First, that it is not by anger or harshness that we will convert our children to the love of God, but only by a gentle yet firm love, which truly respects the person of the other.
But secondly, it also points out to us that it is our own self-control - our own holiness and maturity in love - which is necessary to convert our families to Christ. We will not be able to give the love our families need if we do not have the Christian maturity which enables us to love with great gentleness and patience.
It is true that the biggest gift we can give to our children, and the strongest means for their complete education, is the holiness fo the mother.
Our own relationship with Christ remains the First Priority of our lives, so that we can be all that we need to be for others.
If our actions are a far cry from this example of John of the Cross, let's not be discouraged. But instead, acknowledge our sin and our weakness, and ask God for the graces to change. Remember, as St Paul says in this week's Mass readings - It is when I am weak that I am strong. Why? Because when we acknowledge our weakness, in all humility and truth, then Jesus comes to fill in the gap!
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