In a snowy winter such as this one, snow gets pushed out from the roads and sidewalks, and oftentimes tree trunks almost get submerged in the white mess; one tree by the exit unto Siberia Road is pretty well halfway covered with a snowbank.
Watching these trees one hopes that they have deep roots and strong bark – to withstand not only the weight of the snow, but also all the chemicals, road salt, and dirt that the snow contains. To survive a harsh winter, a tree needs profound roots.
Our first reading from the book of the Prophet Jeremiah presents to us an image of a tree that will not wither when the summer heat comes; that tree has planted its shoots by the living water. What is that living water? The ability to trust in the Lord. The image of the tree implies that this ability grows, expands over time, as a person navigates the events of life; the big and the small events; they are a course for us on how to trust, on how to grow our roots deep.
The second reading, from the First Letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, speaks of the resurrection of the dead. How is our belief in the resurrection of the dead? People can testify to their belief in life eternal, in the resurrection, also by being martyrs; martyrdom is the ultimate proof of a person’s Christian profession; Lumen Gentium (42) speaks to us in this way: “By martyrdom a disciple is transformed into an image of his Master by freely accepting death for the salvation of the world—as well as his conformity to Christ in the shedding of his blood. Though few are presented such an opportunity, nevertheless all must be prepared to confess Christ before men”. To confess is to testify, and to testify, is to be for the world a living image of the Divine Master – Jesus Christ.
Today (Sunday, February 17) the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate observe the 193rd anniversary of the approval of their Constitutions and Rules. Pope Leo XII approved the Oblate rule in 1826. Since that time, about 100 Oblates have died a violent death in the course of their mission; there are about 100 Oblate “martyrs”. In fact, the first Oblate who ever suffered a violent death in the course of his mission was brother Alexius Reynard, who was killed in what is today Alberta, back in 1875, by an Iroquis Metis man.
About 30 Oblate martyrs have been proclaimed as “Blessed”: Blessed Józef Cebula, who died in Mauthausen, a Nazi-German concentration camp in Austria in 1941; Blessed Martyrs of Spain, who gave their life for their Catholic faith during the Spanish Civil War; Blessed Martyrs of Laos, who included Father Mario Borzaga, who were killed for their faith by Communist guerrillas in the 1960’s. On different continents, in a variety of languages, some Oblates have met with a martyr’s death.
Finally, in our Gospel reading, Jesus presents his “Sermon on the Plain”, and he pronounces as blessed those who suffer want for the Gospel of Christ: the poor, the hungry, those who weep, those who are defamed on behalf of Christ. Those who are blessed are set in contrast to those who are rich, who are full, who laugh, and those of whom all speak well; “Woe to you”, says the Christ – because the days of your self-satisfied comfort are counted, they are nearing their end.
Let us then, in the ups and downs of life, set our roots deep to the living water – our trust in God, which hopefully is growing, day by day. We will then be able to witness to Jesus Christ, to testify to the truthfulness of His message. Such testimony will incur opposition, even defamation, but in the end, when the Son of Man returns, we too will be able to claim our title as “blessed”.
(Fr. Pawel Ratajczak, OMI, Feb. 17, 2019)
