Fr. Cedric Pisegna Parish Mission at Ascension Church: 1st Day (Sept. 27, 2015)
“You must realize that to reach a great union with God by way of holy love, trials are necessary.”
(St. Paul of the Cross)
We had a great turnout on the first night of the parish mission with Fr. Cedric Pisegna. He spoke on the Gospel of Mark where the disciples faced a great storm in the Sea of Galilee in a boat.
Jesus Stills the Storm (Mark 4:37-39)
…And there arose a fierce gale of wind, and the waves were breaking over the boat so much that the boat was already filling up. Jesus Himself was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke Him and said to Him, "Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?" And He got up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, "Hush, be still." And the wind died down and it became perfectly calm.…God is at work in us now trying to make us someone magnificent. God is interested in the little tests that we have now, but is most interested in the final product. I once heard a quote that I love. “What we are is God’s gift to us. Who we become is our gift to God.” Of course, who we become is a mixture of our efforts and God’s masterful hand. God is interested in our becoming. In order to live passionately, we must have the goal of becoming a beautiful, magnificent person. This is the
purpose of our life. God has revealed to me that more than any ministry I do, God is interested in the type of person I am becoming through the ministry.
When we are going through things, often we don’t understand what is happening. Reality doesn’t
seem to make sense. But the overriding principle we must live by is that God is at work in the situation. There are no drive through breakthroughs. There is no microwave maturity. Things take time, and suffering and tribulations produce a great work in us. Paul penned this beautifulverse, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character.”(Romans 5:3-4)
There is no other way to get endurance than by enduring things. I like to run three miles every other day. It helps me cope with stress and keeps my body in shape. I try to run fast enough to run eight minute miles. Usually about one mile into the run my body starts making its presence known. It will start to shout out to me, “This hurts, when are we going to stop?” If I stop just because I am winded or tired or hurting, I never gain the ability to endure. When I continue, then the next time I run, I am
able to run the same distance without as much pain. I have gained endurance.Endurance is a very valuable virtue and something God requires.
The particular brand of deodorant I use is called “high endurance” deodorant. I like it because of its quality. It lasts. God is looking for people of quality who will last, be faithful and not give up. God is looking for people who will endure. “Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross . . .” (Hebrews 12:1-2)-Fr. Cedric Pisegna, C.P.
Live Passionately! The Saving and Transforming Power of the Cross
