Today's Mass Readings can be found: [HERE].
Yesterday at some length, we discussed the notion of what has been described by some as, "divinization," or "becoming divine". In short, it refers to God's plan of making mankind divine, after the pattern of Jesus Christ, who is 100% human and 100% God. But what Jesus Christ is by nature, we are invited into by adoption. You can read that post [here].
But being "divine" is not what many might think. There is no glory or power to be wielded with impunity with this godliness, nor worldly honors to be enjoyed. On this side of heaven, divinity wears a peculiar face.
Jesus Christ is God, and yet who could naturally look upon a scene of execution (the Crucifix) and immediately intuit the Eternal face of Divine Love? Glory is on display there in the Crucifix to perfection, that is true. But it takes eyes of faith to behold it. As it takes a wine connoisseur to truly appreciate a complex wine, only the true connoisseur of glory (the martyr) recognizes and appreciates the fine wine that is the Cross. Any worldly "glory" is nothing but cheap wine for the saint.
I recall Saint Paul: "I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as refuse, in order that I may gain Christ" (cf. Philippians 3:8). That is the saint's attitude with regard to the wealth of the world in comparison to Christ.
In our gospel passage today (John 15:26-16:4a), Jesus tells his disciples: "They will expel you from the synagogues; in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you will think he is offering worship to God." As it was with the Master, so it is with the disciple. That is the price of divinity in this world. The disciple drinks deep of that chalice, without letting it pass by. May God bless you.
