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DTSTART;VALUE=DATE:20250721
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UID:13715-1753056000-1753142399@laycisterciansofgethsemani.org
SUMMARY:Vigils Reading
DESCRIPTION:MAKING THE MOST OF \nUNFAVORABLE CIRCUMSTANCES \nBy Alessandro Pronzato \n◊◊◊ \nI have always been impressed by this detail: “the night in which he was \nbetrayed“. In an atmosphere of betrayal\, in a climate of tiredness and sleep\, in a \ndifficult situation\, while the shadows of suspicion\, evil\, vileness and fear are \nthickening\, Christ offers us his supreme gift. The Eucharist is instituted \nprecisely in the midst of unfavorable circumstances. On that night\, men and \nwomen put together a whole collection of damaged goods: opportunism\, \nsleepiness\, dirty business\, suspicious alliances\, malice\, stupidity and \nfanaticism. And it is precisely in this gloomy situation\, which is the opposite of \nencouraging\, that Christ gives us the gift of himself as our food. \nAt the moment – certainly not ideal – when man presents his most hateful \nface\, Christ “invents” the way to remain always at man’s disposal. At the \nmoment when man sells him off and abandons him\, Christ assures his own \npresence at man’s table. \nReflecting on this paradox\, it is all too easy to discover a new occupation \nfor our ordinary days: to take advantage of unfavorable circumstances. We \nshould not wait to do something or to give our best when certain situations that \nwe consider “ideal” occur. Instead\, look for the less favorable circumstances. \nTake advantage of the less opportune moments. Yes\, precisely in this paltry \nenvironment\, in this impossible climate\, in the midst of the most shameless \nfalsehood and hypocrisy with these unbearable individuals\, you are called to do \nsomething good. \nIf you wait for the ideal superior\, the understanding brothers\, the work of \nyour liking\, the perfect community\, to do something\, to fulfill yourself\, to \nprovide your contribution to the common life\, you will probably have to remain \nunemployed all your life. Take advantage\, then\, of unfavorable circumstances… \nWhen it seems that everything is going smoothly… a chain of disasters \nrains down on you. Precisely then is the “right” moment to sing. When you are \nthe victim of suspicions\, of unfair accusations. You find yourself involved in a \ntangle of envy. You are the target of slander. Then it is the “favorable” moment \nto build your inner peace. When you taste the bitter taste of disappointment \nand ingratitude. You hit a wall of indifference. Then it is the “apt” moment to \noffer others something else\, something beautiful. When you don’t feel like \npraying. You feel distrustful and dry. You have nothing to say to the Lord. You \nhave so many other things to think about. Then it is the “ideal” time to pray. \nDo not miss…these unfavorable occasions. You would find yourself \nempty-handed. And others will never receive anything from you. So\, do not wait \nfor extraordinary\, exceptional occasions. Tenaciously build your greatness with \nthe ordinary materials you find at hand… True greatness passes through the \nseasons of your ordinary days. If you wait for it at the rendezvous of the \nexceptional\, you will never see its face. \nWork patiently with what you have\, with what you are\, if you don’t want to \naccumulate delays and disappointments. It is the heart you put inside that \nmakes even the most trivial things great… The choice is\, then\, between \nexclusively ideal situations and situations that are less than ideal at the starting \npoint\, but which open the possibility of encountering\, along the way\, the \ntransforming action of God.
URL:https://laycisterciansofgethsemani.org/event/vigils-reading-338/
CATEGORIES:Vigils Readings
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