 |
||||||
[At the cross of Jesus,] there were also women
looking on
from a
distance. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and
Salome. These women had followed him when he
was in
|
||||||
If
the movie "Freedom Writers" were not a true story, it would seem unreal
and sentimental. But it really happened--Erin Gruwell actually
accomplished the "taming" of a class of students whose lives for the
most part were riddled with broken homes, turf wars, drive-by shootings
and personal tragedies. In doing it, she not only directed the writing
of "The Freedom Writers Diary," but there was immense personal
sacrifice. To accomplish her goal, she had to overcome her fears of
entering a rough classroom situation and the jealousy of teachers who
had given up on the students of Wilson High School. She had to work two
jobs in order to have enough money to buy classroom materials that the
school administration would not give her. In fact, she gave so much
of herself that her marriage could not stand the tension. The calling
to be a sincere teacher is one that is laden
with difficult decisions and personal sacrifices that must be made if
any education is to eventually happen.
|
||||||
|
There
was quite obviously personal sacrifice on the part of Jesus as he
suffered and died for humankind. Even if he had some idea that his
suffering would redeem humankind, he was human, and as a human being,
he
suffered. But so did his followers. Many of them were not there at the
cross--their suffering was such that they were afraid for their own
lives, and they could not bear the added pain
of watching Jesus suffer. But there were some, mostly women, who had
the courage to stay with him. Theirs was a personal sacrifice that
expressed itself with bravery.
Personal sacrifice has long been the test of whether we believe in something or someone or not. If we truly believe some situation to be true, then we will be willing to sacrifice on behalf of it. The early followers of Jesus gave the example of such a sacrifice. Dedicated people like teacher Erin Gruwell in the movie "Freedom Writers" likewise gave such an example. If one is going to be a good teacher and has the goal of helping young people grow to be mature adults, then the good teacher will make personal sacrifices. We are committed Christians, that is people who have understood what Jesus Christ said and did, and we have chosen to follow him even as we live our own particular lives with its own set of circumstances. As we make the choice, we must realize that if we mean it, really mean it, it might demand personal sacrifice on our parts. Jesus teaches a doctrine that is not easily followed in our world. Sometimes it might take some personal sacrifice in order to follow him completely. |
||||||
|
THOUGHT
What are some personal sacrifices that
Christianity demands?
PRAYER Good
and gracious God, we have the example of people making personal
sacrifices as they accepted you as their God, beginning with your Son
and continuing through his many followers in the centuries. May we come
to understand
that if we commit ourselves to you, it may mean that we have to
sacrifice some things. Be with us, we pray.
|
||||||
©2007
Capuchin Province of Mid-America
Fr. Mike Scully is a member of the Capuchin Province of Mid-America |