Nothing costs as much as Salvation… Nothing. Not even the greatest success…
I have recently read a story about a barrister from the 18th century. And the story goes like this…
In 1723, a young and brilliant barrister was defending a case in the Court of Naples. This barrister had not one, but two PHDs and was fluent in several languages, talented in music and the arts and was a successful influencer in politics. This barrister was only twenty-seven years old at the time. In the eight years preceding this particular case (from the time he was only nineteen years old), this barrister had not lost a single case. In this instance, he was defending Dr Orsini. He was skilful in defending his client’s innocence and was sure that he would emerge from this case – as he had from all the others – victorious. However, in this case, the barrister’s client had deceived him, and at the eleventh hour the prosecution produced a document that destroyed all the barrister’s arguments, causing him to lose the case.
The barrister was deeply humiliated by this defeat, and for him this was a turning point, because it caused him to start thinking about where he was putting his talents. After a discernment of three years, this barrister was ordained a priest, at the age of thirty in 1926. Later, he founded the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists) and devoted his talents to preaching and teaching, writing over a hundred books.
This barrister’s name was Saint Alphonse of Liguori. Saint Alphonse is a Doctor of the Church, which means he is recognised as having produced inspired teachings to aid the Church in her understanding of God.
And I have been thinking about Saint Alphonse today, because Saint Alphonse could only become a Saint through his failure, which is much the same as Saint Simon Peter, who first had to fail as a fisherman so that he could succeed as a Saint.
When Christ was teaching us what we need to give to God, He told the parable of the vineyard…
“And He began to speak to them in parables. ‘A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a pit for the wine press, and built a tower, and let it out to tenants, and went into another country. When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard... And he sent another, and him they killed; and so with many others, some they beat and some they killed.’” (Mark 12:1-12).
And that means something…
Because I have realised today that if I do not accept the failures as I see them from God, then I will not be able to succeed as a Saint. You see, if God wanted me to succeed, then I would – all of my efforts would be rewarded. But if God has other plans for me, then He simply allows me to fail in my own plans. He does not make me fail to harm me or punish me. He does not even allow me to fail because He does not love me. It is quite the opposite. You see, when I fail, God allows this for LOVE of me. Because He understands far more than I ever could, the cost of my success in that instance.
And He understands that nothing costs as much as Salvation… Nothing. Not even the greatest success…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.
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