Faithful Before Successful

          "The men of the East may spell the stars,

          And times and triumphs mark,

          But the men signed of the cross of Christ

          Go gaily in the dark....

         "The wise men know all evil things

          Under the twisted trees,

          Where the perverse in pleasure pine

          And men are weary of green wine

          And sick of crimson seas.

 

          "But you and all the kind of Christ

          Are ignorant and brave,

          And you have wars you hardly win

          And souls you hardly save.

 

          "I tell you naught for your comfort,

          Yea, naught for your desire,

          Save that the sky grows darker yet

          And the sea rises higher.

 

          "Night shall be thrice night over you,

          And heaven an iron cope.

          Do you have joy without a cause,

          Yea, faith without a hope?"

 

As we fight these great battles before us, I find these words of Chesterton (The Ballad of the White Horse) to be inspiring, for we are children of God before we are warriors, and we must remain so if we wish to effectively strive for victory.  But what is victory?  As Bl. Mother Theresa wisely said, “We are not called to be successful; we are called to be faithful.”  This is what it means to fight in the army of God.  We are fed at the Table of the Lord then are sent forth to press on where the world—and sometimes our visible results—tell us there is no point, no hope, no cause, no victory.  Cling to God in His saints, His sacraments, His Mother, His Church and your “joy without a cause” and “faith without a hope” will shine brightly to these women who are suffering in darkness and show them that there is a better way.