As this reflection reaches us we are moving steadily toward the wonder of Holy Week, and what God has done… We’ve been alerted as to the temptations we will face; we’ve been to the mountaintop and heard “Look to me and be radiant…”; then we were shown that we should be like fruitful trees; and finally in March we were shown the heart of “the Plan”: reconciliation. God and me. God and us. Our presence is to be one of bringing things together. We are to be reconcilers.
The third chapter of Francis’ letter on holiness shows us what this looks like – or maybe smells like. Beatitude living can be described as the “odor of sanctity,” an image that has always delighted me. Some people just smell good. There is that faint odor of flowers or cleanliness about them. It’s a physical thing. But those who emit beatitude living truly emit a certain spiritual energy that is wonderful. They project a positive energy, an attitude of gratitude and joy. They might be blind or mute or in a wheelchair, but in their presence we are ministered to. They are not demanding; they have learned to keep a reign on their anger; they listen; they are concerned about the people they hear about on the news, even though they have problems enough of their own. We are uplifted in their presence as if we got a good whiff of lavender or apple blossom.
Francis has it right. Beatitude living is a refreshing presence for anyone coming into contact with it. It is the result of tough practiced virtue: the armor of faith, the expectation of hope, and tough love; the wisdom of prudence; the clarity of justice; the determination of fortitude and the balance of temperance. Mix in the spirit-gifts and the fruit and fragrance start to show.
Spring is around the corner. We look for its signs: the crocuses, the daffodils, forsythia blooming. As worded women and men, we will present a presence wherever our feet take us. We will be known by our own brand of cologne.
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