Monthly Reflection: October, 2003
The Spirit of Sacrifice
By Robert Fontana, MCA
“Sacrifice” in the Thinking of Fr. Judge
The Missionary Cenacle Family is not for everyone. Fr. Judge was clear about this. In Awake the Giant, Fr. James P. O’Bryan, S.T., recounts the story from Margaret Healy about how Fr. Judge recruited Amy Croke to this fledgling lay apostolic movement.
“Fr. Judge had observed her generosity with her talents – a keen interest in things spiritual; thoroughly devout; always had a ready response, prudent as it was cheerful, to any call for help.” (1)
One might think that such a person must be just right for the Cenacle. But Fr. Judge was not satisfied with these qualities only. He was looking for one more virtue: the spirit of sacrifice for the love of God and neighbor.
“He began to test her to see if she would do something more than pray, if she would sacrifice some of her leisure time. Fr. Judge sent her out to visit a few needy families.” (2)
Amy Croke apparently exhibited a beautiful spirit of sacrifice for Fr. Judge asked her to assume responsibilities for all the associates in the Cenacle. In asking her to take charge of the associates he wrote, “I know this is imposing a burden on you, one that may prove at times heavy but I am asking you to sacrifice yourself to it for the sake of the good that we are doing.” (3)
Fr. Judge wasn’t just looking for a “few good men or women” as the case may be. He was looking for extraordinary lovers of God who were willing to sacrifice themselves for others.
While hearing confessions Fr. Judge listened for those who appeared to have a special love for God. He would ask to meet with them following confessions and inquire if they were willing to make special sacrifices and do some good beyond their daily commitments for the love of God. Those who said “yes” he would invite to the Cenacle.
When Cardinal O’Connell of Boston questioned Fr. Judge about the Cenacle, the founder responded with, “They may be good hearted or good willed souls who can be persuaded to sacrifice, for the sake of personal service, their time and feelings – offering up prayers and good works to the Holy Ghost for sinners.” (4)
A spirit of sacrifice—a willingness to give up attachments, free time and leisure for the sake of others—was a key indicator for Thomas Judge that a person might have a vocation to the Cenacle.
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1. O’Bryan, Fr. James P., S.T., Awake The Giant, Missionary Cenacle Press, Holy Trinity, Alabama, p. 27.
2. Ibid. p. 27.
3. Ibid. p. 49.
4. Ibid. p. 30.
Sacrifice is important if it leads to love. In and of itself it means nothing. St. Paul writes, “If I give away everything that I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 1Corinthians 13:3. There must be a practical importance for sacrifice. It must create space for love of God and love of neighbor.
Sacrifice is not only an indicator of a vocation to the Cenacle; it is a way of life within the Cenacle. Fr. Judge insisted that Cenacle associates sacrifice their time, attachments, and commitments and make space for God in their hearts by receiving the Eucharist regularly, daily if at all possible. Saying “no” to small pleasures, to busyness at work or home, to free time with family and friends, for the sake of going to Mass regularly, or making a visit, or praying, or reading Scripture, or attending a Cenacle gathering, creates space in a person’s heart for God to dwell. And when God dwells deeply within the heart of a person, that person is compelled to reach out to others in love.
“Service, generous service, a service generous unto sacrifice, is the mark of the true worship and a pledge of God’s blessings and favor upon his servants. (5)
Fr. Judge, always the student of Scripture, echoes St. Paul’s letter to the Romans (12:1) “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.” For Fr. Judge, a sacrificial spirit was necessary to sustain a Cenacle associate over the course of his or her life. After the initial enthusiasm of joining the Cenacle, one can grow tired of the demands on time, talent, and treasure. Complacency can set in and Cenacle associates might say to themselves, “I’ve sacrificed enough for one day” or even “ for one lifetime. ” Our human natures are like that. But Fr. Judge insisted on a practical spirit of sacrifice that renounced self-love “at every moment.” (6) Complacency is challenged as Cenacle associates are exhorted to be always ready to do what the Holy Spirit is asking of them at any given moment for the sake of others. Those who sat back for even moment might get a stern look from Fr. Judge who discovered this spirit of complacency after some innocent questioning. Such was the case with a young associate who traveled to Holy Trinity from Baltimore. Fr. Judge was amazed to learn that the young woman had read a book for the length of her trip and did nothing to engage in spiritual conversation with the man sitting next to her.
“She excused herself with: “Father, I knew I would never see the man again.” To which he replied: “O yes, my child, you will. On Judgment Day.” (7)
The supreme examples of this spirit of sacrifice are Jesus and Mary, the “man and woman of sorrows,” who embraced the way of sacrifice out of love of God by loving the poor and neglected, especially children.(8)
Spirit of Sacrifice for Today
The wisdom of Fr. Judge and his insistence that Cenacle associates have a sacrificial spirit are crucial to healthy spirituality and effective missionary work. Every human being, Cenacle associates included, wants to be happy. In fact, our desires for happiness probably determine much of our behavior. Every advertising agency in the world knows this and so they target their products to the level of our human desires for food, comfort, intimacy, success, safety, belonging, etc. The difficult job of Christian spirituality is to place Jesus at the center of our desires. This cannot be done without “sacrifice.” We need to learn to say “no” to our desires so that we can learn to say “yes” to Jesus.
5. Missionary Cenacle Meditations, Missionary Cenacle Press, Holy Trinity Alabama, p. 147.
6. Ibid. p. 147.
7. O’Bryan, Fr. James P., S.T., Awake The Giant, Missionary Cenacle Press, Holy Trinity, Alabama, p. 10.
8. Missionary Cenacle Meditations, Missionary Cenacle Press, Holy Trinity Alabama, p. 86.Ian Matthews’ book, Impact of God, focuses on the wisdom of St. John of the Cross, who taught his fellow Carmelites that it’s one’s attachments to things, attitudes, people, opinions, etc. that block God from being fully known in a person’s life. When we place Jesus as one desire along the many others that are competing for our attention, we become disordered, wearied, and confused. We must learn to give a sacrificial “no” to our demanding ego so that Jesus takes his rightful place at the center of our longings, and hopes, with all other desires at a distant second place. A sacrificial spirit helps us break from addictions to power, possessions, and prestige, addictions, which Madison Avenue uses to entice us into consumerism. A sacrificial spirit creates space for God to dwell in our hearts.
On the Yakama Indian Reservation, which is just 20 miles east of our home in the city of Yakima, the unemployment rate is 64% of the native population. In the rest of the county, unemployment stands at 13-15 %, still much higher than the national average. There is rampant drug and alcohol addiction on the reservation, with list of other social ills as well: domestic violence, teen pregnancy, youth gangs, vandalism, racial tensions, and poverty. The Yakama Nation is just a microcosm of the human sufferings occurring worldwide. Yet each one of us can easily avoid these sad statistics and the people associated with them by merely looking the other way. We can all live safe, clean, and productive lives with no one questioning our choice to put our noses to the proverbial grindstone and look neither to the left or right as we travel to and from our work and family commitments. For me it takes a deliberate choice and a “sacrificial NO!” to minister on the reservation. It’s a “NO” to my desire to hang around polite society, intact families and the educated middle class, and a “Yes!” to the deeply wounded people of the reservation.
Our world is desperate for great lovers of God, who have a sacrificial spirit, who will say no to a tidy, certain future and step into the lives of the many, many individuals and groups who are poor, mentally ill, illiterate, migrant, addicted, sick, imprisoned, alone, and unwanted. Our world needs us to be signs of God’s unconditional love.
Fr. Vincent Fitzpatrick, ST, recounted a story to me while I was making a private retreat with him. Fr. Judge was questioning the young seminarians about their motives in becoming missionaries. The first boy had the job of figuring out the correct answer to Father’s question and then passing it on to the others. The questioning went like this:
Fr. Judge: “So why do you want to become a missionary?”
Seminarian: “I want to become a priest.”
“But why do you want to become a missionary?”
“I want to live life as a religious.”
“But why do you want to become a missionary?” (Obviously he hadn’t yet said the right answer.)
“ I want to serve the Church.”
“But why do you want to become a missionary?”
Exasperated, the seminarian finally said, “For the love of God!”
“Kneel down and I will give you my blessing.”A spirit of sacrifice for the love of God and the love of neighbor was at the heart of Fr. Judge’s spirituality for the emerging apostolic movement that began in the Eastern United States at the beginning of the 20th century. This same spirit is desperately needed today as we enter the 21st century.