Rise Up and Reach Out

We live in a self-centered world. People are always looking for ways to fill up their hearts with material things as well as seeing what they can get out of other people but I have learned in my Catholic faith that that road does not lead to happiness. Maybe, pleasure? However, that is nothing compared to the true joy which only comes from our beloved Creator who made us. 

In my personal faith journey, I kept having this phrase replay in my mind like a broken record. I say this because I felt like the Holy Spirit kept gently whispering this message to me that I may share it with others. The phrase was, “Rise up and reach out”.

I first want to start off by saying that this certain phrase brings an image to my mind of the cross. Let me explain. When I say, “Rise up,” I mean the vertical way a cross is positioned where the wood points upward to the sky. Then, when I say, “Reach out”, I mean the horizontal way a cross is positioned to others. 

Now let me say something that is very important and true about the cross. You cannot get to Christ without the Cross. It is even in Sacred Scripture.

Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me’ (Matthew 16:24). 

Speaking of the Cross, a great quote comes to my mind from my very own Confirmation saint. It is from Saint John Vianney and goes like this, “Everything is a reminder of the Cross. We ourselves are made in the shape of a cross.”

But let us go over these two phrases, starting with, “Rise up.” When I say this, I mean rising up above sin and rising towards God. And I can think of no greater saint who perfectly modeled this than the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not only did the Blessed Virgin Mary literally do this in her Assumption, but she is a great example of true faith in God in her obedience to God’s will all throughout her life. She never sinned, but surrendered herself to God’s key role for her in His ultimate plan for our redemption. 

We can rise up above sin and rise towards God too! Let us start by following the Blessed Virgin Mary’s example and by praying to her often. That initial step upwards towards the Kingdom of Heaven is one step closer in our relationship with Christ. 

Next, we move onto the subject matter of, “Reach out.” What I mean by this is reaching out to others in need. Jesus calls us to do this in Sacred Scripture and warns us if we do not.

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will place the sheep at his right hand, ‘Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me. Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you? And the king will answer them, ‘Truly , I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.’ Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you? Then he will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.’ And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life (Matthew 25:31-46).

Thus it is shown in the biblical quote above, one can come to see the importance of helping others especially the afflicted and the poor. For it is doing acts of mercy to these, Jesus will show us mercy on the last day. 

Various saints have helped the poor and the needy over the years, but one I have to mention whose mission was the Missionaries of Charity is Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Mother Teresa helped the poorest of the poor in the slums of Calcutta, India, and was all about seeing the face of Jesus in everyone she met. As Mother Teresa said,

Love is a one-way street. It always moves away from self in the direction of the other. Love is the ultimate gift of ourselves to others. When we stop giving we stop loving when we stop loving we stop growing, and unless we grow we will never attain personal fulfillment; we will never open out to receive the life of God. It is through love we encounter God.

In the end, one can remember to live out the Gospel by this phrase, “Rise up and reach out.” For it is in worshiping God and serving one another we find eternal joy and peace.