By Jill Mraz         


 

1 Cor 4:9-13 …we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels and human beings alike. We are fools on Christ’s account…

 

Easter fell on All Fool’s Day this year. In the eyes of the world, no doubt, the joke’s on us; the fools who have fallen for Christ. In this flippant summation, it is easy enough to overlook that we are all fools, as the day would have it. The real question is, what kind of fool are you? A fool of the world or a fool for Christ? Skeptic or believer? Against or for? Jesus suffered the fools of the world gladly. Fast forward two thousand years and the same can be said of Christians. Minus the gladly part, perhaps. Nevertheless, while we who believe in Christ are yet in the world, mightn’t we still be of help to those poised to fall into holy fooldom?

If the answer is yes, and if the hearts of these would-be fools were to open to that unearthly joy, sprung from The Resurrection, revealing God’s plan for the salvation of all, and if, in recognizing their pitiful state, these seekers cast their lot fully onto The Cross in a plea for reparation of not only their sins but those of the whole world, and if, in so doing, they were swept up by the Holy Spirit who flows in fiery waves…(mind you, this could all happen as they sat quietly on a park bench one fine spring morning quite unawares, or in a laundromat one dark, desperate night, or any hour in between, their hearts need only be open)…fiery waves from the Father to the Son and back in a torrent of consummate love, whispering that our lives are meaningless unless ordered to God, and if this final realization of His unending mercy should usher in a swell of gratitude and humility so complete as to cause them to fall, soundly thudding to their knees in utter surrender and relief, then we could do no better than to tumble down beside them, most readily.

Rapture approaches, indeed. But that’s still a lot of ifs. So, here’s one more. If you know souls who fear the opinion of the world, were they to decide to dispense with it, witness steadily by your life, speak up when clearly inspired, and pray even more so, that they might find the courage to fall, counted in the eyes of God alone, as one more beloved fool willing to suffer gladly, for Christ.

Foolishness for Christ is the willingness to be wrong in society, or wrong according to our time, but right according to our conscience, as guided by the Holy Spirit.

About the author:

Jill Mraz is a Catholic mother to one wonderful daughter. Residing in Minnesota they enjoy summer road trips to either coast, marveling at the stunning beauty of God’s natural world. Jill writes poems and essays which reflect upon motherhood and her beloved Catholic faith. She is a contributor for WINE: Women in the New Evangelization.