Conquerors of the World

A Reflection on the Second Reading for April 11th, 2021:
Divine Mercy Sunday

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1 John
5.1-6

Beloved: Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child.

By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith.

Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.
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Pause. Pray.

And then read more...

“Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?”

I enjoy reading about the lives of saints. They are an endless source of wisdom, inspiration, and consolation. Certain saints have left a lingering impression, like St. Peter Yu Tae-chol, who was martyred at 13 after confessing his faith. Whenever I’m looking for courage, I pray for his intercession. When I feel misunderstood, I turn to St. Gemma Galgani because, reading about her, I was struck by the people in her life who doubted her spirituality. St. Therese of Lisieux’s “Little Way” seems aptly fitting for my life, and she’s the one I turn to when I need stamina. And St. Mark Ji Tianxiang is the living embodiment of Romans 8:31-39.

Other saints have captured my imagination with the lives that they’ve lived. I picture St. Faustina racing dramatically for the train to Warsaw and St. Ignatius of Antioch travelling with equanimity to Rome to be martyred in the Colosseum.

I wonder what it must have been like for St. Mary of Egypt to wake up on any given morning in the desert, alone with God. Or the joy I would receive, being greeted by St. Josephine Bakhita’s warm smile at the door of the Canossian convent in Schio, or the peacefulness that would have befallen me while I prayed to St. Joseph with St. Andre Bessette. And who doesn’t have a good chuckle imagining St. Teresa of Avila, sitting in mud beside her horse, grumbling, “If this is how You treat your friends, it is no wonder You have so few!”

Not just their lives, but the heroism and charity of their deaths have inspired me, too. I imagine the water droplets escaping from St. Antoine Daniel’s drenched handkerchief as he baptized the catechumens by aspersion in the chapel before meeting the advancing attackers with only a cross in hand. The jubilation of St. Thomas More’s countenance when he kissed his executioner as a sign of forgiveness. Likewise, the silence of the crowd as they listened to the haunting chorus of 16 women, the martyrs of Compiègne, sing “Laudate Dominum” while waiting patiently for their turn at the scaffold.

It’s so easy for me to get caught up in the narratives of this world, which tell me that success is a list of accolades or the impressiveness of my resume or the size my bank account or even the size of my waist! And that my worth is measured by my social network, or the number of “thumbs up” I receive.

It takes a concerted effort for me to think and believe differently, which likely explains my devotion to the saints and martyrs. Their lives shine as examples of true victory, and are constant reminders that with God, anything is possible.




Laura Dysart

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