It’s an understatement to say that we live in a very unstable time in history.
People lost their jobs, businesses closed, but more than that, lives were lost.
But can you imagine if it’s doubly harder because you’re married to an ill-tempered woman?
That essentially sums up the life of our saint today.
St. Volusian wasn’t just a bishop during the great upheavals of barbarian invasions that rocked Western Europe.
He was also given the cross of a particularly trying married life—one which for sure helped make him become a saint. (One account describes him as a layman “who suffered for years from a terrible marriage.”)
Remember though that this was before the time clerical celibacy was established in the Church.
So few documents survive about St. Volusian, but the few that do mention this “terrible marriage” that you know it must have been really bad!
During his time, with cities getting sacked, governments collapsing, bishops remained the only agents of stability.
Imagine what Volusian had to go through.
He had all the reasons to walk away from his position and he had all the right to complain about his situation.
But Volusian did not give in to the temptations of convenience, cowardice, and sloth.
He kept moving forward in humility, propelled by a strong desire to proclaim the Good News of Christ.
Volusian kept his faith and anchored his life on God even amid the storms of life.
It got so bad for his diocese, that he was eventually driven out and had to live in exile where he died, either in France or Spain—faithful to the end.
When the pandemic started, I was tempted to slack off in serving others.
I wanted to do only what was convenient and the pandemic was a reasonable excuse to cite.
Amidst the unpredictability and instability of life, may we, like St. Volusian, continue in our journey with burning intensity, following the example Christ has set for us.
REFLECTION QUESTIONS:
How have I been tempted to complain about my current situation?
How do I bring my problems to God in concrete ways instead of trying to solve them all by myself?
CALL TO ACTION:
List the things that hinders you from responding to God’s call. Pray for guidance to see beyond your situation and to go beyond what’s convenient.
Sources:
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