Have you been through any suffering? How did it turn into joy? - Daily Reflections May 29,2014

THINGS ARE NOT ALWAYS AS THEY SEEM

 

In one of the Psalms, we read that crying may endure through the night but joy comes with the morning. This is often so true of discipleship. Jesus tells His disciples that it will look as though the powers of the world have triumphed and that they, His disciples, have lost. However that is not the case. Things are not always as they first seem to be, as sorrow will ultimately turn to joy.

       Jesus is referring at least in the first instance to His own passion, death and then resurrection. The first two aspects reflect defeat while the third speaks of a final victory. The first two are overcome by the third. This is also often the pattern in discipleship. There are many false starts and dead ends in a disciple’s life as we grow in listening to God’s will and then putting it into action. There are times when we make mistakes and have to turn back to find the right path again, but in the end, if we are faithful to the work of the Holy Spirit in and through us, we triumph. This is God’s work in us.

       Even if we look at the world around us and see the walls of materialism, consumerism and secularism closing in on us, we can be tempted to despair as we look at defeat in the face. However, we need to look beyond seeming defeat and trust that there is always another conclusion if we have faith in Jesus Christ. The life of a faithful Christian no longer considers defeat to the powers of evil as a possibility since Christ is risen from the dead.

       It is the victory of Christ that we celebrate at Easter; it is that same victory that we live on a daily basis. It is not an option to consider defeat as that would be an insult to Jesus. Let us pray that we not only receive the gift of God’s victory but that we both live it and proclaim it at every opportunity we get. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you been through any suffering? How did it turn into joy?

 

Holy Spirit, help me to live a victorious Christian life that sees no defeat in any of the projects of the Church. Help me to live under the grace of God for my salvation.