Snatched from the World...Possessed by God

Today we celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Lent or lesser known as Rose or Laetare Sunday; mid-point of Lent.  The word Laetare (“lay-TAH-ray”) means Rejoice and is taken from the Latin translation of Isaiah 66:10-11, which is the Entrance Antiphon for the day.  In this Mass, the colour violet or rose is used.  Today the Catholic Church interrupts Her Lenten mournfulness; the chants of the Mass speak of nothing but joy and consolation; to encourage her children to persevere more fervently and courageously towards the end of our holy Lenten journey.

 

Nevertheless, joy seems to be the last thing on my mind today.  A close aging relative is down with a mild stroke and has been bed-ridden and hospitalised; earlier in the week, admitted to the Medical Intensive Care Unit as he was down with severe dengue fever; a mosquito-borne viral infection.  There is no specific treatment for dengue/severe dengue but he was fed alternative traditional herbal medicine known as porcupine date; a rare “stone” as one would call it, found in the stomach of a porcupine.  It is said among traditional healers that when a porcupine is wounded or sick, it will look for herbs to heal itself and as the healing process takes place, a “stone” may form in the stomach.

My heart is also a little restless, given that I have been robbed by a motorcyclist yesterday of something which is of great sentimental value to me, given to me by my grandfather, something like 38 years ago; a gold chain with a simple cross and a medal of the Sacred Heart which I have worn since.  Truly, snatch thieves at petrol stations are cruel and heartless barbaric creatures.  On the flipside, I thank God for protecting me from any serious harm; my Guardian Angel and St Michael must be working extra heart, I am sure.  Otherwise, I could have been either fatally stabbed or mercilessly slashed.  I am humbled by God’s love for me, a sinner.

This incident reminded me of some verses taken from St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, Chapter 3 verses 8-9, “I believe nothing can happen that will outweigh the supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord.  For him I have accepted the loss of everything, and I look on everything as so much rubbish if only I can have Christ and be given a place in him.”

 

Similarly, I have always been comforted by the Letter to the Romans, Chapter 8 verse 28 which reads, “And we know that to them that love God, all things work together unto good: to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.”

My joy at this mid-point of the holy Lenten season is that I am happy because the anger did not rise within me for having “lost” some favourite material item.  Rather, I offered my prayers to the so-called aggressor so that the blessed chain and holy medals will touch and heal his inner being and bring him home, as appropriately mentioned in today’s gospel taken from St Luke on the prodigal son.  “..a celebration, because this son of mine was dead and has come back to life; was lost and is found.”

 

Deep down, this Lent, I have also come to be even more aware that God loves me more and has showered his grace upon me to enable me to surrender what I love most deeply so that he can work greater wonders for his greater glory.

I thank my God this Lent for giving me the strength to thank him for this rather unfortunate incident, as the consequence of this is that I have come to learn, albeit in a painful way, a little bit more about forgiving others, becoming overly attached to material things of the secular world and more importantly, about the radical work of his hands for me, a simple pilgrim, on my journey back home.

 

LENT...Finding Life's Compass...

Not many days from now, on February 22, the holy season of Lent will once again dwell upon us...Ash Wednesday.

The events that preceded the death and resurrection of our dear Lord Jesus Christ will come upon us yet again; the Via Dolorosa...way of the Cross.  It is a season of gratitude.

This is yet another opportunity, graced upon us, to examine our own life, our journey...to determine those parts of us that need to die...parts we must let go...grudges, fears, laziness, resentments, old habits, etc...a time for us to repent.

It is also a time for each one of us to journey to Jerusalem with Jesus once again; renewing bits of ourselves, peeling away another layer of our human condition.  Each year comes and goes quickly...as impatient as we all are...the transformation and birth of our true self only takes place in God’s time.  We must patiently and humbly wait for Him...but we must stay awake...we must be sensitive to God’s presence around us...we must learn to listen to His quiet whisper...most of all we must simply place our full trust in Him.

As I begin to jot down the above reflection, my thoughts rushed back to last weekend when I visited a terminally ill colleague.  He has been journeying or rather; crawling through life...battling and hanging on to whatever bits of life that remains in him; with Stage IV nasal cancer...which of late has spread to parts of his body...now both his kidneys seem to be failing him.  His breaths are short and much weight has been lost.  Time seem to stand still...

Yes, cancer is such a cruel disease...created by mankind...it does not choose...it does not warn the victim.  Cancer brings so much silent pain for the parent and family, but even much more hopelessness for the innocent victim.  Does God punish us?  How can one find faith and hope under such circumstances?

The seconds become minutes, the minutes spill into hours, the hours into days, days turn into weeks, into months, into years...into eternity...  What simple words of comfort does one offer such a friend?  The journey towards Golgotha seem endless...

Encouragement, strength, courage, a touch, a hug, a smile...most of all one’s humble presence...only the sacred silence where both human spirit simply and quietly reach out to bond as one creation... through Him, with Him, in Him but ever most of all, loved and cherished by God...no matter how far we have drifted or turned away, no matter how broken our bodies have become...God will always love you!

My dear friend would surely swap his condition, just lying on the hospital bed, waiting...for the good health that most of us able-bodied take for granted day in and day out.  Through our daily actions and worldly pursuits, we display absolutely no gratitude for life...for God!

Such is the hopelessness and regret that is felt when one’s time on earth is almost up...when one’s breath enters into sudden death...not knowing the hour that is to come.  Soon the tiredness will be put to rest.

For most of us, who are truly “alive”, do we actually realize and cherish life as a gift? Are we conscious of our “alive-ness”?

Or, are we simply more distracted by how this “gift of life” is packaged?  Whether we have this or that, whether we are born into a rich and wealthy family, so many whether and what ifs.

The more that we come to the realization (and this is not simple) that life is freely gifted from God, the more our life will be a life of faith and spirituality; a life where we come to know God, where we journey in relationship with Him...where God becomes real in our lives.

As truly simple pilgrims through this life, the meaning of our short pilgrimage on earth must not depend on reaching any particular destination, accumulating a certain level of material wealth or striving to achieve any worldly goal...the world label this as success.

Very simply, it should instead depend on our humbleness, simplicity, openness, faithfulness, hope and trust...that God knows the way far better than we do – He will lead us, if we just let Him.  He will love us, if only we allow Him.

However, as prideful as we all are, in our entire majestic ego, we become impatient, restless, we seize control, we want control, we want worldly assurance...we want to become powerful in the eyes of the world.  In the course of this mad obsession, we put layers after layers upon us, until we lose our simple identity; we forget our humble roots, becoming deaf to the call to discipleship, blind to others, mute to sharing the goodness of God, losing our sense of direction...becoming out-of-touch with God.

This Lent, we must come back to the Gospel...diligently journey the Via Dolorosa with Jesus...He will surely give us hope, He will bring us home.  Trust Him with your entire life.  This is the best investment one can make...with guaranteed returns!

Hope does not pretend that everything will be alright.  Hope simply means knowing that Jesus will sustain us and walk with us...as our faithful companion.  As I mentioned to someone recently, my simple view is that “God is good ALL the time.”

It is almost certainly the selfish acts of mankind, with its egoistic human condition, that causes chaos all around and subsequently, having to face drastic consequences of such actions...both from the past, but most of the time, changing the course of many generations into the future.

As I reflect on the Apostolic Letter entitled, “Motu Proprio Data” of the Supreme Pontiff Benedict XVI for the indiction of the Year of Faith which is due to begin on October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013, I am reminded that the “door of faith” (Acts 14:27) is always open for each one of us.

“We must rediscover a taste for feeding ourselves on the Word of God faithfully handed down by the Church, and on the bread of life, offered as sustenance for his disciples.”

The life of Christians, as pointed out in this simple Apostolic Letter, knows the experience of joy as well as the experience of suffering.

“This is a great joy to you, even though for a short time yet you must bear all sorts of trials; so that the worth of your faith, more valuable than gold, which is perishable even if it has been tested by fire, may be proved - to your praise and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.  You have not seen him, yet you love him; and still without seeing him you believe in him and so are already filled with a joy so glorious that it cannot be described; and you are sure of the goal of your faith, that is, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:6-9, New Jerusalem Bible)

This short papal letter moves on to remind each one of us that what the world is in particular need of today is the credible witness of people, like you and me, enlightened in both mind and heart by the Word of the Lord, and capable of opening the hearts and minds of many to the desire for God and for true life...a life without end...a life that is journeyed with the hope of the resurrection...a journey travelled with Jesus as an Easter people.

As such, the trials of this short and finite life, while helping us to understand the mystery of the Cross and to participate in the sufferings of Christ, are a prelude to the joy and hope to which simple faith ultimately leads to.

Next week, beginning Ash Wednesday, onwards into the coming holy season of Lent, let us commit, discipline and entrust ourselves to the Lord Jesus, who is and will always walk beside us as our faithful Companion, as He always knows what we need and most of all, what is best for us.

Wishing one and all across the world, a holy and healing season of Lent, coupled with a meaningful Via Dolorosa with Jesus...towards the door of faith...  May the hands of the Lord touch your hearts in a way that will move you ever closer to Him.  Amen.

Remembering 9/11...Reunited with Each Other...With God

 

September 11. 2001...more commonly known these days as 9/11...seemed like a simply quiet and normal Tuesday morning in New York City.

I remember I was at an evening bible study meeting half way across the globe.

Down in New York City, nothing seemed unusual...nothing lookked extraordinary...faceless people sending their kids to school...grabbing their quick breakfast...reading the papers...packing breakfast...catching the bus...the tube...hugging their loved ones...kissing their good byes...for some...whereas for others...getting into an argument...not talking...no home to go to...unwanted...marginalized...living out their last days...on board their very last suicidal flight...American Airlines Flight 11, United Airlines Flight 175, American Airlines Flight 77 and United Airlines Flight 93...worst still, those who fell or jumped off the tragic floors of the World Trade Center’s North and South Twin Towers....the Pentagon...

Do you remember what you were doing on that fateful day?...when...just about everyone, suddenly remembered God...reaching out to Him...coming home to Him...talking to Him...praying - pleading...crying...begging...reconciling...

On that day...the world stood still and witnessed the powerful United States cruelly brought down to their knees...humbled, at the expense of many, many innocent Americans...2,977 victims per official reports...someone else’s mother, father, daughter, son, brother, sister, friend, neighbor, colleague...a created human being whose life was suddenly and cruelly taken away...the words of Job rings aloud...

“...Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away: as it hath pleased the Lord so is it done: blessed be the name of the Lord.” (Job 1:21, Douay Rheims)

One often wonders how does God ever fit into the everyday lives of the people in a big, cosmopolitan, noisy and seductive city like New York?  The city that never sleeps...try telling this to the brave emergency workers, firemen, paramedics, medical units, armed forces, chaplains, volunteers...at Ground Zero...where humanity was once again reunited with each other and most importantly with God.  Suddenly, the noise and seduction of big New York City does not seem to be so distracting after all...it really does not matter about the outside...as much as what was felt deep inside...the emptiness...the loss...the void...

Only when you empty yourself completely...can God fill your heart...and your soul...

Americans have always known wars in foreign soil...Vietnam, Afghanistan, Kosovo...but never in their own back yard...the center of a great city... not far from the New York Harbor with the torch of the Statue of Liberty and Freedom held high...9/11 struck!

Soon after, there was so much anger...so much unforgiveness...so much vengeance...so much hatred...even today, continues to reverberate in many hearts and minds...terror for terror...is this, the only answer...as the US continue its spending on defense (against what?) and its relentless attacks on oil fields in the Middle East.

As Pilate said to Jesus, “What is truth?”   ...Terrorism?...Political Conspiracy?  ...Does it matter anymore?  ...when innocent lives are lost??  ...Such is the price humanity must pay...

Where was God?  Why did God let this happen?  Was this, rather, the work of mankind in their selfish quest for power and personal glory?  The consequence of the sins of humanity against humanity?  ...against God?

So much for our human finite understanding of God...why do we need events or tragedies such as these to help humanity remember?  Who is God really, for you, in your life?  A punishing God?  A loving God? An absent God?  A non-existent God?  An unknowing God?  A God amongst many other worldly gods...wealth, materialism, success, etc?

For such a long time, the world have witnessed the US slavery era in the 1600s, World War I in 1914, World War II in 1939, the Holocaust and bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, South Africa under apartheid from 1948, the Korean War in 1950, the Vietnam War in 1955, great Chinese Famine in 1959, the assassination of President JFK in 1963, AIDS Pandemic beginning in 1981, Chernobyl Nuclear disaster in 1986, Rwanda genocide in 1994, Indian Ocean Tsunami in 2004...sins of abortion and many, many more suffering and deaths around the globe which are even much worst off than 9/11...but, on that fateful day, the world was in solidarity with the USA...the world offered their prayers and comfort...as good and caring neighbors sharing the same planet...

Nevertheless, we want to still remember and respect those whom we lost on that fateful day of 9/11 and throughout history amongst the many other tragedies around the world...may their souls find eternal rest and the world find healing and peace.  May the price that they paid be worthwhile for the spiritual growth of the world...where each and every country can have great influence over the future of the world we live in...

Tragedies, pain and suffering are something we humans simply cannot control...but what we can do in response is to simply allow these events, become turning points, to help us reconnect with one another and with God...bringing much spiritual meaning and maturity to supposedly, meaningless innocent suffering and sacrifices.

We must draw strength from Jesus who journeyed the Via Dolorosa and learn to view such world tragedies and human suffering through the lenses of His wounds on the Cross.  Forgiveness and change will then become possible because, as obedient Christian disciples, others will then see and know the love of Christ through us – our spoken words, our actions, our silence and also our non-action...our generous love...a love which the world knows so little of these days.

Life's Journey...Did You Ever Feel Like Crying?

This week, I came into the presence of a friend battling terminal cancer, a little child growing up with Muscular Dystrophy, a couple facing the challenges of infertility and someone losing their only source of employment.  Words cannot describe the pain they are feeling and the tears they shed…neither can I…

I pulled out an old book entitled, “The Pain of Being Human”, written by a Eugene Cullen Kennedy, back in the early 70s.

The author was ordained a Roman Catholic priest back in 1955 and subsequently somehow married a nun sometime in 1977…but we shall not go into that part of the road.  Instead, what I would like to do is to quote a small chapter from this simply brilliant writing on the human condition.


“As humans, we experience the pains that come from just being human.  In our journey, we are not inoculated against the aches and struggles as a human being; a child of God.  Pain is experienced we face freedom’s choices and we are not certain what the right course will be, coupled by the uncertainties that are a constant part of our journey.

Tears say a lot but sometimes they are hard to understand.  We can weep for joy as we weep for sorrow; some people weep at almost anything while others hardly ever weep at all.

Tears are a language that everybody speaks, but with different accents and meanings according to the complicated laws of how we have learned to express our emotions.


The French, they say, cry quite freely while Americans shed private tears to express something very deep in their lives.  How can something so wrenching to the soul be described as “having a good cry”?


The truth is, of course, that we have all felt like crying and we know from experience that it can have many meanings.  Tears can be the recourse of children who are on the spot – the defense against adult questioning or accusation which wins them mercy rather than justice in the small missteps of childhood.  These are the tears that must be put away if a person is to move into maturity.

 Sadly enough, there are those who go on weeping the defensive tears of childhood for the rest of their lives whenever they are in difficult circumstances.  These people never understand grown-up tears, the tears that are much more than the sobs of self-pity.

Oh, we can all feel sorry for ourselves at times but if we are relatively mature we can catch our emotions and save ourselves and others from the self-indulgent tears we might otherwise shed.


Tears in the mature person’s life come at very deep moments of sadness and joy, on occasions of separation and reunion, whenever love shows through life.  Tears are above all, a sign that we are alive, that the heart still beats because we care about someone or something enough to cry.


Only the dead or the totally despairing have no tears.  People who live with hope and trust can cry aloud; they are alive and have known the meaning of love.


Some men hide their tear to show their strength; others keep their sorrow secret because weeping seems a source of shame for them; and heavy hearted are those whose eyes are dry because their wound is so deep that they cannot let the hurt out at all.

The loneliest of men are those who have no one in whose presence they feel free to weep, no one whose responding love can redeem them from the sadness that has settled into their souls.

It is a hard thing to cry but it is not a bad thing.  It is a tragic thing to cry alone because this means we have built walls around our lives, walls so high that nobody else can see over them.

Our tears not only express the deep wells of our feelings but they also make us one with all men who have ever loved or tried to reach out in a tender and caring way to anybody else.


Our tears, Dickens said, are “rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts.”  Our tears redeem us when they reveal us clearly to another, unshielded from the consequences or risks that are involved in being human.

If we have cried ourselves, we find something of ourselves to give back to the suffering and sorrowful all around us.  We need not move away from them, bidding them to hide their tears because they hurt us so much.


We have gone along the same human path and we understand how, in our grief, the presence of another person can bring a certain wholeness to our sorrow.

We give life when we learn from our own weeping how to give ourselves with gentleness and compassion to the sighs and struggles of other people.

The psalmist was no stranger to weeping and neither was the Lord who cried over Jerusalem and at the death of his friend Lazarus.  St Paul tells us that the whole earth groans and cries out, longing for fulfillment.  Mature tears are signs of the same kind of longing, a kinship with a world as yet unfulfilled.

Our tears tell us that we are alive, that we have roots in the lives of others, and that we have been touched by the warmest of suns, human love.  We should resolve that nobody we love ever has to cry alone.”


God will provide us with all that is necessary for us to complete our sacred journey...each journey having its own special pattern.  This pattern, designed by God, aims to bring out our deeper, hidden but real self, which is the goal of our journey of growth through life; sometimes, as we know through our experiences, accompanied by lots of tears.  Jesus wishes to accompany us on this journey…He has assured us that the home is God’s house, a mansion with many rooms.


...Continue to be patient…be gentle…be compassionate…to anyone struggling to make it to home.

Earthquake & Tsunami Wave in Japan...The World Mourns

Sorrow in Japan...this Lent



As the season of Lent dwells upon us, we are saddened to hear of the largest earthquake and massive tsunami hitting the Pacific Coast of Japan.

The nation that was to be the most prepared and equiped to face such disasters, was suddenly struck with the 7th most powerful earthquake in the world – destruction, chaos, panic, innocent lives lost, homes destroyed, lives torn apart in a heart beat...



Times of disasters are extremely trying for us all. “Lord, have mercy!” Have compassion on your people in Japan as they respond to this sudden tragedy.


Heal the hearts of those who are angered to have lost their loved ones and help them go through this painful ordeal.  May God’s abundant blessings and mercy descend upon His people during this very trying time and bring about goodness we often fail to see.

May the souls of the departed find eternal rest and let perpetual light shine upon them.


As much as we would like to ponder, we will never understand the root of such evil events in this world.  What we know is that God is love.  Therefore, we trust that God does not punish His people with natural disasters. 

Somehow, we doubt and cannot seem to reconcile a loving God with such natural tragedy.


We will never be able to understand the sorrow and mourning of the people in Japan at this moment but we can only pray that God will grant them a new beginning, a new life this Lent.

May the healing and comforting presence of our grieving God be with all the victims in Japan and across the Pacific basin.


We are reminded that life is truly fragile…

"For he is the Lord our God: and we are the people of his pasture and the sheep of his hand."

(Psalm 94:7, Douay-Rheims)

 

 

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

(Deutronomy 31:6, NIV)

 

 

Suffering O Suffering...Why?...

"Naked I came forth from my mother's womb, and naked shall I go back again. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD!" (Job 1:21, NAB)

"...We accept good things from God; and should we not accept evil?..." (Job 2:10, NAB)


"One of the great paradox of our faith is that God allows us to suffer because of His love for us, not in spite of it.  In biblical times, suffering was thought to be directly related to one’s actions.  ...(I)f someone suffered, it was a punishment for his evil deeds.  The story of Job tells us that this idea is not true.  Job was an upright man who suffered greatly, and according to the book of Job, he did not deserve to suffer.

Suffering is not a punishment that each person receives in direct proportion to his own sins; but rather, it is a result of original sin, something that affects all of humanity without exception.

In His merciful love, God allows this unpleasant part of life, inevitable after Man’s fall, to bring about a greater good.  He uses suffering as a tool to bring us closer to His love.

We often forget that there is great value in suffering.  It strengthens us and purifies us.

It makes us realize our place in the universe, and shows us our dependency on God, and how helpless we really are on our own.

It reminds us of God and draws us closer to Him.  The sad truth is that we often turn to God only when we are in need of something.  We ask Him for help in times of trial and pain, but forget about Him when life is good.

If there was no suffering in life to bring us back to God, we would drift farther and farther from His loving presence.

Suffering often seems to be distributed unevenly - some suffer greatly, almost unbearably, while others seem to lead lives almost entirely free of all suffering. 

But suffering is part of the universal human experience, something we all experience in some form.

We don’t know why God chooses to allow some people to suffer in certain ways, but we do know that He will never put us up against something we cannot handle.  God will give us the grace and strength to overcome whatever trials He sets before us, and if we rely on His love, we will succeed.


In the New Testament, we can see Christ transforming suffering.  It is through His suffering and death that we are saved from sin and death, and by His suffering, He sanctifies and transforms suffering into something holy.

Suffering becomes no longer something to be dreaded, but something to be embraced, something that can heal and purify us.

We can join our sufferings to Christ’s and help participate in His saving work.  Many of the saints understood this, and it helped them overcome indescribable obstacles and trials.

Towards the end of her life, St. Therese of Lisieux’s desire to suffer for Christ became so strong that she described it by saying, “I have come to the point where I cannot suffer, because all suffering has become sweet to me.”

...(W)e too should try to welcome the suffering in our own lives. This does not mean that we should be masochists, seeking pain for its own sake, but rather, that we should embrace the crosses that God gives us to carry, seeing suffering as a gift rather than a burden, an opportunity rather than an obligation. 

We should see suffering as a way to help us on the road to heaven and a chance to follow Christ, as we are reminded by St. Peter, “For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.” (1 Peter 2:21)   (Michelle Bauman, CNA)

Having reflected on all these in the very comfort of our own homes, our heart becomes restless...what must be our response to the real suffering of the world?...our fellow sisters and brothers?...

We must remember who we are...we are all of the same human race, created by God, in His image...all pilgrims...


By virtue of our human conditioning, suffering will remain a great mystery to mankind.  We will never admit that these are consequences of the selfish choices of our own freedom. 

Yet, many a times, what we continue to moan and complain of our own 'suffering'; in the truest sense of the word, nothing!...compared to what the poor, the outcasts, the marginalised, the refugees, the migrants have to experience every second of their lives...where is God for them?...what is life to them?...what would be their journey?...where do they find the face of Christ?...

Their humble saintly lives and cries are in itself the most genuine and sincere prayer to God...theirs is the kingdom of Heaven.

"One must not think that a person who is suffering is not praying. He is offering up his sufferings to God, and many a time he is praying much more truly than one who goes away by himself and meditates his head off, and, if he has squeezed out a few tears, thinks that is prayer."

 - St. Teresa of Avila

Life...like Pearls

One of the most fascinating of all jewels…is the pearl. A pearl with all of its luster and beauty is worn during the hours of entertainment and enjoyment. We associate pearls with times of pleasure, but did you ever stop to consider how a cultured pearl is made…genuine, cultured pearls produced inside of an oyster. …consider how the making of a pearl contrasts strangely with its use.

No other jewel has such a fascinating story as a pearl. A pearl is a symbol of trouble that has been healed. If there has been no trouble, there would have been no pearl.

Scientists are in agreement that pearls are the product of pain. Sometimes the pain is caused by a microscopic worm and sometimes by a boring parasite. The shell of the oyster is chipped or pierced and a foreign object like a speck of sand gets inside. Immediately, all the resources of the tiny oyster rush to the spot when the breach was made. In that moment of danger, and only in that moment, the oyster discharges a secretion to close the breach and save its life. The speck of sand is covered by the secretion. The wound is healed, and a pearl is made.

Most of us have experienced what it means to be pierced and wounded by the troubles of life. Do we turn our troubles to triumph, or do they triumph over us? Suffering adds a maturing dimension to life.

At the famous Passion play at Oberammergau, Germany (www.passionplay-oberammergau.com), the characters in the play earn their livelihood as woodcarvers, carving statues of Biblical characters. ...At a woodcarver’s shop…there are …piles of ordinary blocks of wood. The woodcarver selects one, picks up a hatchet, and starts hacking away. The chips fly in every direction. Then he takes tools sharper then knives, and he cuts and carves until it seems as though he is cutting away a whole block of wood. If the block of wood were alive, it would kick and scream and say something like this, “Stop that at once! You are killing me!”

But out of the chopping and cutting, there finally emerges a St. Peter or a St. Paul or a St. John. Out of suffering and hardship comes character.

Suffering and suffering may weaken and even destroy some people’s relationship with God. While, on the other hand, trouble and suffering only deepen other’s relationship with God. Trouble has the possibility of greatness of the soul. It was a blinded John Milton who wrote Paradise Lost. It was an imprisoned John Bunyan who wrote Pilgrim’s Progress. It was a deafened Beethoven who composed the immortal 9th Symphony and it was an imprisoned, persecuted Apostle Paul, “beaten with Roman rods, lashed with Roman whips”, who wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians (v3-4), “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.”

By the merciful grace of God for all his children, our troubles can be turned into triumph.

(extracted from a sermon by Bob Ralls, The United Methodist Church)

 In nómine Patris et Fílii et Spíritus Sancti. Amen.