Sometimes, things do not turn out according to the way we planned them due to circumstances beyond our control. Sometimes, they may be things that really matter to us. Here is where we are reminded that all things are passing, temporal, and we should hold what's nearest and dearest lightly within the palms of our hands.
Here is where we are also asked, as Pope Francis preached on last Sunday's Gospel (Luke 9:18-24), to place ourselves face to face with Jesus, to figure out who He is to us. This is especially so when things go "wrong" or when we need to come out of ourselves to make sacrifices, choices that are unselfish and do not seem to benefit us directly.
So who is this "Christ of God" to me? Reflecting on this, coming out of the recent chaos I was thrown into last week, struggling to come to terms with the sudden health crisis of someone I love very much, on top of the vastly changing landscape of my life, I still know that Jesus is the one who redeems me through the abundant store of divine love and mercy.
Despite the emotional turmoil I was in, I felt at peace, for I knew He was showing me how much He loved me and those around me, and that He was in control of the storm. As Pope Francis said: Jesus knows the heart of man as no one else does. That’s why He can heal it, giving it life and consolation.
Pope Francis elaborated: The world needs Christ more than ever, needs His salvation, His merciful love. Many people note an emptiness around them and within them; others live in restlessness and insecurity because of precariousness and conflicts. All of us need adequate responses to our existential questions. In Christ, and only in Him, is it possible to find true peace and the fulfillment of every human aspiration.
Knowing who He is to me then begs the question of who I am. If I am to follow Him, then I must deny myself and take up my cross daily. What the Pope calls the cross of one’s duty, of sacrificing oneself for others with love, of willingness to be in solidarity with the poor, of exerting oneself for justice and peace.
The upside to the cross is the Christian paradox which I have personally experienced many a time and that is as the Pope reminds: In 'taking up these attitudes, we must never forget that “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Therefore, let us abandon ourselves with confidence in Him, Jesus our brother, friend and savior. Through the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to go forward on the path of faith and witness. And on this path, Our Lady is always close: Let us allow Her to take us by the hand when we go through moments of darkness and difficulty.
So as the Hillsong United lyric goes:
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God
Here is where we are also asked, as Pope Francis preached on last Sunday's Gospel (Luke 9:18-24), to place ourselves face to face with Jesus, to figure out who He is to us. This is especially so when things go "wrong" or when we need to come out of ourselves to make sacrifices, choices that are unselfish and do not seem to benefit us directly.
So who is this "Christ of God" to me? Reflecting on this, coming out of the recent chaos I was thrown into last week, struggling to come to terms with the sudden health crisis of someone I love very much, on top of the vastly changing landscape of my life, I still know that Jesus is the one who redeems me through the abundant store of divine love and mercy.
Despite the emotional turmoil I was in, I felt at peace, for I knew He was showing me how much He loved me and those around me, and that He was in control of the storm. As Pope Francis said: Jesus knows the heart of man as no one else does. That’s why He can heal it, giving it life and consolation.
Pope Francis elaborated: The world needs Christ more than ever, needs His salvation, His merciful love. Many people note an emptiness around them and within them; others live in restlessness and insecurity because of precariousness and conflicts. All of us need adequate responses to our existential questions. In Christ, and only in Him, is it possible to find true peace and the fulfillment of every human aspiration.
Knowing who He is to me then begs the question of who I am. If I am to follow Him, then I must deny myself and take up my cross daily. What the Pope calls the cross of one’s duty, of sacrificing oneself for others with love, of willingness to be in solidarity with the poor, of exerting oneself for justice and peace.
The upside to the cross is the Christian paradox which I have personally experienced many a time and that is as the Pope reminds: In 'taking up these attitudes, we must never forget that “whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”
Therefore, let us abandon ourselves with confidence in Him, Jesus our brother, friend and savior. Through the Holy Spirit, He will give us the strength to go forward on the path of faith and witness. And on this path, Our Lady is always close: Let us allow Her to take us by the hand when we go through moments of darkness and difficulty.
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| Painting by Sieger Koder |
So as the Hillsong United lyric goes:
When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with You above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still, know You are God
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