Bad things happen to the good and the bad alike

Prayer for the Day

Father, through the folly of the cross you taught Saint Justin the sublime wisdom of Jesus Christ. May we too reject falsehood and remain loyal to the faith.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.– Amen.

Reflection

We all experience the death of friends and family members. Sometimes we are the victims of storms, crime, layoffs from work, and the list goes on. How do we endure it all? I read or heard somewhere that we should not question ourselves about what we may have done to offend God when bad things happen because there is the 'grace of the moment.' I’m not sure I understand completely, but my faith in the risen Jesus Christ helps me to understand what I need. And I like it that way.  I appreciate being on a “need to know” basis.  It keeps my stress down.

At one point, as we hear in John’s gospel, Christ said, "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." (John 16:12) Christ had difficulty Himself enduring some of life's realities, such as the death of His friend Lazarus. We recall that He wept about His loss. (John 11: 1-45) Lastly we see how difficult it was to anticipate the sufferings He was to endure.

Acceptance of difficulties takes working through our emotions as a human. Christ embraced His own humanity; do we? What have we had to endure thus far? How have we succeeded in working through our own human reactions? Do we trust that we will be able to endure life's losses with the grace of God?

Do we really believe Christ when He told us that He would be with us always, until the end of time?

As I grow older, I recognize that the world is not a place made for simple answers to all of these questions.   There is no worldly or logical answer that can satisfy the mind’s need for understanding.  That realization can be horribly frustrating and easier to deny than accept.  But as St. Paul tells us, “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect”. (Romans 12:2)  If we can discern the Will of God, Christ provides us with the answer, offering us freedom from the weight of the questions.  He does not ask us to stop considering them, or to stop seeking wisdom, he is simply offering us respite from the impossible task of trying to reconcile the world with how we want it to be.  And even though there are no simple answers for us, all answers are simple for Jesus.

That answer is love.

We are loved and we are called to love.  If we accept the security that comes with such a profound revelation we can rise up as free men and women, open to face the challenges of the world, seeking wisdom with open minds and yearning hearts.