Through Him we are saved

"With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses.” (Numbers 21:4b-9)

I can relate to this, as I think many of us can in this most unusual of times.  The life of faith often seems like a long trip in the desert.  At times it can seem to bring small reward, and in the midst of the struggle, the memory of slavery in “Egypt” can seem more attractive than God’s promise of freedom.  All who walk the path of discipleship will pass through this desert.  Indeed, the experience of wandering in a desert bereft of God’s presence is so common in the Christian life that our tradition has a name for it.  The desert fathers called it the “noon-day demon.” The demon was not so much a little devil with horns as it was a description of the powerful temptation to leave the path to holiness.  The temptation can take many forms, and if we yield to it, we risk becoming bitter and alienated from God.  How odd it is that following God can lead to bitterness and alienation, but it can.

The only real response to the noon-day demon is prayer and patience.  We must focus our gaze upon Jesus and what He has done.  We need to remember the cross and the resurrection and resist becoming dulled to its power and promise.

The words of St. Paul to the Philippians (Philippians 2:6-11) and of Jesus to Nicodemus (John 3:13-17) are especially meaningful for us today.  They tell us that God loves us all.  That includes those who are suffering.  In spite of what other people (or natural occurrences) do to add to their suffering, God loves them.  And because God loves them, there’s hope.  Suffering people who believe in God and appreciate His love have the great hope of salvation.  Human suffering is just that, it’s human or finite.  Human suffering will come to an end as our lives here on earth come to an end.  But God’s bright promise of eternal life is for all who believe in Him. That includes those who are suffering.  Today as we suffer from everything from COVID to injustices to deadly fires to violence and hatred, let’s work to relieve the suffering of those around us.  And let’s also thank God for His love for all of us. 

One way we can do that (as always) is through prayer and reflection on His Holy Cross. “We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, for he is our salvation, our life and our resurrection; through him we are saved and made free.” (Gal 6:14)

I had a rather simple reflection on the Cross as I gazed at the crucifix on my rosary tonight:

The vertical beam of the cross represents our love for God simply because He is.  The horizontal beam represents our love of our neighbor, as we love ourselves.  They come together to form the cross that Christ died on for our salvation.

The horizontal beam can’t bear the weight of Christ’s sacrifice without the vertical beam of our love for God.  We must follow the Law in the right order—to Love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; only then are we able, with His Grace, to love our neighbor.  It was out of total, uninhibited love of God the Father that Christ, in His humanity, found the grace and the strength to die for all of mankind for all time.