EVERYONE’S life will always be beset by some trials and difficulties, however prosperous, successful and pleasurable it is. We cannot run away from the Cross; it will always be a part of us. That’s the reality of life. As we often hear, “it is for what it is.”
Now, this may be sound pessimistic for some people. Indeed, who wants to hear bad news? Who wants to struggle? But years ago I had a rude awakening of life when my Moral Theology professor, after a discussion on the inability of a married couple to conceive a child, explained in class the tragic sense of life. “Barrenness of a womb is one of the tragic aspects of life; we’ll just have to accept it,” he argued.
How do we carry a cross or accept a tragedy without being completely dismayed? How do we bear it easily? It’s by the positive attitude we take and the wisdom we receive from God. The cross should not always be taken as a negative sign, but rather a positive one. The cross must be understood as having power to heal, to forgive, to serve and to sacrifice.
During the Mass on this Fourth Sunday of Lent, these words are proclaimed from the Gospel of John: “Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.” Our Lord Jesus was lifted up on the cross not to bring discouragement but to give life, meaning, hope, and fulfillment. The Son of Man was lifted up on the cross to empower and to inflame the world with love, compassion, and justice.
I’ve often wondered, what if everyone is rich, what if no one suffers? Then no one would give or help or forgive. Somehow in the mystery of life and the wisdom of God incompleteness brings love and generosity in this world and allows God to judge us in our fidelity to his commandments and our worthiness in His Kingdom.
The Gospel this Sunday is clear: “For did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” God never intends that we live forever in pain, sickness and sin. There is hope in suffering, there is healing in wounds, there is life after death. This is what we profess as Christians, as people who believe in Resurrection.
As we continue this period of Lent, let us grow in the spirit of Wisdom—the Wisdom of the Cross, the Power of God’s Love! Amen.
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
