DAILY HOMILIES #suffering

Cheer up. The sufferings you are experiencing now for the sake of your faith is your cross. For now, everything seems shameful, painful and difficult. Don’t worry, just as we are venerating the cross today, people will come from north, east and west to listen to your story and congratulate you. Do not give up on God just because it is Good Friday.

In conclusion, the Passion Narrative teaches us a lot about ourselves. The bitter truth is humanity has not changed at all since the time of Jesus. We are still ruled by money, we still betray one another, we are still stingy, we do not pray well, and we often act to please the crowd. Let us learn from history and avoid making the mistakes of those who killed Jesus.

Like Jesus’ kinsfolk, we need to ask ourselves today: “Why do I look down on what is my own? What is stopping me from seeing beyond the Carpenter’s son? Why is it that I cannot see the hand of God even in midst of this painful situation I am facing right now?

Jesus compared the kingdom of God to a man scattering seeds on the ground and then goes to sleep. How the seeds spouts, the farmer does not know. When things are tough, we are not able to see the brighter side. Little by little, that which you thought was your worst nightmare eventually becomes your most treasured moment.

If God permits suffering in your life, it is not out of hatred or punishment, it is because He knows that something good can come out it. Don’t have this attitude of complaint or bitterness against God, do not seek to revenge (lest you open your mind for the devil to feed you with all kinds of evil thoughts). Just look at the unique opportunities your situation is offering to you.