Month: September 2021

How often do we fall into the trap of believing we are not worthy to stand up and be counted as one of God’s followers? We are so eager to approach Jesus with our great accomplishments, so He will see us as great and worthy of His company. It is easy to forget that we are nothing without Christ. It is the reason Jesus constantly draws close to the sick.

“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, I desire mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.” Matthew 9: 12-13

When you are sick, you literally have nothing, you are too weak to do anything. It is at these times that you are closest to Jesus because you have no choice but to depend on Him for everything.

We are united in faith as each one of us approaches our Lord in our own unique brokenness. We are all different because God made us that way, but we are united by the same faith: the faith that Jesus has called us each by name and longs for us all to give our lives to Him.

Mary’s fiat at the Annunciation was not just a yes to the be the mother of Jesus but also a yes to the Cross. Today we recall the suffering she willingly accepted, to watch her beloved Son be brutally tortured and killed. She chose to swallow this unimaginably bitter pill because she trusted in her Son’s mission, the salvation of the world and the victory of the Kingdom of God.

We, too, will have to suffer in this world. We don’t often expect to encounter suffering in our lives, which is pretty shortsighted, seeing as Jesus specifically told us that we would. We might look back and remember some bumps along the way, but as we look forward, we imagine smooth sailing, and we’re rattled when things don’t go as we anticipate. But just as Jesus and Mary had to accept the cup of suffering in order to fulfill God’s greater plan, so too will we have to pick up our crosses.

Some of the hardships and injustices we will experience will seem senseless and bleak, and we will struggle to understand how these things could possibly fit into God’s plan. But a God Who could transform the Cross from a sign of brutality and death to a sign of life and resurrection can take the ugliness in our lives and use it to work for good. He can bring meaning to the darkest, most desolate moments of our existence. And He does not leave us alone in them. He is there right beside us, along with His Mother. She gave her fiat as an act of hope, that the suffering that awaited her would not be the end. We, too, are called to give a fiat amidst all the sufferings of this life and trust that none of it will be wasted.

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Image: Ella Boshoven, Mother of Sorrow / PD-US

Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, the Gospel cites one of the most popular and widely known Bible verses.

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.” John 3:16

This verse is so familiar that even nonbelievers have heard it. Why is it so popular and why does it ring so true, its message imbedded into the mind of everyone who reads it? The words may have become slightly mundane and people may have forgotten why it is so powerful. I myself have read it too many times to grasp the meaning entirely.

The Gospel connects to the first reading for the feast. It is part of the story of Moses in the desert, when God took pity on his people and saved them from deadly seraph serpents by giving them a bronze serpent to look upon and be healed.

“And 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.” John 3:15

In a sense, as Christians today, we are wandering in the desert and still complaining like the Israelites did. We need a Savior. Fortunately, God loved us so much that He sent His Son that we can believe in and we can be saved from death itself.

We were chosen to belong to our heavenly Father long before we were born to earthly parents. However, when we were brought into this world, sin entered into us, causing separation from Him. Jesus had to seek us out once more in order to save us. Living in this fallen world makes this more difficult because we need to choose Jesus too.

If we do choose Him though, He gives us a great promise. Once we actively seek him out, we are guaranteed to bear great fruit, just like the first disciples. He sought each one out and called them each by name. Imagine being called by your name by Jesus! He has called you for a specific purpose and has a special plan just for you. Jesus healed the sick and drove out demons. He is asking us to do that now.

“Brothers and sisters: As you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted in him and built upon him and established in the faith as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Col 2:6

We are truly made in the spirit, breathed into us by the Lord of creation, and therefore our lives and actions should be conducted based on the Spirit’s will for us. That we are united as brothers and sisters in Christ should hold deep significance and bring us closer together since we are all being sought after by Him, not only to be closer to Him but to each other.