GOSPEL MEDITATION

May 15, 2022  

5th Sunday of Easter

    “It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.” Many folks really work very hard to circumvent difficult situations. We prefer the  easier way around something, rather than risk inconvenience, hurt or prolonged suffering. It’s no wonder euthanasia is rapidly becoming acceptable around the world. Through purely human eyes, there is no issue bypassing the inevitable, taking control and bringing things more swiftly to a place of peace. If this is the way God sees things, then why does Jesus make such a big deal helping us understand the experience of suffering and embrace it? God’s wisdom clearly takes us in another direction. 

    Imagine if we were able to eradicate ALL hardship and suffering. Where would we be? As we look at our own journeys, many of our solid more growth-producing life lessons have been born of suffering, disappointment,  inconvenience, darkness, and despair. There is something sacred about all of these experiences as God uses them to create something new. Envisioning a life without hardship and suffering brings us to a vision where everything is flat-lined and dull. As much as hardship and suffering are difficult crosses to bear, not taking them up runs the risk of us becoming shallow, empty, and lifeless. Helen Keller remarks that “a happy life consists not in the absence but in the mastery of hardships.” What an incredibly wise insight! Many really successful people and saints were brought to their station in life because they suffered. Suffering teaches us about what’s important and propels us to search the depths of our souls for resources and strength we never would have known before. This is especially true when we love as Jesus asks us to love. Love, perhaps above any other experience, can cause us great hardship, pain, and suffering especially when it’s authentic and unconditional. While it can thrust us into an incredible experience of God and life on one hand, it can bruise and wound us deeply on the other. Mastering the art of love is the secret to living life well, walking in the presence of God and investing in the joy of the Gospel. Love and suffering walk hand in hand. Compromising one will compromise the other. Maybe that’s why Jesus spent so much time convincing us to accept both.

Archbishop Wester is requesting we take up a collection to assist those who have lost their homes and other property in the New Mexico fires.  You are invited to send your donation to our Catholic Charities office at 2010 Bridge Blvd SW, Albuquerque, NM  87105.  You may also put your donation in the collection bin at church, please indicate "NM Fire Victims".

Prayer for those affected by these devastating fires:

Loving God, Father of us all and giver of every good gift, we turn to you in our need as our fellow citizens suffer from the wildfires raging in our beautiful state of New Mexico.  We ask you to protect and comfort those who have been forced to evacuate, those who have lost a home or other property and all those who are in harm's way.  Guide and guard the brave men and women who are fighting the fires and all of our civic leaders who are joining in this valiant effort.  Give us favorable weather in this struggle and send us those graces we need to come together as one family to face the current crisis together.  May generous hearts and hands reach out to those who are forced from home and may we all care for one another as you care for us.  We make our prayer through Christ, our Risen Lord. Amen.  St. Florian, pray for us.