A friend of mine recently said that he wished he knew what to do to make the storm in his life end. And since then I've been thinking about that statement a lot, because I myself am in a storm and ask God to relieve me of the things that I struggle with as well. And I've come to the conclusion that the storm will probably never end. we may get relief from one struggle but another will come after.
The second reading this past Sunday 2 Cor 12:7-10 St. Paul talked about a thorn that was placed in his side so that he would not get too elated over all the revelations he received. St Paul said, "Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me,but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you...""
We will always have a "thorn" that in some way torments us. St Padre Pio is quoted as saying that the more the devil attacks you, the closer you are to God. Christ once told a Rich man that he must sell all that he owned.... Christ tells us that we must pick up our Cross and follow him. Crosses are usually uncomfortable.
Does that mean that as Christians we should lead a life of dreariness and depression?? Absolutely not...what should separate us from others is that in spite of the hardships and struggles and storms we encounter we are still able to find joy. We are told to find our joy in the Lord...Anyone can be happy when life seems easy and everything is going right...but when times are rough and there seems to be no end in sight... The one who truly has faith will still be able to find joy... Not the fleeting happiness many think possessions and creature comforts are promised to give, but a lasting joy that one can only find in the everlasting Love we find in God, Christ our savior.
Does that mean that we will feel good all the time? I don't think so. It often means that despite the sadness and hardships we authentically are able to still treat each other with Love. I think the perfect example of this is Mother Teresa. She had an encounter with Christ when she decided to go to Calcutta but after that the Lord did not reveal himself to her again..She was tormented by this yet look at her life.
Look at many of the saints..St. Padre Pio had the stigmata, St. Terese the little flower had tuberculosis, St. John of the Cross was imprisoned by the men in his own order...Read about Blessed Chiara Badano... If you read the lives of the saints you will notice a common thread...they suffered, they had storms...look at the life of Christ...Look at his struggles with the people of little faith, his passion. Yet some of Christ's last words were, "Forgive them father for they know not what they do."
So what can we do to find joy even in our storms, here are some suggestions... #1 We need to have a relationship with Christ!! we have to pray..we must petition our Lord to help us find peace, to be able to still Love his people even when we feel unloving. We need to attend Mass and receive our Lord in the Eucharist as ofter as possible. We need to visit him in Eucharistic Adoration. We need to be fully involved in the sacraments of the Church including Reconciliation.
#2 find community...it may be in your church or a friend but we really need to find a way to lift others up and encourage each other on the same journey and they in turn will help uplift us.
#3 Stop focusing on ourselves. The more we focus on our problems the easier it is to be in a bad mood. If we find ways to help others our own issues will not be at the forefront of our lives.
#4 Persevere ... in the line after St. Paul was told that God's Grace was sufficient... God then said "for power is made perfect in weakness." We truly are loved by God and if you have that relationship with him you will recognize his love and his acts of mercy he pours out on you daily. We don't need to be successful, as St. Mother Theresa once said, we just need to be faithful.
When we choose to follow Christ we are not promised everlasting happiness on earth. Christ said himself in Luke 12: 51 & Matthew 10:34 " I did not come to bring peace to this earth but division. Our promise of paradise lays beyond our life on Earth! Stay strong my brothers and sisters, the road we choose in following Christ is not an easy one but in the end when we get to spend eternity with Christ, all this pain and struggle will seem as nothing and well worth it.
Look at many of the saints..St. Padre Pio had the stigmata, St. Terese the little flower had tuberculosis, St. John of the Cross was imprisoned by the men in his own order...Read about Blessed Chiara Badano... If you read the lives of the saints you will notice a common thread...they suffered, they had storms...look at the life of Christ...Look at his struggles with the people of little faith, his passion. Yet some of Christ's last words were, "Forgive them father for they know not what they do."
So what can we do to find joy even in our storms, here are some suggestions... #1 We need to have a relationship with Christ!! we have to pray..we must petition our Lord to help us find peace, to be able to still Love his people even when we feel unloving. We need to attend Mass and receive our Lord in the Eucharist as ofter as possible. We need to visit him in Eucharistic Adoration. We need to be fully involved in the sacraments of the Church including Reconciliation.
#2 find community...it may be in your church or a friend but we really need to find a way to lift others up and encourage each other on the same journey and they in turn will help uplift us.
#3 Stop focusing on ourselves. The more we focus on our problems the easier it is to be in a bad mood. If we find ways to help others our own issues will not be at the forefront of our lives.
#4 Persevere ... in the line after St. Paul was told that God's Grace was sufficient... God then said "for power is made perfect in weakness." We truly are loved by God and if you have that relationship with him you will recognize his love and his acts of mercy he pours out on you daily. We don't need to be successful, as St. Mother Theresa once said, we just need to be faithful.
When we choose to follow Christ we are not promised everlasting happiness on earth. Christ said himself in Luke 12: 51 & Matthew 10:34 " I did not come to bring peace to this earth but division. Our promise of paradise lays beyond our life on Earth! Stay strong my brothers and sisters, the road we choose in following Christ is not an easy one but in the end when we get to spend eternity with Christ, all this pain and struggle will seem as nothing and well worth it.
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