THE WORD AND THE FEAST

Suffering with a purpose: Blessed Mother of Sorrows

15th September,  2015

1 Tim 3: 1-13; Lk 2: 33-35

Suffering is neither a curse nor a gift. We know the pain it can cause and the gloom it can create. But can we imagine a life without it? That it is present in every life,  does not make suffering in itself a cause for celebration. That would make up for a sadistic temperament. How then does Suffering become salvific?

Suffering, with a purpose, makes it meaningful and suffering with a divine purpose makes it salvific. Today we celebrate our Blessed Mother immersed in suffering... she didn't know for what she was suffering! She wondered about it and kept pondering in her heart. All that she knew was that there was a divine purpose to that suffering. She believed it and she surrendered herself to that divine purpose. And there suffering turned salvific.

Let us evaluate every suffering that we undergo and see if there could be a divine purpose in it. That has to be revealed, as it was revealed gradually and slowly to our blessed mother. We need to keep everything in our heart and ponder; become aware of our experiences and see God's hands in them and gradually realise the Divine purpose in our suffering. And then we will see,  that suffering will turn salvific!

THE WORD AND THE FEAST

The Cross Talk: Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross

14th September, 2015

Num 21: 4-9; Phil 2: 6-11; Jn 3:13-17

Celebrating the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, our focus is on that symbol of God's love for humanity, the Tree of our Salvation. Exalting the Cross today, we are called to hearken to the voice of the Cross. If the Cross would speak to us, we would hear these three words:

1. Look Up: Look up to the Cross and be saved. It is in and through the Cross that we have been saved. Cross is not a symbol of suffering nor a sign of curse. By choosing the Cross as his weapon and throne, Christ who has conquered the world has won God's salvation for us. In all our difficulties we are called to look up and draw hope from this Cross.

2. Be Lifted Up: When we look up, we are given the light. Those who look up to Him shall never be ashamed, promises the Word. We are invited to be lifted up by the Lord...just like the Saviour who was lifted up! The love of the Lord will lift us up, inspite of the burdens we bear and the clutches that tend to pull us down. Let us surrender, so that we can be lifted up; let us humble ourselves before the Lord that we could be lifted up by the Lord.

3. Lift Up: Once lifted up, the Son of Man would draw everyone to Himself. And once we are lifted up by the Son, we should in turn lift everyone else up to the Lord. Our life has been punctuated with so many blessings and marvels from the Lord and today, we look up, we gaze at the One who is lifted up, and be lifted up ourselves. Our life in Lord should lift up the rest of the humankind with us to the Lord that everyone may look up to Him and be saved.