The Birth Pang Spirituality
Friday before Ascension Sunday
Acts 18: 9-1; Jn 16: 20-23
Going through the Word today, a few thoughts came flooding my mind: the mind blowing facts people say about the level of labour pain which many mothers akin to a near-death experience, the recent painful experience of one of my friends losing his prematurely born baby after all the herculean efforts proved failure, the sorry state of the numerous childless couples...everything is related to the imagery that the Lord is sharing today!
Along with these thoughts, two other occasions of the day added a peculiar perspective to my reflection: the Feast of Dominic Savio, the young saint; and the First Day of the Novena to the Feast of Pentecost!
Linking all these three lines of thought, I saw my mind converge on one reflection: the Birth Pang Spirituality.
What does it consist of:
1.Expecting a transformation in Life, a spectacular and paradigmatic transformation
2.Knowing well that the expected transformation is not going to come so easily or automatically; it has to be, to a great extent, my effort ofcourse with the external (Divine) assistance.
3.Accepting wholeheartedly the enormous pain that would be involved and knowing well any effort to cut down the pain will not result in the total transformation.
4.Awaiting restlessly the signs of the beginning of the transformation, in spite of realising the pain that is involved.
5.Going through with heroism the entire painful phase of processing that transformation.
6. Rejoicing in the outcome and being a cause for others to rejoice too!
The restlessness of Dominic Savio to grow into a saint and the eagerness of the early Church to receive the Holy Spirit...don't these fall into this category of spirituality?
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