HOW DO WE RESPOND TO SUFFERINGS?
 
Many times we hear people questioning the existence of a loving God because they experience so many sufferings in their own lives or in their own families or in their own countries.  As a Christian response to sufferings, I have used more and more St Paul's famous quote, " All things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).  You will hear this quote this weekend as it is the first verse of our second reading, and I invite you to reflect on how St Paul's words (truly inspired by God) can help you face your daily challenges. 
 
We know that for God everything is possible. We also know that GOD IS LOVE. He loves everyone without exception, and He wants us to return His Love. As Jesus teaches us, "God's greatest commandment is to love Him with all your heart, and all your soul and all your mind" (Matthew 22:35-40). Because He loves us totally and is all-powerful, everything happening to us individually is God's own will and part of His plan for us.
 
God is involved in all things. It is easy to believe this when "good things" happen to us. It is more difficult to accept God's involvement in all things when "bad things" happen.  Not everything that happens to us is pleasant. However, the pains and sufferings that affect us have a purpose that we do not understand right away, but when we keep loving God, those crosses we carry will bring us blessings later on.  In other words, while we should keep loving God in all circumstances (in good times and in bad times), such loving relationship helps us to keep trusting in Him and accepting everything that happens to us.  Such love of God is also essential in relationships between wife and husband. It makes wife and husband closer to each other both in good times and bad times (promise of love made in marriage vows).   God has created us to love and to be loved.
 
In his beautiful reflection on the mystery of Christian suffering, St John Paul II went even further when saying, "If there were no suffering there would be no love." When we see the suffering of someone we love, we will show even more love and care for that person to alleviate the sufferings.  Can we then say that God wants us to suffer?  No.  However, we can say that God allows suffering for His purpose. He has created us in His own image and has given us free will.  When we accept our crosses, we get closer to our Lord Jesus Christ suffering and dying for us on the Cross.  God is allowing evil to continue on earth until the end of time when evil will finally be totally eliminated; remember last week's parable of the weeds, where God allows good and evil to grow together until the harvest, which is the final judgement at end of time when all weeds will be burned once for all. 
 
Think about the impact of the on-going Pandemic on your loved ones.  Think about the impact on those at risk who are not yet confident to come back to Mass in church and cannot receive the Body of Christ. Where is our loving God?  He is always within our hearts through the Holy Spirit and He keeps loving each of us in good times and bad times.  We should ask the Holy Spirit to keep guiding us and maintaining our Hope alive at all times:
Come Holy Spirit! Come! Help us see God working in all things!
Help us accept our sufferings.  Help us keep trust in God and believe that " All things work for good for those who love God.”  Come Holy Spirit! Come! Help us to reconcile with God (go to Confession)!   Help us to love God at all times, in good times and in bad times!
 
One in Christ,

Fr. Alain