"Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God's throne" (Hebrews 12:2).
What is the joy that lay ahead of Jesus? It is the joy of completing his task well, fulfilling the will if his Father, and happily rejoining the Father. Having endured the most ignominious ill-treatment, and having remained steadfast and faithful through this painful passion, Jesus rejoiced: "It is finished!" and bowed his head and surrendered his spirit in death (John 19:30).
He had consummated his mission without wavering or faltering through all the opposition, betrayal, rejection, and various persecution. That is what filled him with joy. This joy was driving him on, bolstering him, galvanizing and strengthening him through the most difficult moments of the passion.
That joy was inside him all the time, even when he appeared defeated. He shares that joy, thereby revealing it to us, when he intimates it to the good thief: "Truly, truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43). Jesus knew, beyond all reasonable doubt that at the end of his suffering was Paradise.
He knew this because he trusted his Father. He knew that, even if his Father had seen it to be necessary for Jesus to suffer this much, God would not go back on his word. God had prepared this glory for him from the beginning and Jesus was determined not to allow any earthily hardship, or human cruelty and evil, or his own human frailty to prevent him from attaining this glory.
He had prayed earnestly before the passion: "Now, Father, glorify me with that glory I had with you before ever the world existed." (John 17:5).
By suffering and dying for us Jesus secured this glory for us too. No matter what blows we receive from this imperfect world, the cruelty and evil intentions of our persecutors, and our own weakness and vulnerability, we must remain faithful to the Father's will, like Jesus did.
We must pray always like him when we find it most difficult: "'Father,' he said, 'if you are willing, take this cup away from me. Nevertheless, let your will be done, not mine.'" (Luke 22:42). That is how Christians, followers of Jesus, must face trials and tribulations, following the example of Christ, preferring the will of a God to our own will.
The author of the letter to the Hebrews encourages us: "Let us keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, who leads us in our faith and brings it to perfection: for the sake of the joy which lay ahead of him, he endured the cross, disregarding the shame of it, and has taken his seat at the right of God's throne" (Hebrews 12:2).
Dear sisters and brothers, for the sake of the joy which lies ahead of us, let us not conform to the standards of this world, to the mentality of this time, to the values of society, to the hardships of our personal predicament; but let us remain resolute in doing God's will, steadfast in prayer, unwavering in faith and always rejoicing in the love of Jesus Christ! Amen.
Saturday, April 19, 2014
The Passion of the Christ
I like the depiction in The Passion of the Christ, of the impression that the passion of Jesus had on the woman caught in adultery.
She watches him go through, what she almost certainly went through, at the hands of her accusers.
She was spared this ordeal by him.
She now watches, helplessly, unable to save the one who saved her.
How she must have wanted to do for him what he did for her, but she could not.
How that must have torn her deep inside.
It is as if she is seeing this, in play back, happening to her.
It is as if she is seeing all this in a dream.
But this is not a dream - it's real - and it is not happening to her because he stopped it happening to her.
I, too, see in the passion of Jesus, what could have happened to me had Jesus not stood in for me.
She watches him go through, what she almost certainly went through, at the hands of her accusers.
She was spared this ordeal by him.
She now watches, helplessly, unable to save the one who saved her.
How she must have wanted to do for him what he did for her, but she could not.
How that must have torn her deep inside.
It is as if she is seeing this, in play back, happening to her.
It is as if she is seeing all this in a dream.
But this is not a dream - it's real - and it is not happening to her because he stopped it happening to her.
I, too, see in the passion of Jesus, what could have happened to me had Jesus not stood in for me.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Contemplating the face of Oscar Pistorious
I watched a bit of the Oscar Pistorious trial today. Among other things I am fascinated by the faces of the audience. You hear Oscar's trembling and highly emotionally charged voice, crackling out of his face that is hidden from you. You can't see his eyes. You can't see him purse his lips and lick them to moisten them. But you can hear, if you listen hard, his tongue pulling back, working desperately, as if independently of him, to keep his mouth moist. And you see the faces of those whose gaze is fixed on his face. They are all set like flint, hard, unflinching, unmoving. The sculpture pose of the faces is only momentarily upset by the rapid blinking of the eyes. You look harder into those faces, searching, screening, hoping to pick up the slightest movement that can reconfirm for you that they are actually humans, that they are still human beings. These faces belong to people who, by choice or for duty's sake, are forced to sit in there, saying nothing, watching and not even in any way able to determine the out come, or influence the course of the trial. There are there, wearing these unflinching faces, now and again mirroring to us what the face of Oscar might be looking like. As I study these faces, and allow them to distract me from the actual words of the trial, as the eye of my mind tries to imagine the contours of the face of Oscar, I keep asking myself: To what avail?
Friday, July 30, 2010
A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house.
Matthew 13:54-58
Today’s Gospel has a special message for parents, children and families. It will help all of us to reflect and meditate often on this reading.
We see Jesus coming back to his home village. He is a changed person. He has grown. He is now bigger than his parents, bigger than his village. He seems to know more than his parents, more than his teachers, more than his rabbis. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they all wonder.
They struggle to understand the transformation that has happened to Jesus. They fail to accept the growth that has happened. They cannot wrap their minds and hearts over the young man they knew so well, who is now looking and sounding so different. “He is the carpenter’s son surely? ……… So where did the man get it all?”
The people of his village failed to handle this confusion. Their wonderment leads them, unfortunately, to rejecting Jesus. They expected him to come back home still the same, without having changed. They wanted to see the son of their village acting in the ways customary to the village.
But his new way of thinking and talking about God, love, life, relationships, care for one another….are unfamiliar, and they reject him. “A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
I often participate with families and see them send off their children to university, sometimes overseas. I see how keen the parents want their sons and daughters to go and get an education. I see too how they expect them to come back home after three or four years. They look forward to see their children return with qualifications and be reunited with their family and they all live happily thereafter!
But it does not turn out like that, often. Sons and daughters come back grown up, educated, and transformed. They come back bigger than their parents, bigger than their teachers, bigger than their hometown. They come back dressing, talking, thinking and behaving differently.
Parents struggle to understand and accept this. They cannot imagine their little girl, their little boy, now seeing and choosing things differently from them. They cannot understand why they are feeling differently.
This confusion can lead to rejection. Returning children can feel misunderstood and unaccepted. They can walk away never to return. Parents of returning children can feel threatened and challenged by their grown children.
They can feel judged and looked down upon. They can become very fearful and angry at their own children. In their own country, and in their own home, children may feel unwanted, misunderstood, rejected and they move on seeking the recognition they failed to get at home.
Many parents have experienced this conflict. Many of us have experienced it with our parents and with our children. Today’s Gospel shows us that Jesus experienced the same conflict with his own people. Jesus is not a stranger to the mutual misunderstanding and rejection that happens between one and one’s people, and between parents and children. In his compassion he can help us deal with this conflict when it happens in our lives.
Let us pray in this Eucharist, that God may give us the grace to cope well with the conflict that comes when our children come back bigger and different. For the grace to accept that our children have changed and have now a life of their own.
Let us pray that God may help us deal with it well, when we stand before our own people and are not accepted. For the grace to accept that our people do not understand our new set of values and our new way of being.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Reflection at Morning Mass: Nazareth House.
Today’s Gospel has a special message for parents, children and families. It will help all of us to reflect and meditate often on this reading.
We see Jesus coming back to his home village. He is a changed person. He has grown. He is now bigger than his parents, bigger than his village. He seems to know more than his parents, more than his teachers, more than his rabbis. “Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they all wonder.
They struggle to understand the transformation that has happened to Jesus. They fail to accept the growth that has happened. They cannot wrap their minds and hearts over the young man they knew so well, who is now looking and sounding so different. “He is the carpenter’s son surely? ……… So where did the man get it all?”
The people of his village failed to handle this confusion. Their wonderment leads them, unfortunately, to rejecting Jesus. They expected him to come back home still the same, without having changed. They wanted to see the son of their village acting in the ways customary to the village.
But his new way of thinking and talking about God, love, life, relationships, care for one another….are unfamiliar, and they reject him. “A prophet is only despised in his own country and in his own house, and he did not work many miracles there because of their lack of faith.”
I often participate with families and see them send off their children to university, sometimes overseas. I see how keen the parents want their sons and daughters to go and get an education. I see too how they expect them to come back home after three or four years. They look forward to see their children return with qualifications and be reunited with their family and they all live happily thereafter!
But it does not turn out like that, often. Sons and daughters come back grown up, educated, and transformed. They come back bigger than their parents, bigger than their teachers, bigger than their hometown. They come back dressing, talking, thinking and behaving differently.
Parents struggle to understand and accept this. They cannot imagine their little girl, their little boy, now seeing and choosing things differently from them. They cannot understand why they are feeling differently.
This confusion can lead to rejection. Returning children can feel misunderstood and unaccepted. They can walk away never to return. Parents of returning children can feel threatened and challenged by their grown children.
They can feel judged and looked down upon. They can become very fearful and angry at their own children. In their own country, and in their own home, children may feel unwanted, misunderstood, rejected and they move on seeking the recognition they failed to get at home.
Many parents have experienced this conflict. Many of us have experienced it with our parents and with our children. Today’s Gospel shows us that Jesus experienced the same conflict with his own people. Jesus is not a stranger to the mutual misunderstanding and rejection that happens between one and one’s people, and between parents and children. In his compassion he can help us deal with this conflict when it happens in our lives.
Let us pray in this Eucharist, that God may give us the grace to cope well with the conflict that comes when our children come back bigger and different. For the grace to accept that our children have changed and have now a life of their own.
Let us pray that God may help us deal with it well, when we stand before our own people and are not accepted. For the grace to accept that our people do not understand our new set of values and our new way of being.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Parish Letter Lent 3 B 2009
Anger: The Powerful Emotion
Jesus’ public display of anger (John 2:13-15) gives us an opportunity to look at that powerful emotion, anger, which we all experience throughout our lives.
We all feel angry at one time or another, yet we may not be aware of the anger. As a result, we may not think of ourselves as angry people, or even as capable of anger.
Like most emotions, it is in its expression and manifestation that anger is known. Therefore, it is to the extent that people exhibit anger that they are deemed as angry or not angry people.
We label differently the individual who is slighted by another and walks away without saying a word and the one who throws up a tantrum at being wronged. Yet, both do experience the powerful emotion of anger.
Anger is a useful indicator that we see that things are not in order, especially the order that we want. How we see things may be correct or incorrect, but that is what makes us angry.
Anger shows us how much we care about a relationship, an individual, a cause, an issue, a situation and indeed ourselves. If we did not care, and if these things were not important to us, we would not be angry about them.
We do not choose to be angry - we get angry as a matter of course. What we can choose is what to do when we are angry. We can choose to act out our anger, to express it, to let others know that we are angry.
We can also choose not to act it out, to suppress our anger, to turn it inwards rather than outwards. Our choice to, or not to, act out our anger can be based on our knowledge, or lack thereof, of the negative effects of that behaviour.
We can be afraid that our acting out will hurt and harm others. We can be afraid of the consequences of showing that we are angry to someone who is more powerful than we are.
We can tell ourselves that we are not angry, or we can simply deny the reality of our anger because of the costly consequences.
It is hard to show that we are angry to a powerful person. It is much easier to show that we are angry to those who are weaker than us, the more vulnerable and fragile. Unfortunately, we often act out our anger against the powerful on the weak - the “soft” targets.
Acting our anger out can bring about tremendous relief and feelings of satisfaction, even though consequences may follow. Not to act out our anger - denying or suppressing it - ensures there are no painful consequences, but does not take the anger away. It turns it inwards and makes it a negative force against us.
Unexpressed anger is often unresolved and can lead to a number of other negative feelings emotionally and physically. Many complications of the spirit and body are related to poor anger management.
Since anger is an unavoidable reality of human experience, the multimillion dollar question is: ‘How do I manage my anger?’ and not: ‘How can I not be angry?’
The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy” (The Nichomachean Ethics).
This is, at the same time, an acknowledgement that to be angry is human and that through anger management we can be good people, in spite of our anger.
Jesus’ angry outburst and acting out in today’s Gospel has often been called “holy anger,” “righteous anger” and “divine anger.” That is true and in place. However, we must not lose sight that it was also a “human anger” because Jesus was fully human.
As a human being Jesus got angry about things, people, and relationships that mattered to him. His anger shows us that he cared about the temple, about the people of God, about God and about the things of God. His anger was a normal reaction to a situation and a relationship that had gone bad.
Today’s gospel challenges us to acknowledge that getting angry is part of being human and alive. It calls us to an awareness of our anger - each one of us has things that make us angry, things that we care and are passionate about.
This awareness helps us to choose well what to do with our anger, how to channel that energy into something constructive and life-giving, rather than destructive and diminishing to life.
As we seek to follow Jesus more closely in his passion this Lent, let us work on our anger. Jesus has been there and has done it - he can help us where we have difficulties with anger.
Let us pray that the Lord may teach us how to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way.
Yours in the Most Holy Redeemer
Fr William Guri, C.Ss.R.
Anger: The Powerful Emotion
Jesus’ public display of anger (John 2:13-15) gives us an opportunity to look at that powerful emotion, anger, which we all experience throughout our lives.
We all feel angry at one time or another, yet we may not be aware of the anger. As a result, we may not think of ourselves as angry people, or even as capable of anger.
Like most emotions, it is in its expression and manifestation that anger is known. Therefore, it is to the extent that people exhibit anger that they are deemed as angry or not angry people.
We label differently the individual who is slighted by another and walks away without saying a word and the one who throws up a tantrum at being wronged. Yet, both do experience the powerful emotion of anger.
Anger is a useful indicator that we see that things are not in order, especially the order that we want. How we see things may be correct or incorrect, but that is what makes us angry.
Anger shows us how much we care about a relationship, an individual, a cause, an issue, a situation and indeed ourselves. If we did not care, and if these things were not important to us, we would not be angry about them.
We do not choose to be angry - we get angry as a matter of course. What we can choose is what to do when we are angry. We can choose to act out our anger, to express it, to let others know that we are angry.
We can also choose not to act it out, to suppress our anger, to turn it inwards rather than outwards. Our choice to, or not to, act out our anger can be based on our knowledge, or lack thereof, of the negative effects of that behaviour.
We can be afraid that our acting out will hurt and harm others. We can be afraid of the consequences of showing that we are angry to someone who is more powerful than we are.
We can tell ourselves that we are not angry, or we can simply deny the reality of our anger because of the costly consequences.
It is hard to show that we are angry to a powerful person. It is much easier to show that we are angry to those who are weaker than us, the more vulnerable and fragile. Unfortunately, we often act out our anger against the powerful on the weak - the “soft” targets.
Acting our anger out can bring about tremendous relief and feelings of satisfaction, even though consequences may follow. Not to act out our anger - denying or suppressing it - ensures there are no painful consequences, but does not take the anger away. It turns it inwards and makes it a negative force against us.
Unexpressed anger is often unresolved and can lead to a number of other negative feelings emotionally and physically. Many complications of the spirit and body are related to poor anger management.
Since anger is an unavoidable reality of human experience, the multimillion dollar question is: ‘How do I manage my anger?’ and not: ‘How can I not be angry?’
The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy” (The Nichomachean Ethics).
This is, at the same time, an acknowledgement that to be angry is human and that through anger management we can be good people, in spite of our anger.
Jesus’ angry outburst and acting out in today’s Gospel has often been called “holy anger,” “righteous anger” and “divine anger.” That is true and in place. However, we must not lose sight that it was also a “human anger” because Jesus was fully human.
As a human being Jesus got angry about things, people, and relationships that mattered to him. His anger shows us that he cared about the temple, about the people of God, about God and about the things of God. His anger was a normal reaction to a situation and a relationship that had gone bad.
Today’s gospel challenges us to acknowledge that getting angry is part of being human and alive. It calls us to an awareness of our anger - each one of us has things that make us angry, things that we care and are passionate about.
This awareness helps us to choose well what to do with our anger, how to channel that energy into something constructive and life-giving, rather than destructive and diminishing to life.
As we seek to follow Jesus more closely in his passion this Lent, let us work on our anger. Jesus has been there and has done it - he can help us where we have difficulties with anger.
Let us pray that the Lord may teach us how to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way.
Yours in the Most Holy Redeemer
Fr William Guri, C.Ss.R.
Parish Letter Lent 3 B 2009
Anger: The Powerful Emotion
Jesus’ public display of anger (John 2:13-15) gives us an opportunity to look at that powerful emotion, anger, which we all experience throughout our lives. We all feel angry at one time or another, yet we may not be aware of the anger. As a result, we may not think of ourselves as angry people, or even as capable of anger. Like most emotions, it is in its expression and manifestation that anger is known. Therefore, it is to the extent that people exhibit anger that they are deemed as angry or not angry people. We label differently the individual who is slighted by another and walks away without saying a word and the one who throws up a tantrum at being wronged. Yet, both do experience the powerful emotion of anger. Anger is a useful indicator that we see that things are not in order, especially the order that we want. How we see things may be correct or incorrect, but that is what makes us angry. Anger shows us how much we care about a relationship, an individual, a cause, an issue, a situation and indeed ourselves. If we did not care, and if these things were not important to us, we would not be angry about them.
We do not choose to be angry - we get angry as a matter of course. What we can choose is what to do when we are angry. We can choose to act out our anger, to express it, to let others know that we are angry. We can also choose not to act it out, to suppress our anger, to turn it inwards rather than outwards. Our choice to, or not to, act out our anger can be based on our knowledge, or lack thereof, of the negative effects of that behaviour. We can be afraid that our acting out will hurt and harm others. We can be afraid of the consequences of showing that we are angry to someone who is more powerful than we are. We can tell ourselves that we are not angry, or we can simply deny the reality of our anger because of the costly consequences. It is hard to show that we are angry to a powerful person. It is much easier to show that we are angry to those who are weaker than us, the more vulnerable and fragile. Unfortunately, we often act out our anger against the powerful on the weak - the “soft” targets. Acting our anger out can bring about tremendous relief and feelings of satisfaction, even though consequences may follow. Not to act out our anger - denying or suppressing it - ensures there are no painful consequences, but does not take the anger away. It turns it inwards and makes it a negative force against us. Unexpressed anger is often unresolved and can lead to a number of other negative feelings emotionally and physically. Many complications of the spirit and body are related to poor anger management.
Since anger is an unavoidable reality of human experience, the multimillion dollar question is: ‘How do I manage my anger?’ and not: ‘How can I not be angry?’ The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy” (The Nichomachean Ethics). This is, at the same time, an acknowledgement that to be angry is human and that through anger management we can be good people, in spite of our anger. Jesus’ angry outburst and acting out in today’s Gospel has often been called “holy anger,” “righteous anger” and “divine anger.” That is true and in place. However, we must not lose sight that it was also a “human anger” because Jesus was fully human. As a human being Jesus got angry about things, people, and relationships that mattered to him. His anger shows us that he cared about the temple, about the people of God, about God and about the things of God. His anger was a normal reaction to a situation and a relationship that had gone bad.
Today’s gospel challenges us to acknowledge that getting angry is part of being human and alive. It calls us to an awareness of our anger - each one of us has things that make us angry, things that we care and are passionate about. This awareness helps us to choose well what to do with our anger, how to channel that energy into something constructive and life-giving, rather than destructive and diminishing to life. As we seek to follow Jesus more closely in his passion this Lent, let us work on our anger. Jesus has been there and has done it - he can help us where we have difficulties with anger. Let us pray that the Lord may teach us how to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way.
Yours in the Most Holy Redeemer Fr William Guri, C.Ss.R.
Anger: The Powerful Emotion
Jesus’ public display of anger (John 2:13-15) gives us an opportunity to look at that powerful emotion, anger, which we all experience throughout our lives. We all feel angry at one time or another, yet we may not be aware of the anger. As a result, we may not think of ourselves as angry people, or even as capable of anger. Like most emotions, it is in its expression and manifestation that anger is known. Therefore, it is to the extent that people exhibit anger that they are deemed as angry or not angry people. We label differently the individual who is slighted by another and walks away without saying a word and the one who throws up a tantrum at being wronged. Yet, both do experience the powerful emotion of anger. Anger is a useful indicator that we see that things are not in order, especially the order that we want. How we see things may be correct or incorrect, but that is what makes us angry. Anger shows us how much we care about a relationship, an individual, a cause, an issue, a situation and indeed ourselves. If we did not care, and if these things were not important to us, we would not be angry about them.
We do not choose to be angry - we get angry as a matter of course. What we can choose is what to do when we are angry. We can choose to act out our anger, to express it, to let others know that we are angry. We can also choose not to act it out, to suppress our anger, to turn it inwards rather than outwards. Our choice to, or not to, act out our anger can be based on our knowledge, or lack thereof, of the negative effects of that behaviour. We can be afraid that our acting out will hurt and harm others. We can be afraid of the consequences of showing that we are angry to someone who is more powerful than we are. We can tell ourselves that we are not angry, or we can simply deny the reality of our anger because of the costly consequences. It is hard to show that we are angry to a powerful person. It is much easier to show that we are angry to those who are weaker than us, the more vulnerable and fragile. Unfortunately, we often act out our anger against the powerful on the weak - the “soft” targets. Acting our anger out can bring about tremendous relief and feelings of satisfaction, even though consequences may follow. Not to act out our anger - denying or suppressing it - ensures there are no painful consequences, but does not take the anger away. It turns it inwards and makes it a negative force against us. Unexpressed anger is often unresolved and can lead to a number of other negative feelings emotionally and physically. Many complications of the spirit and body are related to poor anger management.
Since anger is an unavoidable reality of human experience, the multimillion dollar question is: ‘How do I manage my anger?’ and not: ‘How can I not be angry?’ The Greek philosopher Aristotle taught that: “Anyone can become angry – that is easy. But to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way – that is not easy” (The Nichomachean Ethics). This is, at the same time, an acknowledgement that to be angry is human and that through anger management we can be good people, in spite of our anger. Jesus’ angry outburst and acting out in today’s Gospel has often been called “holy anger,” “righteous anger” and “divine anger.” That is true and in place. However, we must not lose sight that it was also a “human anger” because Jesus was fully human. As a human being Jesus got angry about things, people, and relationships that mattered to him. His anger shows us that he cared about the temple, about the people of God, about God and about the things of God. His anger was a normal reaction to a situation and a relationship that had gone bad.
Today’s gospel challenges us to acknowledge that getting angry is part of being human and alive. It calls us to an awareness of our anger - each one of us has things that make us angry, things that we care and are passionate about. This awareness helps us to choose well what to do with our anger, how to channel that energy into something constructive and life-giving, rather than destructive and diminishing to life. As we seek to follow Jesus more closely in his passion this Lent, let us work on our anger. Jesus has been there and has done it - he can help us where we have difficulties with anger. Let us pray that the Lord may teach us how to be angry with the right person, to the right degree, at the right time, for the right purpose and in the right way.
Yours in the Most Holy Redeemer Fr William Guri, C.Ss.R.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Exaltation of the Holy Cross
Parish Letter 24th Week A 2008
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
St Paul, whose year we are celebrating, admits, at the beginning of his letter to the Corinthians, that the content of his gospel message – Christ crucified – did not fit into the either the Jewish or the Greek cultures of his day:
“And so, while Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here we are preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. ” (1Cor 22-25)
According to Paul’s accurate observation of his contemporary culture, a crucified Christ makes no sense in terms of any worldly evaluation. If we observe carefully our own culture today, we will come to the same conclusion. Yet, Paul insists that both Jew and Greek are called to follow the crucified one.
The cross is central to being a Christian. It is a paradoxical sign that communicates victory over loss, weakness transformed into strength, and triumph over tragedy. It is the crucified Christ alone who is true power and wisdom.
The cross puts our human suffering into perspective. The cross transforms meaningless suffering into something full of meaning and value, even beauty. We know that suffering is part of the human condition.
Some suffering is actually caused by the terrible acts of violent individuals bent on reaping destruction in the name of whatever cause. We have seen that recently in the political disturbances in our country.
We see it every night in TV reports, and every morning in newspaper accounts of the world’s numerous troubled spots. Some suffering comes in the form of tremendous natural disasters, such as the devastating hurricanes currently wrecking havoc in the Caribbean and the US. Yet, another form of suffering accompanies the human condition – incurable diseases, such as HIV/Aids and cancer.
Still, the results of accidents, psychological and emotional stress, broken and strained relationships and the pressures of daily life, compounds the human condition. All suffering, no matter what its cause, presents a challenge and causes much distress, anxiety and pain to humanity. What makes it even more difficult is the innocence of those who suffer. What sense can we make of this suffering, how do we react to it?
Paul was no stranger to suffering (read 2Cor 11:23-33). He seems to draw attention to suffering as an integral part of what it means to follow Christ and what it means to be an apostle. Paul is aware that proclaiming the truth can lead to much suffering and rejection. Paul saw a profound paradox at work in his life through his sufferings: “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10)
This is the Christian paradox that Paul teaches us. What in worldly terms is perceived as weakness is actually strength in terms of God grace and mercy. No symbol so embodies this truth as the cross. Life in Christ means embracing the cross. It requires not that we flee from suffering, but we accept it and learn to live with it constructively.
It is possible to live and love, to be free and to grow, to heal and flourish in the face of of suffering. For Paul, the Christian faith was born in suffering. Jesus willingly took on the humiliating and excruciating torture of death by crucifixion so that he could show others the way of victory through suffering.
Jesus is the model who gives confidence to Paul. On this feast day of the Cross, let us model ourselves on Jesus as St Paul did, and teaches us.
In the Most Holy Redeemer
Fr. William Guri, C.Ss.R.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
St Paul, whose year we are celebrating, admits, at the beginning of his letter to the Corinthians, that the content of his gospel message – Christ crucified – did not fit into the either the Jewish or the Greek cultures of his day:
“And so, while Jews demand miracles and the Greeks look for wisdom, here we are preaching a crucified Christ; to the Jews an obstacle that they cannot get over, to the pagans madness, but to those who have been called, whether they are Jews or Greeks, a Christ who is the power and wisdom of God. For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength. ” (1Cor 22-25)
According to Paul’s accurate observation of his contemporary culture, a crucified Christ makes no sense in terms of any worldly evaluation. If we observe carefully our own culture today, we will come to the same conclusion. Yet, Paul insists that both Jew and Greek are called to follow the crucified one.
The cross is central to being a Christian. It is a paradoxical sign that communicates victory over loss, weakness transformed into strength, and triumph over tragedy. It is the crucified Christ alone who is true power and wisdom.
The cross puts our human suffering into perspective. The cross transforms meaningless suffering into something full of meaning and value, even beauty. We know that suffering is part of the human condition.
Some suffering is actually caused by the terrible acts of violent individuals bent on reaping destruction in the name of whatever cause. We have seen that recently in the political disturbances in our country.
We see it every night in TV reports, and every morning in newspaper accounts of the world’s numerous troubled spots. Some suffering comes in the form of tremendous natural disasters, such as the devastating hurricanes currently wrecking havoc in the Caribbean and the US. Yet, another form of suffering accompanies the human condition – incurable diseases, such as HIV/Aids and cancer.
Still, the results of accidents, psychological and emotional stress, broken and strained relationships and the pressures of daily life, compounds the human condition. All suffering, no matter what its cause, presents a challenge and causes much distress, anxiety and pain to humanity. What makes it even more difficult is the innocence of those who suffer. What sense can we make of this suffering, how do we react to it?
Paul was no stranger to suffering (read 2Cor 11:23-33). He seems to draw attention to suffering as an integral part of what it means to follow Christ and what it means to be an apostle. Paul is aware that proclaiming the truth can lead to much suffering and rejection. Paul saw a profound paradox at work in his life through his sufferings: “Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.” (2Cor 12:10)
This is the Christian paradox that Paul teaches us. What in worldly terms is perceived as weakness is actually strength in terms of God grace and mercy. No symbol so embodies this truth as the cross. Life in Christ means embracing the cross. It requires not that we flee from suffering, but we accept it and learn to live with it constructively.
It is possible to live and love, to be free and to grow, to heal and flourish in the face of of suffering. For Paul, the Christian faith was born in suffering. Jesus willingly took on the humiliating and excruciating torture of death by crucifixion so that he could show others the way of victory through suffering.
Jesus is the model who gives confidence to Paul. On this feast day of the Cross, let us model ourselves on Jesus as St Paul did, and teaches us.
In the Most Holy Redeemer
Fr. William Guri, C.Ss.R.
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