Passiones | Sufferings

“In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,…” – 2 Timothy 3: 12

My dear brothers and sisters, it is undeniable that all of us have suffered any time in our life and perhaps we are still suffering right now. We do not like to suffer for anything, nor can we resist it to come into our lives. We cannot run away from it.  Moreover, as God's people, suffering is our cross of life.

The suffering can be illustrated by two sides of a coin. On one side, the suffering could weaken our body and soul but on the other side, it could help us realize our infirmities and weaknesses then improve it. At this point, we are asked to endure the suffering and try to find a way of bringing peace into our suffering.

Saint Paul said, "Indeed, all who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted". Becoming a faithful Christian, we have to suffer and be persecuted as a part of our faith experience. Saint Paul also wrote about our attitudes when we face various kinds of suffering in our faith life. He emphasized that we must be consistent in the righteousness. How difficult it is to stride in faith, when we are suffering because of the faith itself. 

For surviving on our faith, Saint Paul invites us to be more and more faithful in reading the Holy Scripture and doing a reflection afterwards. In the Holy Scripture, we will find the wisdom of God which will lead us to God's salvation. God's wisdom helps us to correct ourselves and lead us to a repentance. Therefore, we try keener to read and to live God's Word accordingly in our daily lives. Those are the Christian's power in facing up sufferings.

My dear brothers and sisters, sufferings have great values in our lives as God's people. It can purify us and help us grow up in faith to God. By sticking to the faith and God's blessing, we can endure the sufferings in our lives. One certain thing which we have to remind is that God never gives us any unbearable sufferings. Also, His Love always accompanies us in our journey for His steadfast love endures forever. Accept your problems and sufferings and turn them into smiles. Amen.

Reflection on 2 Timothy 3:10-17 by Fr. Victory D. Lianain, SVD

 (Listen to the Podcast here)

In Auctorem Fidei | In Our Faith

"Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God." - Hebrews 12: 15

Faith is a personal decision to accept the offering of God’s salvation for mankind. This faith shows God’s grace and the total love of God to us. God does not want mankind to be destructed because of sins. Whereas he desires salvation. Therefore, God offers salvation to mankind, and our answer to this offer is stated and manifested in our faith by which we submit to God’s love and strive to live as his children.

The inclusion of sin into human life, on the other hand, has made the passion for faith purer and truer. Faith always contradicts with sin, as faith brings humanity to God, while sin dips the humanity down away from God.

We often ask questions about our faith when we are faced with various or many challenges in this life. When our physical energy could no longer withstand obstacles that come to our lives, that’s the time when we feel God is so far away.

In Christian life, challenges to the faith must be encountered. In this encounter, it is expected that our faith is to be purified, and such purification is expressed clearly in surrendering ourselves to God - the only Helper and Focus of our life. Moreover, God’s salvation must be strived by man. The strive is implemented in our endurance in the time when our faith is being tested. Our question will be: Do we easily give up when our faith is challenged and tested?

Saint Joseph Freinademetz said: “Love is a universal language that is understood by all people”. Every one of us can understand love because we are the image of God’s love. And only through love towards others, we can manifest our faith. Such faith will be able to touch people’s hearts and invite them to improve themselves.

The letter to the Hebrews helps us to realize our existence as the loving God’s creation. We are not led into darkness, or a blazing fire, but our life is led towards salvation, which, by the letter to the Hebrews, is illustrated as Mount Zion and heavenly Jerusalem. Also, the letter to the Hebrews invites us to get closer to God.

If we love God in our lives more and if we endure the faith test, then we are living out our faith socially, and so we are getting closer to God. Here, once again love becomes the means. We strive to share God’s love with everyone and invite others to get closer to God.

Have I been able to bring others closer to God and feel God’s love? Let us live out our faith by doing love in our lives. Be true and keep firm in your faith. God bless you all.

 Reflection on Hebrews 12:13-29 by Fr. Victory D. Lianain, SVD

(Listen to the Podcast here)