In domum tuam (Ps 5:8)

 

We sometimes experience that God is far away. We pray but there is no answer. We feel lonely and abandoned by God. It can happen because of two reasons. Either we committed sins and consequently, we cannot hear the divine voice in our hearts, or God wants to check our fidelity and piety.

Obviously, the proud person is not able to listen to the gentle voice of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, if we make mistakes and commit sins in our deeds, thoughts, and talks, we are not able to tune our souls with the sound from heaven.  

However, it is also possible that we live a holy life, but God’s voice can’t be heard. It was true in the life of many saints, like Saint Teresa of Calcutta. Even though she was a person who prayed a lot and helped thousands of people, she went through the night of the senses. She experienced desert in her spiritual life. Nevertheless, the Lord protected her and led her in all her ministries.

We are to learn from the example of such people who were close to God. We are also invited to pay attention to the word of God. Although we sometimes feel abandoned and cannot recognize the message of God, we should not give up. On the contrary, we are to trust in God more and more.

We always can find shelter in the Lord. As God’s beloved children, we are obliged to love him with our whole heart.

O Lord, help us be patient, especially during our prayers. Send your Holy Spirit so we could listen to you carefully. We are waiting for you. Please, enlighten our minds and souls. Cleanse us from our weaknesses and sins. We want to hear your voice. Make us yours and teach us wisdom. Do not let us get depressed but strengthen us in our endeavors and plans. Amen.

By Fr. Jozef Trzebuniak, SVD.

Inter te et ipsum (Mt. 18:15)

 

In the summer of 2014, I met a friend in California, USA. This friend told me his story that moves me every time I read this gospel. He and his father had serious differences of opinion and never really tried to resolve them. As a result, they avoided seeing each other. He was just trying to avoid family reunions because he had to meet his father there. And it got worse prolonging that they stopped talking to each other. Both stayed in these broken relationships until his father went to a nursing home he never visited. But then his father stopped his contacts in the nursing home as a direct point of contact. And one day one of the nurses at that nursing home called him and told him his father was sick and they do not know if he will make it next week. When he got home from work, he decided to tell his father that despite their differences, he loves him. Just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy burden from his chest, he said. The next day he flew to New York to see his father. Fortunately, his father could still speak. And when he walked into the nursing home, he paused for a while and prayed that his father would not get angry again, that they would never fight again. He just wanted to tell him that despite their differences, he loved him. Then he took a step in the door and said, “Father, I just came over to tell you I love you so much.” And his father's face began to shine as if a transformation were coming over him. His face softened, the wrinkles seemed to go away, and he started to cry. He held out his hand and smiled. One day after this visit, his father died. What if he waited many more days to express his love for his father? In answering this question, Jesus gives us advice from the gospel we just heard. Do not wait to do the things you know need to be done. Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now! And the best time to take this step is today! After all, I was wondering why my friend waited so long before making that decision. Why do we usually keep our broken relationships long before we decide to restore them? I think we often create a wall between us by choosing to keep the injuries to ourselves. And it could either be that we are ashamed or just not able to speak to anyone about it. We believe that our case is unique and therefore no one can understand our feelings. So, we hold up a facade and pretend everything is normal. In the meantime, we ponder the injury. Over time, it increases in size, so even small things can become disproportionate. Then we begin to feel sorry for ourselves and cut off the perpetrator from our networks. After a while we can no longer keep it to ourselves, we start telling others about it - friends, neighbors, and relatives. And the last person to hear about the pain is often the person who is causing it. Suddenly he finds out that everyone was talking about him behind his back. This discovery is very hurtful and can make reaching reconciliation even more difficult.

And so, the gospel of today describes a process of reconciliation between divided members of a community or household. Jesus calls his listeners to seek honesty and righteousness in all relationships, to put aside selfishness, anger, and wounded pride, and to take the first step in healing the cracks that destroy the feeling of love that family and friends, church and community unite – the love of Christ is what binds us together. And so, Jesus invites us to create and maintain households of love and forgiveness and communities of reconciliation and peace. Christ promises that when we gather in his name, he will always be with us. God can only be among us if we are reconciled and love one another. The best time to take the step of reconciliation is today, so that Jesus may be among us.

By Fr. Ouwakpare Victorin Oussoi, SVD.

Discipuli tui (Lk. 5:33)

 

Human life is often occupied with various occupations. People are busy working to make ends meet, exercising to keep up their stamina, engaging in social, religious, and social activities. Being busy meddling in the lives and habits of others also becomes part of our lives. Sometimes we spend our time, our opportunities, and our calm to comment on and assess the lives of others. What others do when they are our enemies, it's always wrong because we've judged negatively.

The Gospel today tells us that some Pharisees were busy asking why did Jesus' disciples not as fast as John's disciples? Was it because they were curious about them, or did they have some other purpose in order to entrap and overthrow Jesus? In our daily lives, such things often happen both in religious communities, in our society, and in our workplace. We're faced with the same problem. Jealousy, curiosity, gossip, judging, and slander often happen. Jesus likened himself to a bridegroom who was always ready to give us all that he had, the privileges of joy, comfort, even sacrificing himself for our salvation. Jesus always showed open arms to those who accepted him. In Jesus, there is hope, love, and comfort. With Jesus, there is a perfection of life that no one, not even the world, can give.

As followers of Christ, we ought to be witnesses of faith, we are required to strive to become like Jesus, who can love, accept, and enter into a good, wholesome, harmonious, and sincere relationship with everyone without discrimination. We must be "a blessing" to those around us, lest we become "a burden" to others. Let us live as martyrs of Christ ready to die and defend the weak.

By Sr. Maria Venidora, SND.