Hidden Reason For Difficult Events Of Life

Everything happens for a reason. The reason may be obscure. Yet there is a purpose for everything in divine providence. Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery (Gen 37: 12-36). After so many years, Joseph confronted his treacherous brothers in Egypt. He broke down in tears before his brothers-tears of affection and tenderness for his greatest enemies (Gen 45).

The reaction of Joseph to his brothers was rather curious. We would expect Joseph to be very angry; to fret and fume, to rage and form. Joseph could have debased, dehumanized and demoralized his brothers. However he chose the path of forgiveness and reconciliation.

Throughout the difficult years of his incarceration and slavery, Joseph was edified and fortified by the belief that everything happens for a reason. He believed that every event unfolds according to the plan of God and for a purpose. He saw the hand of God guiding the events of his life. As if God was personally supervising his history.

In the darkest and dreariest moments of his life, when he was at his nadir, he believed that God can make all things work together for the good of those who love Him (Rom 8:28). This is the reason Joseph was generous to forgive his brothers. He realized that “hardships often prepare ordinary people for an extraordinary destiny.”  In the bogs of doubt, quicksand of fear and winds of anxiety he held on to this truth. Later he saw the big picture- how God used his personal tragedy to save his people.

Joseph did not come to the conclusion that everything happens for a reason in a flash. He spent so many years trying to make sense of his pitiable condition. He must have stayed awake many nights trying to understand the unusual path of his life. This belief is a fruit of years of reflection and soul-searching. It is an inverse insight gained from so many trials and pains. It is the grain of wisdom that helped him to become one of the most outstanding figures in Jewish history.

The conviction that everything happens for a purpose is not a justification for evil in the world. This conviction is not a chimera. It is not a theodicy. It is not an expression of fatalism or determinism. This conviction may not solve all our problems. It may even sound unreasonable or meaningless in the face of tragedies of life. Yet it is a profound Christian truth that helps us to put all our (negative) experiences in the proper perspective. It helps us to see the big picture. It can save us from bitterness, cynicism, pessimism and self pity. This belief can furnish us with fresh hope and the strength to carry on in the face of absurdities of life.

Everything happens for a purpose. This truth is far more profound than facile serendipity. Even the most unfortunate event in life can actualize the plan of God, help us to develop our potentials, and provide an opportunity for tremendous growth. God is not the cause of evil in the world. He takes no pleasure in human suffering and miseries. But God can bring good out of evil.

God’s providence ensures that every event ultimately fulfils God’s plans. God’s ways are mysterious and inscrutable. His ways are not our ways and his thoughts not our thoughts (Is 55:8-9). “Someday, everything will make perfect sense. So for now, laugh at the confusion, smile through the tears, and keep reminding yourself that everything happens for a reason.”

The Last Will Be First

The parable of the labourers in the vineyard seems to insult our sense of justice and fairness. Labourers came to work at different hours. And at the end of the day, they all received the same wage. Those who came first complained about this ‘injustice.’ They believed they were unjustly treated; they believed they deserved more.  We may share the sentiments of the first labourers. We too believe that those who do more should receive more and those who do less should receive less. Jesus employs this parable to challenge our notion of merit, time and superiority.


Eternal Life is a Gratuitous Gift

In human affairs, a wage is based on merit. It is something that can be earned. The amount of work can determine the size of a wage. Huge amount of work can translate into huge amount of wage. A wage is never a gift (Rom 4:4). It is a right. But this idea of a wage is not applicable to eternal life.

Eternal life is not a ‘wage’ or a ‘reward’ for our labours or efforts. Eternal life is absolutely gratuitous. There is nothing we can do to ‘merit’ it. Strictly speaking nobody can merit heaven by his efforts, labour, even his good works alone. Eternal life will always remain a free gift from God. Our prayers, devotions and good works are necessary but not sufficient to win for us eternal life. It is only by the grace of God that we can receive it. We cannot earn it by our efforts. But we can receive it as an underserved and unmerited gift of God.


A Day Like A Thousand Years

We exist in time. We use time. We need time to make sense of our lives. We see almost everything from the perspective of time. For us, time can be long or short; time can be more or less. Time is a quantity. Again this idea of time is not applicable to eternal life.

God existed before time began. God created time. God reckons ‘time’ from the perspective of eternity. For God a day or an hour does not exist.  From divine perspective, a day is like a thousand years and a thousand years is like a day (2Pet 3:8). God cannot be too early or too late. If God gives the same reward to those who came early and those who came late, it is because He does not operate with earthly time. God is not bound to reckon time the way we do.


The Last Will Be First

We refer to those who come first as seniors and those who come last as juniors. And we believe that the seniors deserve more and that the juniors deserve less. The senior should enjoy some privileges and leverage. There is no equality between seniors and juniors.

God does not subscribe to our notion of superiority and inferiority.  Jesus says "the last will be first and the first will be last" (Matt 20:16). God rewards as He pleases, as His generosity dictates. God does not owe us anything. All his gifts are gratuitous. We should be grateful for whatever we receive. There is no justification for envy. Those who receive more should not boast and those who receive less should not complain.

The Truth About Lying

Lying is a common human phenomenon. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to find an adult who does not tell lies (at least once in a while). Most people tell lies all the time. St Augustine wrote a short but profound treatise on lying (De Mendacio). What makes a statement a lie is the intention to deceive.

According to Augustine, “ a man lies who has one thing in his mind and utters another in words or by signs of whatever kind.”  In order to deceive a liar must have what St Augustine calls ‘double heart’.  The liar’s double heart consists of two things. First, what he knows or thinks to be true and he decides not to say. Second, what he says knowing or thinking that it is false. He defines truth as “that which sets free from all error” and falsehood as “that  which entangles in all error.”


Not All Falsehood Is A Lie

St Augustine argues that not everyone who makes a false statement tells lies. If person says something that is false while he believes it to be true in his heart, he is not telling lies. The person who makes false statement believing it to be true is not telling lies because he has no intention to deceive; he does not have double heart because what he says corresponds to what he believes.

Though he is not telling lies, he is in error. “His error lies in the fact that he believes what he should not believe or thinks he knows what he does not know.” St Paul teaching strict observance of the law as means of attaining salvation was not lying. He truly believed what he taught. He later realized that he was in error.


A True Statement Can Be A Lie

It is also possible to say something that is true and still be guilty of lying. A person that makes a true statement believing it to be false with the intention of deceiving is actually lying. He believes something to be false in order to deceive though what he says turns out to be true.

If John says he is the son the president in order to deceive and defraud, without knowing that he is actually the lost son of the president. He is lying though his statement is true. When he utters the statement he believes in his heart that it is false, though he utters it as true. He has a ‘double heart.’ There is a dichotomy between what he believes and what he says.


Truth Sets You Free

Whether a person lies or not does not depend on the objective veracity or falsity of his statement. What determines whether a person lies is his state of mind- his intention to deceive. When a person has an intention to deceive, whether what he says is true or false, he is lying. Veracity or falsity is a matter of logic. Lying is a matter of morality. The intention to deceive is immoral. Only the truth can set us free (Jn 8:32).

Divine Mercy Sunday

Lord Jesus Christ,

you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father,

and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him.

Show us your face and we will be saved.

Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money;

the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things;

made Peter weep after his betrayal,

and assured Paradise to the repentant thief.

Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman:

“If you knew the gift of God!”

You are the visible face of the invisible Father,

of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy:

let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified.

You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness

in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error:

let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God.

Send your Spirit and consecrate every one of us with His anointing,

so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord,

and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor,

proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed,

and restore sight to the blind.  

We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of

Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and

ever. Amen

(Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee)

Canticle of the Sun

Most high, all powerful, all good Lord!
All praise is Yours, all glory, all honor, and all blessing.

To You, alone, Most High, do they belong.
No mortal lips are worthy to pronounce Your name.

Be praised, my Lord, through all Your creatures,
especially through my lord Brother Sun,
who brings the day; and You give light through him.
And he is beautiful and radiant in all his splendor!
Of You, Most High, he bears the likeness.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Moon and the stars;
in the heavens You have made them bright, precious and beautiful.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brothers Wind and Air,
and clouds and storms, and all the weather,
through which You give Your creatures sustenance.

Be praised, my Lord, through Sister Water;
she is very useful, and humble, and precious, and pure.

Be praised, my Lord, through Brother Fire,
through whom You brighten the night.
He is beautiful and cheerful, and powerful and strong.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Mother Earth,
who feeds us and rules us,
and produces various fruits with colored flowers and herbs.

Be praised, my Lord, through those who forgive for love of You;
through those who endure sickness and trial.

Happy those who endure in peace,
for by You, Most High, they will be crowned.

Be praised, my Lord, through our sister Bodily Death,
from whose embrace no living person can escape.
Woe to those who die in mortal sin!
Happy those she finds doing Your most holy will.
The second death can do no harm to them.

Praise and bless my Lord, and give thanks,
and serve Him with great humility.

Composed by St Francis of Assisi

The Empty Tomb

Mary Magdalene and the other holy women rushed to the tomb of Jesus to anoint his adorable body. The holy women discovered to their greatest surprise, that the stone had been rolled away. They saw two angels in dazzling clothes who asked them an important question: why are you seeking the living among the dead?  And the angels continued: He is not here! He is risen! He is alive. He is Life. He is God of the living and not the God of the dead. You are looking for Jesus in the wrong place! (Lk 24:1-7)

Mary Magdalene and the other women had a good intention, they had a genuine concern but their good intention was not enough. The women made huge effort, they trekked some distance, they struggled to get to the tomb, but their effort was not enough. They took risks. They went to the tomb when it was still dark and dangerous, but their risk taking was not enough. The women saw an empty tomb.

The world is full of people looking for the right thing in the wrong place. Many people are looking for Jesus in wrong places – in the empty tomb. Many people are looking for light in darkness: seeking truth in falsehood; looking for wealth in fraud; looking for happiness in ephemeral things; looking for God in water, trees, mountains, and material things. Many people are looking for God in wrong places. Like people looking for water from broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jer 2:13).

Mary Magdalene and the holy women were not being irrational or foolish by going to the tomb. They actually did the most reasonable thing by going to the tomb where he was buried. However, Jesus was not in the tomb.  The tomb was empty. Rationality alone, human reason alone cannot guarantee the experience of God. To see God, human reason must be purified and enlightened by faith.  Human reason without faith is sterile and prone to error. The Christian walks by faith and not by sight (1Cor 5:7).

Our search for happiness, love, peace and fulfillment in life is not foolish or unreasonable. But has our search yielded any results? Have we found the happiness, love, peace and fulfillment we are looking for? Are we looking for the right thing in the wrong place?  When we do not find the right thing in the wrong place we become angry, frustrated and depressed. The world is full of unhappy people who are looking for the right thing in the wrong place.

Only in the risen Lord can we find what our hearts are searching for. Are you searching for fullness of life? Jesus says: I am the life, I am the Resurrection (Jn 11:25). Are you searching for love? Jesus says: greater love than this no one has, for a man to lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13).  Are you searching for peace? Jesus says: peace I give you, my peace I give you, not the kind of peace the world gives (Jn 14:27). Are you looking for well being and wealth? Jesus says: ask you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will open to you (Matt 7:7-8)

Mary Magdalene and the other women had to move away from the empty tomb before they found Jesus. We too have to move away from the emptiness of sin; we have to move away from empty promises of the world and the evil one. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we look for Jesus where He can be found.  And we look for happiness, peace, well being, indeed, everything in God alone. We have to look for the right thing in the right place.

Good Friday 2016

Good Friday is a day of sober reflection. Our Lord Jesus Christ is led like a lamb to the slaughter (Is 53:7). He is nailed to the cross. He is hanging on a tree. Yet ours were the sufferings he was bearing, ours the sorrows he was carrying, while we thought of him as someone being punished and struck with affliction by God (Is 53:4). The good Shepherd willingly lays down his life for his sheep (Jn 10:11).  No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again (Jn 10:18).

Today Jesus Christ is betrayed by one of his closest friends- Judas. He is vehemently denied by Peter three times. He is abandoned by the rest of the fearful disciples. He is unjustly tried and condemned. He is violently slapped on the Cheek.  He is severely scourged by the pillar and his body covered with lacerating wounds. He is crowned with thorns and his adorable face covered with blood. He is nailed to the cross. He is insulted by the soldiers and heartless mob. Finally he screamed: “it is finished”. He gave up his spirit.  He is pierced through with a lance, blood and water flowed from his side.

Only sacrificial love can explain the meaning and purpose of the Crucifixion and death of Jesus. Only an infinite, boundless love can explain the fact that God came to this sinful world to die for our sins.  Greater love than this no one has, for a man to lay down his life for his friends (Jn 15:13). St Paul tells us: it is very difficult for a man to die for his friend. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). “It is love to the end that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life" (The Catechism of the Catholic Church, 616). St Paul of Cross says “the passion of Christ is the greatest and most stupendous work of Divine love. The greatest and most overwhelming work of God’s love.”

We see Jesus hanging on the cross, in agonizing and excruciating pain, his whole body covered with blood.  Jesus does not need our pity or sympathy.  What Jesus wants is our conversion, a change of heart, a contrite spirit. Let us remember that it is our sins that nailed him to the cross. We will be the most ungrateful people, if we see Jesus bleeding and dying on the cross and we ignore his suffering and death, and continue living in sin. True reverence for the Lord’s suffering and death means conversion. The commitment to new life in Christ is the best way we can show gratitude to Jesus for the hefty price he paid for our sins.