TO be sure, our life is supposed to be happy one. And
Christian life, much more so! That’s simply because in spite of the many
challenges, difficulties and trials in life, we have been wired to find joy in
any situation. Besides, for those who believe in God, we have the assurance
that everything will be all right as long as we cooperate with him.
But we should neither forget nor even underestimate the enormity of the
challenges, difficulties and trials that can come our way, situations that can
cause severe tension, at least, if not great suffering and pain that ends in
death.
Our Christian faith tells us that all our suffering and pain are due to sin.
While in the beginning when the first man and first woman enjoyed immortality,
complete integrity and impassibility, now with sin and its effects, we are
certain to die, to face conflicts and contradictions, and to experience all
kinds of suffering.
These are the facts of life that we always have to bear in mind. But we have to
reconcile it with another wonderful truth of faith, the Good News that is meant
for all of us.
And that is, that with the redemptive work of Christ, all these suffering and
pain, which are summed up in Christ’s cross, are also now converted into our
way of salvation and human and Christian perfection. As a liturgical prayer
would have it, the tree of death is turned into a tree of life.
We too can avail of this passage from death to life, from suffering to
joy, if we unite ourselves with Christ. We ought to die with him to be able to
rise also with him, for only in him is this transition from death to life
possible.
This dying with him is what may be described as the spirit of penance that we
all should try our best to cultivate and develop. Christ, in speaking about
this need for dying, alludes to the example of the grain of wheat.
“Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, of itself it remains
alone. But if it dies, it brings forth much fruit.” (Jn 12,24-25) And he
proceeds to invite everyone to follow him. “If any man ministers to me, let him
follow me. Where I am, there also shall my minister be.” (Jn 12,26)
We have to realize ever more deeply that this spirit of penance, this dying a
little every day, is a crying need for us. This is because, in spite of our
best intentions and best efforts, we cannot avoid to commit mistakes and sins
both big and small,
The very least that we can do is to say sorry to anyone to whom we may have
caused some distress, no matter how slight. This practice, especially when it
becomes habit, would lead us to realize that we need to say sorry ultimately to
God who is always affected every time a mistake or sin is committed.
To this practice of saying sorry should be the desire to make whatever
atonement and reparation is necessary or even just convenient, if only to
smoothen ruffled feelings and recover and strengthen strained relations with
God and with others.
This spirit of penance actually lightens our mind and heart, and paves the way
for reconciliation. It greatly helps in building up joy and peace personally
and socially. It’s truly a wonderful thing to have, though it needs to be
better understood and appreciated.
We should develop a culture of penance that should go beyond the motions we go
through during Lent and especially during the Holy Week. The spirit of
penance has to be with us all the time, organically blended with our desire for
happiness.
We have to be wary of a demonic trick to picture our human aspiration for joy
and peace as one without the Cross of Christ. That is pure and simple delusion.
And yet many are falling for it.
Let’s spread this Good News about our need for a spirit of penance. And let’s
develop the appropriate practices that we should try to learn starting from the
homes, then in schools, then in the places of work and even of our rest and
recreation, etc.
Let’s explode the myth that our true joy can be attained without the Cross. As
a saint once said, our joy should have its roots in the shape of the Cross.
No comments:
Post a Comment