WE have every reason to welcome each
day with gladness,
regardless of how our condition may be physically, mentally,
emotionally. And that’s because God is always good, and his love and
mercy never end.
No sin nor stupidity of ours can change that. It’s not him
who will condemn us, if ever we get condemned. It’s us. We need to
train ourselves to always have a positive outlook in life, to be
hopeful and optimistic, in spite of whatever. As far as God is
concerned, he has given us everything we need to be like him, happy,
full of love and goodness.
We have to look at this matter first of all within the
framework of the over-all plan of God when he decided to create us and
the rest of the universe. Truth is we have all been created out of
love, out of sheer goodness on the part of God who did not have any
need to create anything or anyone. He just wanted to share what he has
with us.
In short, the whole of creation has been generated out of
love and is meant for love. With God’s omnipotent providence, it will
remain in a state of love. As his image and likeness, we are supposed
to reflect that love and goodness in our life, in our attitude toward
him and everybody and everything else.
Even if we abused his goodness and fell into sin, God
continues to love us. He will re-create us, heal us, redeem us as he
actually has done and continues to do. He will forgive us always, just
as he in Christ has commanded us—“not only seven times, but seventy
times seven.”
Let’s listen to what Christ has to say about this: “For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent
the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world
might be saved through him.” (Jn 3,16-17)
It’s truly worthwhile to engrave these precious and
reassuring words in our mind and heart. Since we cannot help but abuse
the goodness of God, and so get our just deserts by suffering some
forms of sadness, shame, pain and the like, we should always remember
that God will continue to love us.
This has been proven by the fact that Christ died for us.
He assumed our sins. His love for us is not self-seeking (eros), nor a
matter of sharing (filia). He goes beyond, to the point of giving
himself to us even if his love is not corresponded properly (agape).
St. Paul explains it plainly in this way: “God shows his
love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
(Rom 5,8)
This is the irrefutable basis for our joy and confidence
in life, in our attitude towards anything, in spite of whatever
mistakes, sins, miseries we may have. We need to train ourselves
always to have a joyful, hopeful outlook in life.
It would not be good if we allow ourselves to be dominated
by fear, worry, anger, doubts, sadness, etc., just because of our
problems, difficulties, or worse, our sins and mistakes.
Yes, we have to learn to face them, solve and resolve them
the best way we can. And yet even in the worst scenario when we
encounter situations of insoluble predicaments, we still have reason
to be joyful and at peace, because Christ has assumed all our troubles
on the cross.
We need to learn how to be sport in life, how to move on
in spite of setbacks, how not to get stuck in our failures and
disappointments and to rot there. If we look at our predicaments the
way Christ looks at them, it would not be hypocrisy if we strive to
smile even if our heart is burdened with something. That would be
heroic sanctity.
In the face of our abuses, Christ simply preaches what is
right. He may correct, or sometimes scold as he did to Peter. But he
does not prevent us from exercising our freedom, no matter how wrongly
we use it. He simply drowns evil with an abundance of good, to the
extreme of offering his life on the cross.
This is how we can be joyful and at peace all the time.
Yes, we may suffer, but it’s a suffering that does not take away our
joy and peace. And so we can afford to welcome each day with gladness,
no matter how that day goes.
regardless of how our condition may be physically, mentally,
emotionally. And that’s because God is always good, and his love and
mercy never end.
No sin nor stupidity of ours can change that. It’s not him
who will condemn us, if ever we get condemned. It’s us. We need to
train ourselves to always have a positive outlook in life, to be
hopeful and optimistic, in spite of whatever. As far as God is
concerned, he has given us everything we need to be like him, happy,
full of love and goodness.
We have to look at this matter first of all within the
framework of the over-all plan of God when he decided to create us and
the rest of the universe. Truth is we have all been created out of
love, out of sheer goodness on the part of God who did not have any
need to create anything or anyone. He just wanted to share what he has
with us.
In short, the whole of creation has been generated out of
love and is meant for love. With God’s omnipotent providence, it will
remain in a state of love. As his image and likeness, we are supposed
to reflect that love and goodness in our life, in our attitude toward
him and everybody and everything else.
Even if we abused his goodness and fell into sin, God
continues to love us. He will re-create us, heal us, redeem us as he
actually has done and continues to do. He will forgive us always, just
as he in Christ has commanded us—“not only seven times, but seventy
times seven.”
Let’s listen to what Christ has to say about this: “For
God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whosoever
believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent
the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world
might be saved through him.” (Jn 3,16-17)
It’s truly worthwhile to engrave these precious and
reassuring words in our mind and heart. Since we cannot help but abuse
the goodness of God, and so get our just deserts by suffering some
forms of sadness, shame, pain and the like, we should always remember
that God will continue to love us.
This has been proven by the fact that Christ died for us.
He assumed our sins. His love for us is not self-seeking (eros), nor a
matter of sharing (filia). He goes beyond, to the point of giving
himself to us even if his love is not corresponded properly (agape).
St. Paul explains it plainly in this way: “God shows his
love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.”
(Rom 5,8)
This is the irrefutable basis for our joy and confidence
in life, in our attitude towards anything, in spite of whatever
mistakes, sins, miseries we may have. We need to train ourselves
always to have a joyful, hopeful outlook in life.
It would not be good if we allow ourselves to be dominated
by fear, worry, anger, doubts, sadness, etc., just because of our
problems, difficulties, or worse, our sins and mistakes.
Yes, we have to learn to face them, solve and resolve them
the best way we can. And yet even in the worst scenario when we
encounter situations of insoluble predicaments, we still have reason
to be joyful and at peace, because Christ has assumed all our troubles
on the cross.
We need to learn how to be sport in life, how to move on
in spite of setbacks, how not to get stuck in our failures and
disappointments and to rot there. If we look at our predicaments the
way Christ looks at them, it would not be hypocrisy if we strive to
smile even if our heart is burdened with something. That would be
heroic sanctity.
In the face of our abuses, Christ simply preaches what is
right. He may correct, or sometimes scold as he did to Peter. But he
does not prevent us from exercising our freedom, no matter how wrongly
we use it. He simply drowns evil with an abundance of good, to the
extreme of offering his life on the cross.
This is how we can be joyful and at peace all the time.
Yes, we may suffer, but it’s a suffering that does not take away our
joy and peace. And so we can afford to welcome each day with gladness,
no matter how that day goes.
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