Reflection for March 20, 2022

Third Sunday of Lent (C)

Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15 | Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11 | 1 Corinthians 10:1-6, 10-12 | Luke 13:1-9

​There are two perspectives toward suffering which we can have. “Suffering can either lead us to bitterness or inflame us with a sense of the divine.” The readings for the Third Sunday of Lent draw us to closely examine suffering and death. 

​Our heavenly Father sees us at all times. There is a story of a family whose house in Sampaloc, Manila caught fire a couple of years ago. As each parent tried to grab a few belongings and a child’s hand to get out of the house as quickly as possible, Emily, their little daughter who was holding the father’s hand, broke free from his grip and ran upstairs to get her music box. However, when trying to come down again, she found that she was trapped by the enveloping flames. Emily was forced to flee to the roof and shouted for her father’s help. Emilio, the father, stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his daughter, "Emily, jump! I'll catch you." He knew the girl had to jump to save her life. All Emily could see, however, was flame, smoke, and blackness. As can be imagined, Emily was afraid to leave the roof. Emilio kept yelling: "Jump! I will catch you." But Emily protested, "Tatay, I can't see you." The father replied, "Don’t worry honey, you just jump. I’m right under you and I will catch you. Although you can’t see me, I CAN SEE YOU and that's all that matters." The girl jumped, because she trusted his father. 

Sometimes it may seem that God does not see that we are going through difficult circumstances. Sometimes, it seems that God has forgotten us and that He isn’t hearing our prayers. In the confusion of the events, we wonder, “Where is God in all this?” On the contrary, God sees us. He especially sees our affliction. In our first reading, we see how God is passionately concerned about the suffering of his people. He said to Moses,“I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land." God here did not promise an instant miracle. Moses and the Israelites had to exercise trust just before seeing God's plan fulfilled. All that is required is that we then step out in faith and trust that the rest is in God’s hands. Like Emily who trusted his tatay Emilio completely, our complete confidence in God enables us to face life or meet death, not because we can see, but with the certainty that we are seen; not that we know all the answers, but that we are known. I pray that if you’re suffering right now, you’ll see the God who sees you.

Once I was sitting in a hospital room in Dasmariñas City having a conversation with my friend whose devout mother got brain cancer. She was deeply upset and agitated. She dried her eyes and told me, “I struggle believing this is all part of God’s wonderful plan. Why does mom have to suffer? She devoted most of her life serving God." "Why not?" I replied. "People like her are the only ones who can take it." The real question is not "Where does suffering come from?" but "What shall I do with suffering?" 

The French writer, Paul Claudel, wrote, “Christ did not come to do away with suffering; He did not come to explain it; He came to fill it with His presence.” The Apostle Paul, in his First Letter to the Corinthians, taught that we should not expect comfort in our journey as Catholic Christians. Becoming a Catholic Christian will often require us to move out of our comfort zones and into the unknown. When this happens, we must not repeat the mistakes of the Israelites in the desert who grumbled and complained at their less-than-five-star accommodations in the desert. Thus, rather than asking the question “Why?” with regard to suffering, we should ask the question, “What?” What does this tragedy teach me? Do I view the trials in my life as punishment for sin or opportunities for growth? As God refreshed the Israelites with water from the rock and brought them into the Promised Land, he will deliver us from the hardships we are experiencing now through Jesus, the rock who saves us. God reveals himself to us in unexpected ways. He reveals to us in the desert. He reveals to us in the dryness of our lives. We should not grumble over discomforts but instead be patient as we march on to reach our destination. 

Something to ponder about: A person’s righteousness gives him or her no claim upon God. Suffering is the inheritance of the bad, of the penitent, and of the Son of God. Each one ends in the cross. Gestas, the bad thief is crucified, Dismas, the penitent thief is crucified, and Jesus, the Son of God is crucified. By these signs we know the widespread endowment of suffering. It does not make exceptions for nice people. 

If God is so all-loving and all-powerful, then why does he let bad things happen to good people? In our Gospel, Jesus was journeying to Jerusalem to teach the good news and cure the sick when  people among the crowds report to him two recent disasters. In one incident, Pontius Pilate's men killed some Jewish Galileans in cold-blood while they were offering sacrifice in the Jerusalem Temple at Passover. In another case, eighteen construction workers were accidentally killed when a water tower collapsed on them in Siloam. Why? How could God let these things happen? The intention of the crowd seems to be to ask Jesus to explain why these people suffered. According to common Jewish belief, painful experiences were sign of God's judgment. The greatness of the calamity suffered by these people indicates that they were unusually wicked sinners. People who were accidentally crushed to death by falling masonry were exceptionally sinful. Jesus challenges this interpretation. He is quick to answer with a categorical “NO”. He tells the crowds that God doesn’t punish sinners by letting them be massacred, knocking buildings over on them, or bringing natural disasters on them. Such disasters are not indicators that the sins of the people involved were horrible, or that they got what they deserved. He explains that yes, bad things happen to good people, but this is not because of an individuals sin, it is not karma, or punishment, but simply 'life'. Some say that this Covid-19 situation has occurred because God is trying to teach us something. Others will say that this plague has been inflicted upon our human family as a punishment for our wickedness. I want to go on record this morning with a resounding “NO!” to both of these ideas. No, says Jesus, it doesn’t work like that. There is no correlation between the suffering we experience in this life and our sinfulness. If that weren't the case, liars, murderers, plunderers, drug-lords, and tax evaders would never prosper and be able to run for the highest position in the land and the godly people would never suffer. Lots of good people end up with the short end of the stick, while the bad people never get what's coming to them. A bullet has no conscience; neither does a malignant tumor or Coronavirus disease; or a car gone out of control. Good people get sick and get hurt as much as anyone. Suffering comes to all of us, whether we deserve it or not. Bad things happen to good people, not because they are worse sinners or more guilty than the others and deserve to die, but simply because that's how life is. We all go at this point. God does not abandon us in our suffering. It is there that the Lord is nearest...almost can’t be felt like cloth near to the skin. Finally, Saint Teresa of Calcutta hit the nail on its head when she appraised human misery: "Pain and suffering have come into your life, but remember pain, sorrow, suffering are but the kiss of Jesus — a sign that you have come so close to Him that He can kiss you." <enrique,ofs>

Recommended reading: Are Calamities and Pandemics Punishment From God?
https://www.jeffjacinto.com/vade-mecum/archives/05-2020