Jan. 29, 2012: 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)
Last week, I drove up to a small house in Baton Rouge where a mother was waiting for me outside. Inside the house was a young woman of 28 years who was losing her battle with a terminal cancer that had spread throughout her body. The mother thanked me for coming, and said, "Father, a couple of days ago over 300 people gathered at the church for a prayer service for her. It was so touching to see so many young people there. Many said to me at the prayer service how my daughter was an inspiration to them by exuding joy despite so much suffering."
What did that young woman see, in the midst of her great suffering that gave her such peace? This week, I tried to explain this to an elderly lady who was bed-ridden for over a year. In the midst of her pain and suffering, she was struggling with doubts and hopelessness. I told her of an experience I had with another lady who struggled with doubts and hopelessness while suffering from debilitating heart condition. That lady told me, "Father, I have been to heaven when I nearly died from my heart attack. I don't tell this to anyone because they may think I'm crazy. Father, I entered a beautiful place, and I saw Jesus. How can I explain to you how much Jesus loves me?" I sensed that it was that encounter with Jesus that gave this woman such peace. That love that she experienced from Jesus was so overwhelming that even back on earth where she continues to suffer from her debilitating heart condition, she has peace.
So what disrupts peace in our soul? I encounter many people who struggle with busyness and pursuits of the world, meanwhile trying to maintain a spiritual life. They know in their mind that they need more prayer time with Jesus, yet among the many priorities, it has taken a back seat. St. Paul points this out in our Second Reading, "Brothers and sisters: I should like you to be free of anxieties. An unmarried man is anxious about the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord. But a married man is anxious about the things of the world, how he may please his wife, and he is divided." St. Paul is speaking beyond the unmarried/married persons. Did you know that even an unmarried priest like me can be divided in his heart by anxieties, distracted by the world, and prayer life can take a back seat? Can you imagine then, what happens when you find out that you have a debilitating illness, separation in a relationship, or a great loss? It tears the soul from inside and divides. It's not unlike the experience of the man in today’s gospel who with an unclean spirit entered the synagogue. This young man experiences himself divided from inside--his own voice being overtaken by the voices of demon--and he is desperately seeking freedom and peace. There he encounters Jesus, who speaks with authority to cast out that which caused that man's heart to be divided. That's what Jesus does for us when we encounter Him; His love penetrates our divided heart, casts out our doubts and hopelessness, and gives us unshakable confidence that even in the midst of pain and suffering, His love endures forever.
We celebrated that young woman's funeral earlier this week in a packed church. After the funeral, the young woman's husband shook my hand and thanked me for coming to anoint her. He said, "Father, after you left, she was in a great pain, so we began to pray the Rosary. At the Third Decade, all of a sudden, she had a great big smile, and she looked so peaceful." She died early in morning the next day. What brings peace back in our soul? It's that intimate encounter with Jesus that brings wholeness into our lives even in the midst of busyness or suffering. What can we do to dispose ourselves each day to meet Jesus and experience His love for us?
What did that young woman see, in the midst of her great suffering that gave her such peace? This week, I tried to explain this to an elderly lady who was bed-ridden for over a year. In the midst of her pain and suffering, she was struggling with doubts and hopelessness. I told her of an experience I had with another lady who struggled with doubts and hopelessness while suffering from debilitating heart condition. That lady told me, "Father, I have been to heaven when I nearly died from my heart attack. I don't tell this to anyone because they may think I'm crazy. Father, I entered a beautiful place, and I saw Jesus. How can I explain to you how much Jesus loves me?" I sensed that it was that encounter with Jesus that gave this woman such peace. That love that she experienced from Jesus was so overwhelming that even back on earth where she continues to suffer from her debilitating heart condition, she has peace. We celebrated that young woman's funeral earlier this week in a packed church. After the funeral, the young woman's husband shook my hand and thanked me for coming to anoint her. He said, "Father, after you left, she was in a great pain, so we began to pray the Rosary. At the Third Decade, all of a sudden, she had a great big smile, and she looked so peaceful." She died early in morning the next day. What brings peace back in our soul? It's that intimate encounter with Jesus that brings wholeness into our lives even in the midst of busyness or suffering. What can we do to dispose ourselves each day to meet Jesus and experience His love for us?
