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Family,
May God bless us abundantly, and let us pray for all our intentions and desires!
I once was at a Mass during the week where the priest, with his usual thundering voice, shared words to this effect: “We are living in a world with so many problems because we are unwilling to love one another.”
Isn’t this so true?
Love, caritas, the sacrificial love that Jesus invites us to, is so difficult because we “die” a little when we love. Yet, this is God’s will for us: a world of love would be a dream. We actually act like our true selves, made in the image and likeness of God, when we love. Love also heals those around us, promising a better world than before. And I’m reminded often, praise God, that God is in control of everything, so anything that happens, he allows, so we can confidently continue with our lives, despite any pain or suffering.
The fall of Adam and Eve, which I frequently discuss, should be seen as what is it is: an absolute tragedy and disaster. We learn quickly in scripture that man’s evil after the fall has no limit. Living in complete bliss in the Garden of Eden in communion with God, creation, and each other, after the fall, “death” enters the world, literally. Adam and Eve’s son Cain kills their other son Abel, an astounding act and an unbelievable contrast to “life” in the Garden. But this is man, and unfortunately, with our fallen nature, we too have tendencies to commit evil and introduce death and suffering into our lives and those around us.
We know that God created us in his image and likeness, yet, are also confident that this death I just described isn’t it. Jesus shows us the image of God: He is willing to lay down His life so that other’s might have life. So, we, too, by nature, have this image, and God calls us to this. The Lord asks us to return love to Him in response to the unlimited, sacrificial love He showed us, and so perpetuate His love and mercy: “Jesus has loved me, so I will love others.” I’m convinced and speculate that when we love, when we suffer in a fore bearing and patient manner, slowly we are restored to our original image broken after Adam and Eve. And plus, this act does wonders for the recipient, object, of our love.
A world of abundant love would be a better world because our love has limitless power before God and so, this power, heals those around us, and especially those who are the object of our love. By definition, when we suffer for someone, we, united to the Lord, as His body, participate in his Passion, and His Passion, we know, forgives sins, and so, heals. So, simply put, our suffering heals. So, a world where we patiently bear those sufferings others subject us to, even debilitating ones, is one where healing is commonplace – people will act in less cruel manner and hard hearts will be softened because of the merits of the Lord’s Passion, combined with our sufferings. Additionally, a world where the answer to evil isn’t more evil, will be a world with less revenge; cycles of violence are halted, praise God!
We shouldn’t doubt that God is in control of everything – nothing happens without Him knowing. He tells us in the Gospel of Luke chapter 12, “even the hairs of your head have all been counted” – and so everything that happens to us is God’s will for us, so we shouldn’t be afraid, but aim to persevere. These sufferings can be severe – grave injustice like false witness and racism, infidelity by a spouse, betrayal by a close friend – but God’s Good Will sometimes permits these. We persevere when we try our best to meet all our responsibilities and commitments despite any emotional pain or suffering we carry: like Jesus, even if we walk slowly or with great difficulty, we continue to walk with the Cross on our backs. And it’s even OK if sometimes we fall, if we are exasperated or exhausted, because of the weight of it. I’ll share two testimonials: my prayer to the Lord is often “Lord, guide my steps, guard my steps, and help me to take the next step…,” as none of us are immune from painful crosses. Also, I was surprised yet consoled that our own Holy Father Pope Leo XIV had similar sentiments. In the Mass to inaugurate his Papacy in Rome (May 18, 2025), he mentioned that he does so “with fear and trembling,” a fear that often can paralyze us, but fear that we persevere through with confidence in our Lord and what he’s asking us to do: in my case, to meet my responsibilities and commitments, and likewise, for the Pope to assume his new role. Our sufferings are never in vain – they bear rich fruit for God and our neighbor. And we become more and more restored to our original image in God, and return more and more to another aspect of that image, perfect love of God and neighbor.
Friends, let’s strive to follow the Lord in love, charity, a treatment of others that is boundless in mercy and love, like the Lord is. And while this doesn’t mean remaining in dangerous or harmful situations, it means that we patiently bear those sufferings others in their ignorance, or even outright malice, subject us to, for whatever time they were a part of our life. By doing this, we are more and more restored to our original image and likeness to God, which was distorted after the fall of humanity with Adam and Eve, and, as the Lord asks us, return love to Him for the love He has shown us. Also, as counterintuitive as it may seem, our suffering, our love actually contribute to the building of a better, more healed, and more loving world where the cycle of violence and revenge is broken. And last, we can do so confidently because God is always in control, and as He has shown us through His Passion that He is infinitely Good and loves us infinitely, so whatever he permits is never for bad.
Abundant blessings to you and yours,
Juan B
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