Pain remains a mystery, but in this mystery, we can discover in a new way the fatherhood of God who visits us in our trials.
Vatican City (04/11/2021 19:40, Gaudium Press) On Thursday morning, Pope Francis celebrated Mass for the Cardinals and Bishops who died in the last twelve months. The central theme of his homily was based on the following biblical passage: “It is good to wait in silence for the Lord’s salvation” (Lam 3:26).
The Pontiff began by stressing the need to learn the art of waiting for the Lord. “Waiting for him meekly, with confidence, banishing ghosts, fanaticisms and clamouring; preserving, especially in times of trial, a silence full of hope. This is how we prepare for the last and greatest test of life, death,” he said.
Affliction leads the mind to dwell on difficult moments
Pope Francis explained that first there are the trials, the cross, for which we ask the Lord for the grace to know how to wait for his salvation. We must first mature in this aspect because “in the face of life’s difficulties and problems, it is difficult to be patient and remain serene.”
“We are often seized by irritation and discomfort, and led to pessimism and resignation. In trial, even good memories of the past cannot console, because affliction leads the mind to dwell on difficult moments,” he warned.
God draws near to save us
At the very moment when it seems we are at rock bottom, in the abyss, in the anguish of our disorientation, God draws near to save us and presents us with a change of course. “At the height of pain, those who are united to the Lord see that he knocks down suffering, transforms it into a door through which hope enters,” he assured.
The Holy Father clarifies that “this turnaround is not because the problems have disappeared, but because the crisis has become a mysterious opportunity for inner purification. Prosperity, in fact, often makes us blind, superficial and proud. On the other hand, the passage through trial, if it is lived in the warmth of Faith, despite its harshness and tears, makes us reborn and we find ourselves different from the past.
In pain we find hope
Recalling the words of St. Gregory of Nazianzus, “nothing but suffering leads to the discovery of new things,” Pope Francis stressed that “God accompanies us above all in our pain, like a father who helps his child to grow well by being at his side in difficulties without taking his place. And before we cry, emotion has already taken over the eyes of God the Father. Sorrow remains a mystery, but in this mystery we can discover in a new way the fatherhood of God who visits us in our trials and comes to say, with the author of Lamentations: ‘The Lord is good to those who hope in him, to those who seek him’ (v. 5)”. (EPC)
