"Our Grief will become Joy" By Beth DeCristofaro
So (Paul) left there and went to a house belonging
to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a
synagogue. Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along
with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and
were baptized. (Acts 18:7-8)
(Jesus said) Amen, amen, I say to you, you
will weep and mourn, while the world rejoices; you will grieve, but your grief
will become joy. (John 16:20)
Piety
“God, my Father, you love and forgive me, So
TODAY I accept all as gift– and ask to find you Lord the Giver in the
gift. I choose to face life without fear
and to live wholeheartedly in each present moment . . .” [i]
Study
In yesterday’s Gospel Paul’s evangelization
was rejected by the citizens of Athens.
Today we see that he had mixed success in Corinth although it eventually
grew into a thriving, alive Christian community. Did Paul grieve the lack of acceptance? Was
he saddened by people who refused an immortal truth? And, probably, was Paul also sad that his
words, personally, were rebuffed?
Jesus’ words are still relevant and
poignant. Today each of us has personal
suffering – that’s what being human and alive includes. Today we are also experiencing worldwide, shared
distress which gives increased weight to Jesus’ words. Through his passion and resurrection, Jesus
has already released us for joy. Our
faith makes it possible for us to plumb those depths of joy as we “abide in him.” One day at a time we can find moments of joy
with those we love or in the hopeful, beautiful stories of kindness and
generosity coming out of fear and frustration.
We can share God’s joy by reaching out to others in need. We can pray, acknowledging
our grief and being thankful for joy, joining with millions who also fear and
hope much like the few first disciples who must have felt so very alone, so
very exposed, so very empty of answers as to where all their efforts were going
to go.
Action
Jesus reassures us:
your grief will become joy.
Can we accept his joy for us? Are
we stuck in anger or rage at others or the unfairness, the insecurity of the
times? Take time today to acknowledge
any joy you experience and take time to savor and be grateful.
[i] Sr.
Irene McCormack, RSJ (Give Us This Day: DAILY PRAYER FOR TODAY’S CATHOLIC),
“Blessed Among Us” for May 20, 2020.
Image Credit: “ Breathtaking
Portraits Of Ballet Dancers Practicing On The Streets Of New York “, photos by Oscar Roble, dancer #60, https://www.boredpanda.com/urban-ballet-dancers-new-york-streets-omar-robles/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic
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