EDante, AIT Home, 25 December 2019
This reflection draws from the visit of Pope Francis to Thailand in November 2019. My family were among the 70,000 excited crowd gathered in a stadium in Bangkok on 21 November to receive the Pope and attend mass with him. Expectations of heavy traffic, endless queue and scorching weather turned into amazement. We easily reached the venue, got through the entrance into our seats within minutes and were blessed with surprisingly bearable warm weather. The Pope riding in his “Pope Mobile” passed by waving his hands just four meters away and blessed us with divine joy and peace. Everything that happened that wonderful afternoon was extraordinary and something that will be remembered for the rest of our lives. Following the event, we met an Indonesian friend, Andrian, in a gas station on our way back home. He, together with his family, was also in the stadium with the Pope. He told us an incredible story of their encounter with Pope Francis at St Louis Hospital in the morning that day. He said he and wife Lily wanted to get the blessing of the Pope for their 10-year-old son who needs special care due to some paralysis. This issue started from birth, yet the couple decided, possibly against the doctor’s advice, to keep the baby knowing the great sacrifices they must endure for his care. He recalled his miraculous escape from traffic congestion to get to St Louis Hospital. They were led somehow to a small Soi (street) they didn’t know that brought them to the very gate of the venue. They found a spot among many other disabled and sick children waiting for the Pope. Suddenly, the most unexpected happened, they saw the Pope who suddenly got off from his vehicle and rushed towards them giving the most wonderful miracle and blessing of all – a kiss to their son. They were so touched to the bottom of their hearts. About a month after, we met Andrian and Lily at a fellowship following the Sunday mass at St Gabriel church in Sapan Mai. I spoke with Lily who was carrying her special son. She recalled their experience with the Pope and showed me some photos. Lily told of another miracle that day with the Pope. She felt a new warmth from his son’s body after the kiss from the Pope. It appears that some form of healing has occurred. I was so moved by their experience and reflected on God’s mercy and compassion to those who suffer for the love of God and for His commandments. It reminded me of the words of Jesus I read earlier “..[many] have gone far apart from Me, when they encounter My Cross they get terrified from it; have I not taught you that My Cross and I are linked and inseparable?” (True Life in God). In scripture, Jesus says the same thing: “If you want to be my disciple, carry your cross”. Indeed, the Christian mystery of suffering is a paradox. While suffering may look like a destructive force that breaks us down, it is in spiritual truth a way towards joy and peace with God. It is a pathway to heaven and an integral part of Christian life. This is an important truth for all of us who are afraid to suffer, who run away easily from any minor inconveniences and trials, and who breaks God’s command of love and fidelity to avoid the crosses of life. The birth of Christ is a commencement of a life of suffering of the Holy Family. From the first journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem, Joseph and Mary following the leading of the Spirit embarked into a great risk from robbers along the road and uncertainties about a place to stay. At that time, there were no more relatives living in Bethlehem due to persecutions in that place against the descendants of David. They feared they may not provide a comfortable place for the birth of Jesus who is the King of Kings and the Almighty God. After the birth of Christ, they were told to remain in Bethlehem according to the prophecy that the Messiah must come from the place of David. They obeyed and stayed with some help from the locals until about a year when an Angel told Joseph to take Jesus and His mother to Egypt to escape from Herod’s wrath. Thanks to the gifts from the wise men, Joseph was able to procure a donkey and bought some provisions for the long, arduous and risky journey. As refugees in a foreign land, the Holy Family bore hardships, poverty, persecutions and uncertainties for over three years until it was time to return to Nazareth. Arriving in Nazareth, they found their small house, abandoned for about four years, in ruins and needed much repair to be livable. Such was the beginning of their life of suffering which culminated in the cross at Golgotha. As we celebrate the day of the birth of Christ, let us pray for those who suffer great trials and difficulties in life, especially the sick, disabled, orphaned, refugees, abandoned, separated, unloved and prisoners. We pray for courage and perseverance and for God’s grace to allow them to endure life sufferings. Let us also pray for ourselves that we may have the courage to face our own crosses and see them in a different light, a pathway to heaven and divine life. May God bless us all! |
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