April 18, 2008 Reflection

St. Paul speaks today at the synagogue, telling his listeners (including us today) that despite all that Jesus did for the people, these same people were the ones who had Him crucified, took him down from the cross, had him buried, but God raised Him back to life. And those who followed Him now proclaim Him as God's appointed One for our salvation.

I am amazed with this magnanimity of God in Christ. Imagine, if Jesus was only human, like anyone among us, it would have been normal for him to just stay away from those who killed him, feeling so unsafe and living in fear. But no, the divinity in Him gave Him life, a new one, which shows what the Resurrection can do for us: it can wash away the pain, take away the hurts, and restore us back to life sans the revenge and the hatred.

Maybe there was still pain like most healing usually gives that sensation, but with the proclamation of Him for our salvation, the revenge is out of the picture. The hatred is gone too. What remained was love, for all even the ones who nailed Him to the tree. If this is not love, then what is it?

This is another scriptural evidence of the love of God in Whom we find our healing, our strength and our courage. Without His love, we will just be "normal" in our fears, in our anger, and in our bitterness. May today's Word of God give us life.

This is what the Church does - START OVER - in the Eucharist. As Jesus says in the Gospel, have faith in Him too if we have faith in God. He has prepared for each one of us a room in His Father's place. And mind you, only He has guaranted us this promise which He will definitely fulfill.

May we live our lives starting today always thinking that in Christ we are destined for heaven. We are not hated by God and He doesn't intend to avenge His Son's death. All He wants since He created us is that we live our lives to the full. "I came that they might have life to the full." (John 10:10)

God bless and take care