Deacon Tom Anthony

We as Christians will constantly face trials and tribulations in this life. These difficulties will come from many different places including from those who are closest to us. We will be tempted and ridiculed because of our faith. We will be challenged and judged more harshly than other people around us. Our lifestyle and choices are not accepted by society. The reason for this is because society is trying to take the place of God and eliminate him from his own creation. We must face these challenges with happiness and joy; thankful that we have been chosen to suffer in much the same way that the prophets and saints did before us. Saint Rose of Lima addressed this point in many of her writings. She said that in order to achieve salvation one must suffer and unite themselves with the Crucified Christ. The more you suffer the more graces you will receive. There was no way to salvation without the Cross of Christ that each Christian is required to carry. The sufferings that one endures has the capability to enrich one's spiritual life.

Jesus teaches us that faith is required to achieve salvation. Suffering has the capability to deepen our faith and bring us closer to God. So, when we suffer, we must focus more intently on God through our prayers, devotion, and complete trust in him. Having complete trust in God can be very difficult but, in reality, what isn't difficult in life? We create so many challenges for ourselves; more than we find solutions. This is so very obvious when the lives of everyone around us is observed through our interactions. Everyone faces different degrees of problems and there is so much time and energy spent trying to solve them just so more problems can take their place. It is fair to say that challenges and problems are a normal part of life. They will always be there. We convince ourselves that, in order to be happy, we have to solve these problems. A question can be presented: If problems and challenges are a normal part of life, then what will it take for us to be truly happy? Problems will never go away. They will only be replaced. So, if the focus is trying to convince ourselves that we will be happy only when the problems and challenges go away, we will never really achieve happiness.

The solution is God. Through God and our relationship with him, we can be happy all the time. It shouldn't really matter what we are facing as long as we strengthen our relationship through Jesus Christ while we are facing them. We can take comfort and guidance from the Book of Job. Through his suffering, Job never lost his faith in God. The entire story is an exercise in faith and trust in God. He loves us and wants us to overcome all obstacles to live our lives in his presence. If we do this, then we will be protected and happy.

The Letter to the Hebrews encourages us to look at our sufferings as discipline from God. If we look at them with this perspective we can then begin to make the corrections in our lives in order to achieve a happiness beyond anything that we have experienced before. Why does a parent discipline their child? It is in order for the child to correct their behavior. In the same way we can examine our own lives and shape it around the teachings of God. We can make the adjustments necessary and react to the tribulations in a positive manner in order to build ourselves up into a new creation guided by our creator. We must, of course, take responsibility for our short-comings but can use them as a positive force of change. It can become an exciting exercise that will display positive results immediately. It is a healing process. God is the doctor and we become the patient. God only wants good things for us but, in order to accept happiness and goodness, we must first accept God. It is impossible to be happy without God. This world cannot bring happiness without God for God created this world and all it holds for us. Society did not create the world. We created society and because of that it is not perfect. So why rely on the imperfect for happiness when we can embrace perfection in God?

God's Glory has been revealed through Jesus Christ. We need to turn to him and accept it. We are invited to partake in all of his love but must journey with him. The journey itself will be hard, but the rewards in this life and the next are countless. We are guaranteed an everlasting happiness and joy that nothing in this world can replace. This happiness can remain with us through good times and bad times. At the same time, the definition of bad times will take on a new meaning because, with Jesus Christ, there really is no presence of bad. Everything else will change in our lives also and will take on a new perspective. We just have to be open to that perspective. Do we really want to struggle for momentary happiness or do we want to work for everlasting happiness with Jesus Christ?

The answer is so simple that there will be those who miss it.

I can safely say that we all already have the answer.

Deacon Tom