DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, July 7, 2013

GOD IS LOVE





Over the past week we heard about the death of two priests, one in Egypt and one in Syria. Each were murdered for one reason: they were Christians and gave their lives over to Our Lord Jesus Christ. There was little or no coverage in the news regarding these events. These holy men died in the most horrific way yet there was no outrage, condemnation, or mourning. Their lives were dismissed without a passing thought from the world. The way the events were covered demonstrates the state of the world today and how this society is desensitized regarding world events. We must fully understand that Christians are being persecuted every day because of their faith. Entire families are being assaulted and murdered just because they have a desire to worship God. Churches are being systematically burned and religious communities are being uprooted with the intent of ending Christianity in certain regions. Yet, there is no effort to end this blatant violence and upheaval.

We can take solace in the fact that persecution has always been a part of our faith. To be fully united with the Crucified Christ we must suffer each day with Christ. We are comforted by the knowledge that he died for the entire world so that we could obtain eternal life. When we encounter pain and suffering in our daily lives we are encouraged to reflect on the Passion of the Lord. Christ's ordeal becomes our own model to live by. God loves us so much that he wishes to share in our suffering. He feels everything that we feel and he is with us through it all.

There is a lot of suffering in the world today perpetuated by our fallen nature. There will never be an end to all the violence and strife until Jesus Christ returns and his kingdom is brought to perfection. We as Christians are called to action to rise above the culture of violence and debauchery that is present and keep focused on the love of God and our salvation. We must live separately from the allures and temptations that society offers us and be an example for others to follow. Where there is hate, we must teach love. Where there is anger, we must show friendship. Where there is suffering, we must promote charity. This must be done while keeping our Christian identity. By doing this, we have the ability to become Christ-like and transform not only ourselves but all those that we come in contact with.

With everything that is happening in the world today we cannot become discouraged. World events and things that are occurring in our personal lives must all serve as tools to focus ourselves on what is really important: the love of God and the love that we share for our friends, families, and all those suffering around the world. Society teaches us to become bitter and angry when we are confronted with obstacles. Jesus teaches us to embrace all the negative aspects of the world and surrender to him. We need to be beg him to love us all the more so we can overcome what we are confronted with and continue our journey of faith. It is possible to overcome all adversity and enjoy God's creation for what it is: beautiful. Each one of us is important and God wants to know us intimately. There will be failures and disappointments but there will also be successes and celebration. It is hard to ignore all the good and focus on the bad. Yes there is a lot of bad but there is definitely a greater amount of good. It must be remembered that to enjoy the good we must always keep in mind the ultimate good which is God.

As long as we keep God in our lives everything will be wonderful. God will never abandon us and he will always love us.

Deacon Tom

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