By Manoj Kulanthai Rathinam G csc
Readings: Acts 18: 9-18; Jn 16: 20-23
There was a small family of father, mother, and son. Parents loved their son so much that they used to do everything for him. As he grew up, he didn’t mind the parents and did everything as he liked. He was addicted to bad habits and never minded about his parents and he used to question them and argue with them. But his parents patiently accepted all that he was been doing. They believed that one day he would change.
Dear friends in Christ Jesus, we come across many problems in our lives. There is no one in the world who has no problem or suffering. For a son, whatever parents tell is a problem. For a working man, his job and manager are a problem. For students, studies are a problem. And for some people, life itself is a problem. There is no one without a problem, but how we handle those problems is the key.
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus said ‘your sorrow will turn into joy.’ And we as the faithful need to believe in those words of Christ. Jesus said, ‘whatever you ask Father in my name, he will give.’ Let us ask Father to give us the Spirit to face problems and suffering, and with his guidance, we can live happily accepting problems in life and with joy. Parents, in the story, accepted the pain and suffering that was given by their son and waited patiently for a change of heart. Let us also accept and believe that everything will change in our lives and it will make us live more meaningfully.