[stephenkhoo]

PLACE OF SUFFERING IN THE BUILDING OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ROM 8:18-25; LK 13:18-21
http://www.universalis.com/20131029/mass.htm

The purpose of Jesus’ coming is to establish the reign of God in our lives. This reign of God is to live under the Lordship of Christ and to share in the freedom of His sonship. This is what St Paul wrote, “the whole creation is eagerly waiting for God to reveal his sons.” Not only us but even creation “retains the hope of being freed, like us, from its slavery to decadence, to enjoy the same freedom and glory as the children of God.” So we are waiting for the full revelation of our sonship.

Yet, some of us might ask, “When will this happen? Is the Kingdom of God real?” We see the scandals in Church and at our workplace, the imperfections in our loved ones and our friends, especially in our priests, the suffering of humanity, especially of the innocent, the injustice perpetuated by those in authority and most of all, our own slavery to sin. When we see the stark reality of the dark side of life staring at us, we cannot but wonder whether this is all a dream and an illusion. In other words, we are tempted to give up hope and faith.

Before we do, we must realize that the divine grace of God’s intervention is not necessarily always harsh, such that it brings about irruption. Most of the time, the grace of God works gently and so slowly that we might not even notice it. God is so patient with us in our weakness and failures. Because He loves us, He does not want to force His love on us and as a consequence, destroy us. Like a good teacher and a patient coach, He gently nudges us and cheers us on, consoling us when we fail and affirming us when we succeed. God, being God, has all the time to wait for us till one day our hearts are open to His grace.

But this might take a long process as Jesus warns us in the gospel when He taught us the parables of the Mustard Seed and the Woman with the Dough. We must not be impatient along the way but be ready for the long haul. The reign of God is not something that can be attained just by a quick fix. It takes time. We need to allow the kingdom of God to grow and take root both in our personal lives and in society and the world. This cannot happen overnight; neither can it happen without the grace of God.

It is therefore important to remind ourselves, especially when we in our impatience lose faith and cannot see the imperceptible dimension of grace at work in us slowly but surely, that, like the Mustard Seed, the smallest of all seeds that will grow up to be a tall and majestic tree that attracts birds to rest on it, so too the Kingdom of God always begins small in the hearts of us all. At times, we do not see that people’s hearts are touched and moved by what we say and do. But when we do not see any external movements, do not be deceived into thinking that just because we do not see the fruits yet, the grace of God is ineffective. On the contrary, God’s grace is at work in a most invisible manner already in the hearts of our listeners and recipients. Day after day when we do good to them; returning kindness for evil, love for hatred, patience in weakness, forgiveness in failure, tolerance in slander, their hearts will gradually be touched until one day, out of the blue, as if all of a sudden, that person is awakened and enlightened in the truth and begins to appreciate the love of God and their ignorance that have caused their loved ones to suffer. Haven’t we heard of many instances where people have been converted to God many years after they received an act of kindness from some good Catholic, or a spouse coming back after years of infidelity?

So too, the Parable of the Dough is assuring us of the inner transformation from within us, so long as we sow the seed of love and truth. God’s grace is just like the leaven which brings about effective change in our lives when the Word of God is received. Like the dough when added to the flour, bread is produced, so too, when the grace of God touches a person who receives the Word, they too will make drastic changes in their lives. Testimonies of such radical change happen more often than many think. At our Catholic Spirituality Center, especially through the Conversion Experience Retreats and the 4th Saturday Mass with healing service, we regularly encounter instances of the way God transforms lives by working miracles of healing, enlightenment or conversion. The witness of these transformed men and women, young and old, all vouch to the power of God at work in our lives, sometimes, radically and almost instantaneously; at other times, gradually till it suddenly bursts into a glorious transformation.

So instead of giving up faith when change appears to be slow; weaknesses and injustices not rectified, we must use such time of waiting as occasions to purify our faith in God. He wants us to submit entirely before He lets us see His wonders; otherwise if He were to help us too quickly, we might think it is just coincidence or even our hard work, or simply the power of medicine and science. Because His grace often works together with and through nature, more often than not we cannot see His hand visibly at work in our lives, and though we pay lip service that our achievements are wrought through His grace but more often than not, deep within us, we tend to believe that they are due to our sheer hard work, ingenuity and initiative.

We must use our suffering in a positive manner. Whilst we are suffering or when we see our loved ones suffering because of illnesses, misfortunes or the sins of others, instead of falling into self-pity, despair and resentment against God or our fellowmen or even giving up on ourselves, we must use suffering for the purification of love and of faith. When others hurt us, let us not retaliate, as Jesus and the apostles, Peter and Paul exhort us in their preaching. Let us suffer all the slanders, false accusations and harsh words hurled at us silently and humbly with Jesus. In faith, we can be certain that His grace is at work in their lives and even in ours when we suffer innocently with Jesus. Our little acts of love, kindness and forgiveness are changing hearts, even if we do not see them. Isn’t it true that often, we are surprised to discover that what we did for someone had, many years down the road, changed the person’s life so drastically, when it seemed so insignificant to us then? Truly, if we use our sufferings positively, not only do we heal others, but we heal ourselves too, because we become wounded healers.

Beyond suffering in this life, we must also look to the future as well. St Paul in his trials and tribulations often looked to the Hope that had been promised to him in Christ’s passion, death and resurrection. He said, “I think that what we suffer in this life can never be compared to the glory, as yet unrevealed, which is waiting for us.” Indeed, if we only realize that the fullness of life lies only in the future, then we would not be too concerned only with this world. The joy ahead of us is more glorious than we can imagine. St Paul urges us on when he wrote, “For we must be content to hope that we shall be saved – our salvation is not in sight, we should not have to be hoping for it if it were – but, as I say, we must hope to be saved since we are not saved yet – it is something we must wait for with patience.”

This hope is not a pie in the sky, for we already have a foretaste of it. If only we open our eyes and look at the world with the eyes of faith, we can see His miracles at work in us and in the lives of others. Faith means to look at the world with two eyes, with both perspectives and never with one limited vision. Let us hear the testimonies of the faithful in our times, especially the faith of the Christian people over the centuries which are all recorded in the bible, of God’s amazing and awesome love for His people. Read the psalms and we hear abundant examples of the first fruits of the Spirit of the kingdom manifested. In today’s psalm, we read of the joy of the People of God when they were liberated from slavery in Babylon. Enter into the sentiments of the Jews when they sang, “When the Lord brought back the captives of Zion, we were like men dreaming. Then our mouth was filled with laughter, and our tongue with rejoicing. Then they said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” The Lord has done great things for us; we are glad indeed.”

So with an act of faith, let us turn to the Lord and cry out, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as in heaven.” Yes, only God can bring about the realization of His kingdom. Our task is to cooperate with His grace by doing His will, which itself is the work of grace and not ours. Hence, we must turn to Jesus and allow Him to minister to us. We must surrender ourselves to God and His Kingdom so that He can reign in our lives. When we surrender ourselves completely, then His Spirit will live in us fully. In this way, we let the kingdom of God which He proclaimed in words and deeds be experienced in reality in our lives as we open our eyes in faith to see Him at work in our lives.