[stephenkhoo]

HOPE AS THE CAUSE OF OUR JOY, EVEN IN SUFFERING  

SCRIPTURE READINGS: ACTS 18:9-18; JN 16:20-23http://www.universalis.com/20140530mass.htmWe live in hope.  We have beautiful visions and enthusiasm – be it in a marriage, in the birth of a child, or when we embark on a new career.  We are full of hope and excitement.  To have hope brings about a sense of mission.  But soon reality sets in.  Our vision blurs and excitement of our mission wanes. What can cause us to lose our hope and therefore a sense of mission?Firstly, it is because of personal failures.  St Paul did not do well in his mission in Athens.  He felt discouraged.  Like him, we too experience setbacks in our careers, vocation and life.  Failure can make us feel like giving up.  When we experience failure, we begin to doubt our capability and ourselves.  We can suffer from low self-esteem leading to even depression and self-hatred.Secondly, we lose our hope because of the lack of communion.  To suffer from bereavement is to be cut off from our loved ones and be deprived of love.  In the case of the apostles, they felt abandoned and lost their sense of mission because Jesus was going to leave them.  They were like orphans.  They were living for Jesus.  Many people live for their loved ones and when their loved ones die, they feel lost and life becomes meaningless.  We work hard at our tasks, but when our efforts are not appreciated, we feel unloved.  This too can cause us to lose hope.  How then can we recover our hope?Firstly, we must regain our vision.  We must see our sufferings in perspective.  Jesus told His disciples to see their sufferings in perspective, like that of a woman in childbirth.  We must realize that pain and growth are part of this growth.  But the result would be joyful.  Jesus promised His disciples that “your sorrow will turn into joy.”   Indeed, after His death, He was vindicated.  Whilst the world rejoiced at His death and the disciples were “weeping and wailing” God will turn sorrow into joy.Secondly, we must have faith in God’s plan.  We must be convinced of God’s plan in our lives.  This conviction of our role in God’s plan will in turn give us a sense of mission.  Because we have a sense of mission, we can remain strong.  We know that God will be faithful to us because we are co-operating in His plan for us.  Although God assured that He would be with Paul and that “no one will even attempt to hurt you”, yet we know that not soon afterwards, he was attacked by the Jews who brought him before the Tribunal accusing him of “persuading people to worship God in a way that breaks the Law”; but God protected him, for the proconsul was not interested to look into the case.Indeed, Jesus promised us that with faith, we would have all our questions answered when the time comes.  Indeed, often in life when we look back on our struggles, we see the hand of God working in our lives.  Of course, at this point of time, it is difficult to see the presence of God at work in our lives, especially when we are going through a rough patch.But having a vision and faith in God’s plan is still not sufficient to inspire hope.  We need communion.  Primarily, we need to be in union with God.   The source of our strength and joy comes from being with Jesus and having Jesus in us.  As Jesus said, “You are sad now, but I shall see you again, and your hearts will be full of joy, and that joy no one shall take from you.”  It is the presence of Jesus that is ultimately most important.  We do not mind suffering for those we love. With love, no suffering is meaningless or valueless.  Truly, it was Paul’s union with God that enabled him to remain strong in his mission, for he heard the Lord saying to him, “Do not be afraid to speak out, nor allow yourself to be silenced: I am with you.”But not only do we need communion with God, we need support from our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ as well.  We must be assured and supported in our vision.  The support must come from among our community.  St Paul had Aquila and Priscilla to help him.  With support from our fellow brothers and sisters, we find courage and hope.We need to pray.  Prayer is the way to remain strong for in prayer, the Spirit of Jesus will rest in us.  Only in prayer and the Holy Spirit, can we have our vision restored, the faith to see and trust in God’s plan and most of all, to feel His presence and support.  For this reason, we must pray for the Holy Spirit as we prepare for the feast of Pentecost.  With Jesus in our hearts, we have no more questions to ask, because love asks no questions but dwell in love.  Only when there is a lack of love do we ask so many questions.  Hence, Jesus said, “When that day comes, you will not ask me any questions.”

WRITTEN BY THE MOST REV WILLIAM GOH

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