The Lord tends to us through our mothers and fathers.
Fr. Steve shares the grief of a mother whose daughter died in a car crash on Sunday morning and how he tried to comfort her and minister to her as shepherd of this parish. Christianity is true precisely in these times of suffering. In Paul’s letter to the Romans, chapter 8, Paul reminds us that “the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us” and that “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.”
God allows bad things to happen to us so that even greater good can result. We all blame God for misfortune and it is a mystery, but he knows what goodness can come out of it. He is always at work, even through our sin and tragedy. “If God is for us, who can be against us?”
If we stay faithful, he will eventually show us how wonderfully he worked in our lives. “What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?... in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.”
This is also the case for couples who experience infertility or who cannot find a marriage partner. Jose Maria Escriva’s advice for people in this position is to dedicate themselves to the service of others, in the same way they might have to a spouse or children. In his post-communion comments, Fr. Steve also reminds couples of the opportunity for adoption that is also presented to infertile couples.
The good shepherd is calling us to put our trust in him.
