Divine Retreat Centre, Kerala, India.

NOVEMBER 2013 MONTHLY REFLECTION

“MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?”

(Psalm 22:1)

Rev. Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C.'s November 2013 Monthly Reflection -  "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAST THOU FORSAKEN ME?"(Psalm 22:1),  [繁體中文版  / 简体中文版 /Deutsch], is an inspiring and spiritually enlightening reflection for every Catholic of thee salvific value of our human suffering that brings about maturity in our faith. 

"Often, we are lost wondering why God should be so indifferent to our prayers and our problems. We believe and we pray because we have the Scriptural exhortation - "Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” (Matthew 7:7)  This is a promise that the Lord Himself urges us to take on and yet there are moments when we ask and nothing is given; and when we knock and the door of Heaven seems tightly shut. Often we look for His Face and God seems to be far away from us…There is a mystery here and this is the mystery of faith!"

"It is often that we want things our way. We are intent on God honouring our timetable. We are puzzled why there is not God’s instant answer to our prayer because our expectations are set in a time frame of our life which we have fixed. It would be good for us to pause and consider whether we are really sure that what we have planned would be the best for us. When we thus wait giving God a space to speak into our way of thinking and living, we will mature in faith. Waiting always releases maturity into our lives. St. Paul explains this, “We rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us.” (Romans 5:3-5) It is during suffering that we must wait for the Lord. It is in such maturity of waiting that our suffering can be transformed to joy."

"When we strike a bad patch and experience a difficult time, we are terrified imagining that it is an extreme test to our faith. God’s Word is there to assure us that there is a Divine Purpose behind every such trial and suffering that we are put through. It is the trial by fire, the attestation of our faith by which we shall bear the fruits of maturity. In the journey of our lives, we are bound to traverse occasions when circumstances will be unfavourable. In such moments, it is our mature, consummate faith what will enable us to hold on, never giving up on God. How can we establish ourselves on this sure foundation of a firm faith? St. Peter affirms that it is the trials of life that will prove us and make our faith a precious asset for us - “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while you may have to suffer various trials, so that the genuineness of your faith, more precious than gold which though perishable is tested by fire, may redound to honor Jesus.” (1 Peter 1:6-7)"

"If everything we ask for were to be granted, it could be a question mark on us as to God’s concern for us which would not allow us to be spoilt. We spoil a child by granting everything that it asks. But if we have a vision for the child’s well-being, there has to be discipline as well as restraint on the child by which alone the child could be moulded and perfected. It is for our own sake that there are times when God waits and these are times we have to suffer want, humiliation, poverty and failure. But we do not wait alone. God waits with us; watching us overcome the test and reach maturity where our lives gain beauty and value. A chosen person is called to be trained in the school of adversity. “If you come forward to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trial… Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation.” (Sirach 2:1-4,5)" 

"Therefore we rejoice for every adversity becomes for us the assurance of

God’s Special Favour and choice for us!"