We have many trials and challenges in life but these are also opportunities to test our faith in God, identify our weaknesses and resilience. We learn lessons from our life’s troubles and victory is greater when the battle is fiercer.
In Matthew’s Gospel, 7: 13-14, Jesus implies that there are two different roads that we might follow. The broad road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.
Usually, our human inclination is to go for the broad road and easy way, nestle in comfortable zones, pleasurable atmosphere and satisfaction. Synonymous with this flow of worldly fashion is the thirst for recognition, compliments, praises and other social adulation and the hunger for more accolades. As you crave for mundane delights and amusements, you may be slowly falling into the temptation of greed and self-aggrandizement for there’s no point of human satiety but a tendency to have more and more. The problem with this kind of road is its direction towards destruction for there’s no space for the spiritual seeds to grow as it deviates away from righteousness and yet, many walk on this road.
The other road is narrow and constricted that leads to Life and only few go that way. These are those who put God ahead of everything they do and themselves, they make sacrifices for the Lord and the good of their neighbor, they frequent the reception of the Holy Eucharist, double the dosage of their love and care for the underprivileged. They are generous, humble and prayerful. These include a friend and her colleagues in a Company in Saipan who tuned-in a ringer in their mobile phones to pray the Divine Mercy every 3:00 o’clock in the afternoon. They are truly amazing people putting importance to prayer. We pray for the grace to resist the temptation of looking for the easy way out but the courage to walk the narrow road. It leads to God.
Our spiritual life is constantly under siege. We face attacks from the world snares, from our own selfish desires and from the evil one. We are weak to defend against such massive assaults. Sometimes we succumb to the temptation of choosing the broad road into sin than the narrow road into virtue. However, this is the Lord’s battle that He won by His Death and Resurrection. We only need cooperative with His grace and mercy. Let us allow Jesus in the driver seat to take control of our wheel of life, and surely, it will never be out of control.
On the flip side, someone said that not all scars show, nor wounds heal. Sometimes you can’t see the pain someone feels. “ Stay away from negative people. They have a problem for every solution.” ( Albert Einstein). Sometimes the best thing to do is to say nothing at all and let God fight for your battle for you. Remember that things end, people change and you know what? Life goes on. “ It’s never late for a new beginning in your life.” ( Joyce Meyers). Inner peace begins the moment you choose not to allow someone to control your emotions. Amen on that folks!!
St. Faustina wrote Jesus’ words: “ Know that whatever good you do to any soul,I accept it as if you had done it to Me.” (Diary no. 1768).
Pray the Divine Mercy every 3 p.m. Pray daily the Chaplet of Mercy and the Holy Rosary for peace in our families and throughout the world.
