God who Cares

Fifth Sunday of Lent

March 22, 2015

John 12:20-33

“Now my soul is troubled (Jn 12:27).

At times, we feel that the entire weight of the world falls upon our shoulders. Our hearts are heavy and bodies are so weary. Some problems come to our lives and we do not know what to do. It might be that the members of our family get seriously ill and our energy and resources are exhausted in helping them. Maybe, we get entangled in deep financial problem because some people are shrewdly stealing our hard-earn wage. At times also, our hard works or ministries are not appreciated and deemed to be worthless even by our own friends. We feel tired, betrayed, and hurt. Our souls are troubled, and sometimes, we burst into tears.

We then bend our knees and ask the Lord: Why are lives so difficult to bear? Why did God allow these things to happen? We know that we have been good followers of Christ and even active members of the Church, yet God did not spare us from this trial. If God seems silent, then I do not dare to give any satisfactory answer to this problem of suffering. Yet, as people with faith, we must not lose hope. Why? Because we are not alone.

Today’s Gospel mentions a beautiful truth about our Lord. Jesus Himself admitted that His soul was in distress. In the face of imminent death, He presented Himself as truly human; a man who was troubled, saddened and confused. He experienced what we experience. He suffered what we suffer. Overwhelmed by His grief, He also wept. And this is our God.

Our faith may neither give us a clear explanation on the suffering we endure, nor provide a sure solution to the problems we face now. Yet, one thing is for sure: our faith tells us that God is there together with us in our darkest moments. He shares our pains, He shoulders our burdens and He bears our sadness. And this is our God.

One of the most moving events of Pope Francis’ visit to the Philippines is the Holy Eucharist at Tacloban City. The area was heavily devastated by Typhoon Yolanda in 2013. The Holy Father decided to continue with the Eucharist despite the strong wind and rainfall. In his yellow raincoat, Pope Francis told the people who have lost many things including their loved ones during the typhoon, “When I saw from Rome that catastrophe, I had to be here. And on those very days I decided to come here. I am here to be with you – a little bit late, but I’m here. I have come to tell you that Jesus is Lord.” The good Pope may not solve a lot of problems there, but his presence allows the people to feel that they really have God who cares.

Perhaps, why our problems are so heavy is because we just focus on ourselves. We fail to see the Lord who is so near, who touches us through good people around us. My brother in the community who is working with the poor, once told me that he felt hopeless that he could not do much to help them. The best thing he could do was to listen to their stories. I reminded him that his act of listening was already an act of charity and God has touched them through him.

A fourteenth-century Sufi poet Hafiz once wrote, “Even after all this time, the Sun never says, ‘You owe me.’ Look what happens with a love like that. It lights the whole sky.” Sometimes, we just need to look out for the sunlight; to see the good people around us. They may not solve our problems, but for sure, our lives become brighter as they shows to us that our God cares.  

Br. Valentinus Bayuhadi Ruseno, OP