Crazy Love
“But now Christ has been raised from the dead…” – 1 Corinthians 15:20a
I don’t want to sound morbid but let me tell you two crazy stories of men who died. The first one is about a husband and wife who were both mental patients. One day, the hospital supervisor came to tell the wife some good news and some bad news. She would be discharged from the mental hospital for saving her husband from drowning in the swimming pool, he said. The bad news is, the husband hanged himself. The wife objected, “No, he did not do that. I hanged him to dry so he wouldn’t catch a cold!” Crazy affection!
The other is about a Father who sent His son to die for the people who offended and derided His son. Crazy, you say. Yes, the Father is crazy in love. The Father sent His only Son out of love. And the Son, at His crucifixion, said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
To men, this sounds crazy. But God is divine. And only He has the immensity of love to let His Son die for our freedom. And the Son, also out of love, accepted death.
Let this brand of love be the reason we celebrate Valentines. Have a blessed heart’s day! Rolly España (rolly@homeliving.com.ph)
REFLECTION:
You are crazy if you do not accept God’s offer of redemption that was bought at the cost of Jesus’ blood.
Thank You for Your cross and Your nail-pierced hands that made eternal life possible for me
on Account of the Son of Man
It’s Valentine’s Day today but since it’s Sunday, we have to focus on the Gospel passage the Church offers us. If I would be able to see you, dear readers, all together before me, I would ask you two interesting questions. The first is: “Who among you would like to be poor, hungry, weeping and hated by everybody? Please raise your hands!” Would even one hand go up? The next question is: “A show of hands, please, from all who want to be rich, well-fed, laughing and well-respected?” Again, I bet, all your hands would shoot up, even though Jesus just pronounced a woe on all of you.
Jesus sometimes confuses us. Just think: Would any good parent want their children to be poor, hungry, sad and hated? But Jesus calls these people blessed. Isn’t God a better parent than all human parents put together? How then can He call blessed what we normally would call misfortunes?
You may find the key to a proper understanding in a few words which Jesus added to the last Beatitude: “on account of the Son of Man.” What Jesus is saying is that those who accept these misfortunes as the price they have to pay for following Him are the blessed ones. When Luke wrote these words down, some 50 years after Jesus had taught, the Christians had experienced already severe persecutions. All happened “on account of the Son of Man.” Luke reminds them that Jesus called them blessed in their misfortunes; that they can smile through their tearful eyes, for they have made the right choice.
But there were others who missed the blessedness Jesus had prepared for them. We don’t have any persecution in our country. But materialism, spreading consumerism and sex under the disguise of love can lure us from the promised blessedness. We better look out whether all we do is “on account of the Son of Man.”Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD
Reflection Question:
When I have the choice between a better job or more money gained by dishonesty and a lesser job and lesser money by honest means – what do I choose?
Lord, when I read Your Beatitudes and Woes I was confused. Do You promise a better life in the afterlife only? Then Karl Marx would be right that religion would be opium for
us. But no. You just want us to choose You even when it causes disadvantages. Thank You for this insight.
St. Maro, pray for us.
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