Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
Our lives are fragile. We have bodies that can be harmed, that grow old, and that will eventually fail. All the same, our bodies are gifts. We experience the many wonderful things God has made in this world through our bodies, and even the pains we undergo reveal the greater truths of the world, granting us wisdom. Our physical existence is both a weakness and a blessing.
Jesus joined us in this physical form by becoming like us, lowering himself from a solely divine existence to be both human and divine. He accepted our weakness and pain—even death—so that he might conquer them and offer us salvation. Our pains in this life come from our fragile flesh and blood. Jesus embraced them in his Incarnation and his sacrifice on the cross, thereby redeeming them in the Resurrection. The life he has in store for us is one redeemed from the pain of this life, but we only attain that reward when we, too, rise from the dead. This hope allows us to endure the sufferings of this life because we know that a greater life awaits us.
Reflection by Fr. Victor Schinstock, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections