Wednesday of the Thirty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Seminarians of Conception Seminary College are our daily reflection writers for the first half of November. Every day will feature a reflection from a different seminarian. This is an opportunity for our seminarians to put their education into practice and connect with the people of God in a pastoral way.
In the Gospel for today, Christ says, “But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.” The life of a Christian is a daily tribulation in the search for salvation and union with God. Still, we must find hope for that through our sufferings. We are being prepared for something great. We are being prepared for what we have yet to know, but we must hold onto this truth. Therefore, we must live our lives with our eyes constantly fixed on Our Lord, being ever mindful of the suffering He endured for our sake during His passion. And by staying united with God amid suffering, we can find meaning in our suffering, rather than going through difficulty for no reason.
As Pope St. John Paul II always said to the youth and his audiences, “Be not afraid.” Amid tremendous suffering, we are inclined to cling to what we know and try to control the situation with our power. The beauty is that God, who loves us more than we could ever imagine, wants to be with us in our suffering. All we must do is allow Him to help us. Therefore, let us continually give our hearts, minds, and souls to Our Lord, who loves us and never wants us to be alone in our suffering.
Reflection by Dominick Denney, seminarian
Archdiocese of Oklahoma City
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections