Coffee With God

Reflection: John 15:18-21

Many of us find it extremely difficult to make sense of tragedies and pains in life and often question God. We hear people asking, “Where is God? Is he real?” Pope Francis was asked these questions by a rescued street girl in the Philippines while narrating the miseries she and her friends had to undergo on the streets. The Pope simply hugged her and answered the whole crowd: “We have no answers to all our questions.” Before questioning God, let us be reminded of one thing: We believe in a God who himself underwent the pains and miseries of humankind; was tortured and killed. In today’s Gospel, Jesus predicts and warns his disciples that the world would hate and reject them. It is one thing to know that there will be trials, that we may have to suffer betrayals, rejection and pain for following him; it’s another to go through them in real life. In many parts of the world, faith in Jesus has become an object of ridicule and hatred. It is not because the Christians promote violence and division, but because the powers of hatred and violence in the world hate Jesus and the mission of his Church for sharing the message of love, hope, and its choice for life. We are called to imitate the love of Jesus. Despite our love, we may experience hatred and rejection from others, especially when we stand for truth and love which go against the world’s opinions. The trick of the devil to tempt Jesus in the desert was to challenge him to think like how the people of the world think. The devil continues to play the age-old game to lure us to conform to the standards of the world. A world that rejected Jesus would reject those who believe in him. That is why Christ’s disciples will be exposed to the rejection; but Christ assures us the life that he alone can give – a life of the resurrection. That is why St. Paul reassures us, “if we die with Him, we will live with Him; if we suffer with Him, we will reign with Him” (2 Thim 2:12) The message of Christ is not always comfortable; it always speaks of the cross. Let us not be shy of talking about it, even in the face of ridicule and contradiction. Jesus is meek and humble of heart. Let us remain lambs forever, because then we will have a shepherd to defend us.