The Diocese
Posted: 01/03/2025
Recently, I visited a post-CABG (open heart surgery) patient whose life had been, by any measure, marked by profound hardship - poverty, gangs, incarceration, divorce, the loss of loved ones, health crises, and more. In what seemed like a dark and hopeless situation, with every legitimate reason to be angry, sad, and despaired, this patient turned to me and said, “On Christmas Day, while everyone was celebrating, I was in the hospital. While others were opening presents, God opened me up and presented me with a viable heart.”
This reminded me that no one is exempt from tragedy, pain, or suffering. Most recently, we mourned the devastating crash of a South Korean plane, claiming 179 lives. We grieve with those who mourn. And yes, when life makes no sense, when the weight of injustice and unfairness is too much to bear, we have every right to feel angry, hopeless, disappointed, sad, or broken. Yet, created in the image and likeness of God, we carry within us an innate resilience - a divine capacity to be born anew, to rise, to persevere, to live, to love, and even to laugh in the face of adversity. This phenomenon of resilience is God’s greatest and most irrevocable gift to us. Let us acknowledge that gift with gratitude. Let us hold on tight to it and cherish it because it is life-giving.
Heavenly Father,
With grateful hearts for 2024, we lift up our prayers today, asking for peace in the world and reconciliation among all humankind. Increase in us hope, faith, and love so that we may draw on them in difficult times, finding renewal, healing, recovery, and comfort. As we step into 2025, bless us all with good health - in body, mind, and spirit - and watch over us with your continued protection and safeguarding. Amen.
