by Brandon Jubar

Whether it's more bloodshed overseas, or priestly scandals in our Parishes, the bad news just keeps on coming. And in our technologically advanced society, communicating the dour events is incredibly quick and extremely easy. It's almost like being there.

Sometimes, when I watch the news, I find myself wondering what is happening to this world. Just when I think I've seen it all, something more horrible occurs. Just when I think it can't get any worse, it does.

And sometimes I wonder if God even notices.

It's just a fleeting thought. I know that God loves us, but it's not always easy to look at things with my eyes of faith. When I stop to consider the magnitude of the violence -- and evil -- being done in the world, it is hard to thank the Lord for this. And it is easy to think that perhaps He is simply above it all. Perhaps He's not even paying attention.

"The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good."
Proverbs 15:3

But when I think about it a little bit more, I start to see the truth. Suffering is a part of life -- and being a Christian does not mean that I will be exempt from suffering. Indeed, I may end up being called upon to suffer even more.

We all have our crosses to bear. One positive effect is that this allows us to more closely identify with Christ's suffering on the cross. And as Christians, we pray that God will somehow transform our suffering and bring good from it. This good may not be immediately visible to us -- if it ever is -- but we know that God will use our suffering for the benefit of others.

In spite of what might seem apparent on the surface, the Lord is present everywhere. He watches everything, and He will continue to work miracles, bringing good from even the most tragic events. And we can see this when we look with our eyes of faith.

Peace,
~Brandon

Sound off! Tell me what you think!
bjubar@ParishWebmaster.com

Copyright 2002 by Brandon Jubar
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