May 8, 2024
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us all in our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
— St. Paul, 2 Corinthians
All our lives we’ve been told that God’s love, forgiveness and compassion are infinite. But do we really believe that or do we consider it nothing more than the “party line”? Or perhaps we believe it but not enough to entirely trust him, just to trust him enough when things go our way.
But lack of trust in him causes its own set of problems. We believe we’re walking through life alone. Without trust, we become afraid and ultimately fear our lives are buffeted by forces over which we have no control. We use words like “fate” and “bad luck.” However, nothing could be further from the truth.
One of the greatest fears in life is the fear of being unloved — the fear of being alone with no one to offer us compassion when we so desperately need it. Many of us, especially those suffering from loss, need compassion but can’t find it because the world seems devoid of it. That is one of the great tragic ironies of our society. Despite the countless causes and institutions and organizations committed to compassionate care, true compassion is seldom found, and we all can inherently sense whether compassion is true or artificial.
Therein lies the difference between God and secular institutions. God’s compassion is genuine, and it is infinite, and it is personal, meaning it is specifically directed to you and the circumstances and pain from which you suffer. How can you realize this compassion? The first step is to spend more time in silence and in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
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You’re not walking through life alone. An infinitely loving and compassionate God is beside you in your grief.
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