Throughout both the Old and New Testament we witness cries for love and healing. God continually delivers a very important message to us through his prophets, followers and through his Son. The message is rather clear – bad things will happen on this planet and people will continue to need healing and comfort. Most of all, God is always with us offering the healing we need. We are promised that God will indeed set everything right at the appointed time. Eventually there will be no more pain or heartache on earth. Rather, hearts will rest in the peace of Christ.
Love Heals
Finding the path of love through suffering will bring us the peace we seek. Think for a moment what the world would look like if love ceased to exist… Fortunately for us this is impossible because that would mean that God ceased to exist. Love is the glue that holds the universe together and without it we would be immediately annihilated. Yet, love is under attack and the Evil One seeks to destroy love. This has been his game ever since the Fall.
Evil (Satan and his demons) rejected God and, out of pride, they refused to surrender to divine humility. As a result they now roam the earth seeking the ruin of God’s children. Mind you, they roam the earth illegally – after all this IS God’s earth. The one thing evil cannot stand is love. However, since love is the glue of the universe it cannot be undone. Love holds everything together. All evil can do is try to weaken the glue of love. In the end such efforts will prove fruitless. The battle is already won – victory was revealed on the Cross. The day of the Lord is promised.
Jesus’ Authority Over Evil
Today’s Gospel reveals the power Jesus holds over evil. His Passion is indeed our victory over all evil. The power that drives out evil is God’s unifying force in the universe and it is what evil cannot stand – it is love. This is the power of the cross.
As we walk through life we will be tempted by evil, yet, we must always remember that the One who dwells within us has greater power than the one who is in the world (Satan). Hard times are going to happen to each and every one of us – even God’s own Son suffered. Through our hard times we can surrender to God and allow his love to heal us.
We all need to clean our “house” (our thoughts, actions, and our heart) because we all fall short of perfect holiness. I can only suppose that the individual Jesus spoke of in today’s Gospel, the one who swept his house clean only to experience seven more wicked spirits, suffered before he did some house cleaning. In an attempt to become free of suffering perhaps he became a good citizen and a good neighbor – following human laws. However, if he didn’t accomplish this with love then the door opened for seven more wicked spirits to enter in. Love is what makes Christians special – we are called to do good out of love for one another. God does not call us to do good out of a need to be a good citizen, a good neighbor or to follow the law. God calls us to do good out of love. And the best part is that he is with us every step of the way – always showing us how to love more. A heart full of love is God’s “demon” repellent!
The Value of Suffering
Perhaps you have heard the term “Offer it up” – common Catholic speak! However, how does it help to “offer it up” when you are hurt? After all, when we are hurt we sometimes want to crawl up in a ball and hide – or maybe we want to lash out in anger or revenge. Both serve to limit our happiness. Well, if happiness, peace, and joy have value in our lives, then suffering must also have value. By uniting our pain with Christ’s Passion we claim victory with him. Nothing pleases God more than our willingness to unite our suffering with his Son’s suffering.
Offering our pain to God is the first step towards healing. When we offer our pain to God we allow him to carry us and heal the broken pieces of ourselves. We will more fully unify with God as a result. This unity is done through Jesus Christ. As humanity more fully unifies with God worldwide pain and heartache will diminish. Love then ushers in and it becomes the victor. Then we will fully live!
Global Light For Christ (GLFC)
We are a group of Christ lovers who seek to support our fellow brothers and sisters on their journey into wholeness through prayer and petition. I invite you to share your prayer requests below and to pray for one another. Be blessed my brothers and sisters in Christ!
God bless all of you. See you next week Friday – Carolyn
If you would like to learn more about my work and my ministry I invite you to visit my website: CarolynBerghuis.com
God the Father – hold us in your Fatherly love.
Sacred Heart of Jesus – heal us with your divine love.
God the Holy Spirit – immerse us in divine love.
