Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 10, 2024
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.
When a woman is in labor, she is in anguish because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.
So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
To a perfectionist like me, this reading is a slap to the face. Jesus is sober and direct: being a disciple will suck sometimes. But he doesn’t say, “Life will suck.” The world will rejoice while we weep. Why will we weep? Because we are like a woman in labor, bearing Christ to the world through our bodies. Irrespective of our station in life, bearing Christ to the world means sacrificing, forgiving, and loving people who are ungrateful and will probably hurt us.
For me, the hardest part of being a disciple is giving God control. I don’t have the power to change much in my life—health, appearance, wounds, how others treat me. I must surrender daily: it’s not my job to save myself or others. My job is to let the Father fill me with the Holy Spirit so that I can bear Christ into the world. Doing so means putting up with myself (for perfectionists are often the least perfect people they know) and getting over myself: sacrificing personal plans, forgiving a grudge, loving someone whom I’d rather curse out. That’s when the “labor pains” kick in. While the world offers pleasure, we choose Christ.
Discipleship is not a marathon; it’s a relationship. Jesus promises to be with us and bear every burden with us. I wish more people knew that, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, Jesus truly lives in every Christian’s heart. He is not there to judge or measure our production; all he wants to do is love us. The key to receiving this love is, again, surrender, saying, “I give up, Jesus, I’ll do it your way: I cannot be happy unless you fill me.” If we ask the Father for this gift in Christ’s name, God will grant it and much more.
Prayer
Gracious God, you remind us that sometimes we must bear the pain of trials and tribulation before we come to the new life you promise us. Give us the patience we need to bear the suffering that may come our way, hope in the joy that awaits us at the end of our trials, and trust in knowing you are present with us through it all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.