Daily Gospel Reflection
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May 22, 2020
Jesus said to his disciples, “Very truly, I tell you, you will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice; you will have pain, but your pain will turn into joy.
“When a woman is in labor, she has pain, because her hour has come. But when her child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish because of the joy of having brought a human being into the world.
“So you have pain now; but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you. On that day you will ask nothing of me. Very truly, I tell you, if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.”
On the eve of my nephew’s birth, my sister asked my mom and me to accompany her in the delivery room. As a teacher, I love children but certainly don’t love hospitals. I hesitated at first then decided to accompany her.
Nervously, I arrived at the hospital. My sister spent nearly 24 hours in the delivery room. My brother-in-law spent the time stress-eating Starbursts. My mom consoled my sister, and I hid my eyes from the doctors and nurses as they came in for hourly checkups.
At last, the hour had come. I tried to stay clear of the action but soon one nurse declared, “I see a head!” I jumped off the couch wide-eyed and inches from the delivery bed. I could not believe my eyes. The nurse asked my brother-in-law to announce the baby’s name. “Say hello to Maximillian George!” my brother-in-law declared. My sister’s immense suffering resulted in so much joy for her and continues to bring joy to so many.
In today’s gospel, Jesus describes heaven as a joy-filled paradise. We will have so much joy in heaven that no one can take our joy away from us, and the communion we experience will leave us wanting absolutely nothing. I cannot even imagine.
As I read, though, I try to imagine. My imagination leads me to the delivery room.
Surely, life is hard. Today, my cross is trying to get married amidst a pandemic. For others, it may be separation from loved ones, loss of a job, or maintaining health.
Today’s gospel tells us our hearts will one day rejoice like we cannot even imagine. I try to imagine, and I see Max’s birthday. We can ask God to empower us so that we may find joy in suffering and bring joy to others. With the eyes of faith, we will always recognize the joy that emerges from our suffering, and our joy will be complete.
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 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.
Saint of the Day
Nearly every stage of her life was marked by suffering and loss, but Rita never lost her faith and trust in God. Because of this faithfulness, she is the patron saint of desperate causes.
Rita was born to aged parents in 1381 in Italy. She was a pious child and wanted to devote herself to a religious life, but her parents arranged a marriage for her. She obeyed, but suffered greatly because her husband was abusive.
She bore twins, and the two boys also suffered under her husband until he was killed by a different family in an honor killing. After her two sons died of illness, Rita applied to enter a convent.
Because some of the sisters in the convent were related to the family that killed her husband, she was denied entry. She persisted in asking to join the community, however, and eventually was accepted.
As a religious, she gave all of her energies to devotional practices and prayer. From her childhood, Rita was devoted to the passion and suffering of Jesus. She received a special form of the stigmata when a wound opened on her forehead similar to what would have resulted from the crown of thorns Jesus wore. The wound caused her to be secluded, and she suffered from it for 15 years until her death. The last four years of her life were marked by illness, and she died on this date in 1457.
In modern times, her body was discovered to have remained incorrupt, and some of her relics rest in the reliquary chapel in the Basilica. Her bust, pictured here, stands in the offices of Campus Ministry for the University.
St. Rita, you who are the patron saint of the impossible and the advocate of desperate cases—pray for us!