Today, in the epistle reading, Saint Paul tells us that he
bears the wounds of Jesus in his body, and these wounds are a protecting mark
for him. “The wounds of Jesus,” to which Saint Paul refers are his sufferings
as an apostle of Christ. The holy Church and holy Scripture use that same
expression, when they describe the martyrs, still bearing the wounds of their
martyrdom in their heavenly glorification. The Holy Apostle Paul refers to his
great suffering for the sake of the Gospel of Christ in several passages of his
letters. Actually, he begins this very passage, which we heard today, with the
words, “See by what large letters I write to you in my own hand…” We understand
this together with the passage in the fourth chapter, in which the Holy Apostle
explains the reason his letters would be large.
There, he says, “You know it was because of a bodily ailment that I
preached the gospel to you at first; and though my condition was a trial to
you, you did not scorn or despise me, but received me as an angel of God, as
Christ Jesus. What has become of the satisfaction you felt? For I bear you
witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your eyes and given them
to me.” So, we see that the Apostle, during his time among the Galatians,
suffered a serious eye infection, never fully recovering. For this reason, when
he wrote to the Galatians in his own hand, he wrote with large letters, like a
little child would write.
In the same way, when we are in Christ, as we are by virtue
of our baptism or our reconciliation to Him through the Mystery of Repentance,
our suffering is “the very wounds of Jesus.” Our suffering is a true
participation in the suffering of the Lord Jesus. What good is that? Because
the Incarnation of the Lord Jesus is the source of all good. By His life,
suffering, death and resurrection, He has given to us everything that is
necessary for our life, suffering, death and resurrection. If we need something
in our life, we only need to go to Him and ask, believing that we will receive
what we need. And if we do not receive what we need immediately, we need to
continue believing that our Father will give us what is necessary.
When we decide to confess, “I am a Christian,” then the
pattern of our life is the life of the Lord Jesus, and, even more, our life
becomes a true participation in His life.
Not only everything that is necessary for our life is available in
Christ, but also everything that is necessary for the life of our neighbors,
and so the practice is fruitful of praying for the needs of others. But, we
should emphasize this point very strongly, namely, Christ is an infinite source
of everything we need for our salvation. If we recognize that we lack some
virtue, we only need to ask for this virtue, immediately believing that we have
received it, because God is a good Father.
Because the life of the Lord Jesus is the pattern of our
life, nothing can be wasted, but rather, everything has value, both suffering
and natural evil. In each circumstance, we must turn to the Lord, awaiting the
necessary things for our troubles and temptations.
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