SATURDAY, TWENTY NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME
Rom 8: 1-11 Ps 24: 1-6 Lk 13: 1-9
INNOCENT SUFFERER
In today’s Gospel, Jesus is told about a group of Galileans whom Pilate had killed while they were offering sacrifices. The reading also refers to another tragedy, the collapse of the tower of Siloam which killed eighteen people. The people believed these victims must have been great sinners to suffer such horrible deaths. Jesus firmly challenges that way of thinking. He makes it clear that those who suffered were not worse than others. Their deaths were not a punishment from God. In doing so, Jesus dismisses the common belief that all suffering is the direct result of sin. Then why would God allow suffering, especially in the good people?
The Catechism teaches us that only faith can truly make sense of the mystery of suffering. It reminds us that even when God seems silent or absent, His power is still at work especially in and through suffering. The ultimate example is Jesus Himself. Through His suffering and death, salvation came to the world.
Jesus does not explain the cause of every tragedy, but He turns our attention to what is most important – the conversion of heart. “Unless you repent, you will perish in the same way,” says the Master. The call is not to explain suffering, but to respond with faith, trust and repentance. Pope St John Paul II wrote that real loss is not physical suffering, but the loss of eternal life. Temporal suffering, however painful, is temporary. What is truly to be feared is the loss of one’s soul. St Paul reminds us that no present sorrow can compare to the glory that awaits those who remain faithful (Rom 8:18). Even painful events can bring about a greater good, in ways we may not fully understand now (Rom 8:28).
So, when bad things happen to good people, we must not rush to blame or explain. Instead, we ought to turn to Christ crucified, who suffers with us, redeems suffering, and assures us of eternal life with Him, where every tear will be wiped away (Rev 21:4). It is our faith in Him that helps us to draw meaning in suffering.
Response: These are the people who seek your face, O Lord.
Copyright ©2025 ©Springs of Living Water http://springs.carmelmedia.in