By Marc Massery
Have you ever felt distant from the Lord? Believe it or not, some of the holiest men and women in history felt far from God at times. Saint Faustina included. She wrote:
The abyss of my misery was constantly before my eyes. Every time I entered the chapel … I experienced even worse torments and temptations. … “This is a sign,” [the priest] told me, “that God loves you very much and that He has great confidence in you ...” (77)
When you’re in the midst of a painful trial, when you feel like the Lord is far away, these words may not bring you much comfort. Saint Faustina went on to say that in that moment, she didn’t feel much comfort from them in the least. She wrote, “[these words] seemed to me that they did not apply to me at all” (77). This reveals how truly distant from God St. Faustina felt.
Nevertheless, St. Faustina clung to what she knew to be true about the Lord. She knew that despite how she felt, God still loved her and had a plan for her. Sometimes, that’s all we can do too — put our faith in the love we know God has for us.
When you feel tempted to doubt God’s love for you, consider a child’s relationship to his parents. Are there times when a child becomes upset at his parents? Are there times when the words a parent says to their beloved son or daughter bring no comfort? Of course. So, don’t take your present feelings about the Lord as a sign that He doesn’t love you. As hard as it may be at times, choose to persevere through your pain. Turn to the crucified Christ who deserved no suffering. Ask Him for the grace to walk with you through your challenges, and He will see you through.
In the end, this world is temporary. All our trials, as painful as many of them are, are temporary. And though we may not feel it all the time, God loves us. We just need to persevere, to trust in Him, and He promises to make our paths straight.
Photo by Lê Tân on Unsplash
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