Take Up my Life Again
Yesterday’s narrative of the urban shepherd resonated with many. I thank all those who wrote to me expressing their gratitude and challenges with the story. One particular element highlighted a verse of the Gospel passage of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. In John 10:17 we read ‘…I lay down my life in order to take it up again’. Our urban shepherd related how the family fortunes had declined to one cow but was now back up to five cows.
Isn’t this the story of us as Christians? Often we face crises, calamities and loss in our lives, but there is always the resurrection on the horizon. As St Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 4: ‘We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.…’
Much like the urban shepherd's family, we too confront the trials of existence, facing adversities that threaten to diminish our spirit. For in bearing the struggles of life, we become vessels through which the transformative power of Christ's resurrection is made manifest in our lives.
In our journey through the valleys of despair and the peaks of redemption, we carry within us the paradox of death and life, allowing the indomitable spirit of the Risen Christ to shine forth in our mortal frames.
Today we gather for our second session of the Navigating Life Transitions program. The program has highlighted the challenges and hurdles of our own personal journeys. As a couple of participants attempt to evade today's session, perhaps feeling unprepared or overwhelmed by the tasks at hand, I am reminded of the profound difficulty, inherent in embracing the Paschal Mystery.
Jesus Christ had to endure the agony of the cross before experiencing the glory of resurrection. So too, we have to face the challenges of life if we are to encounter the resurrection. It is through His grace that we find the courage to confront our fears, to persevere through adversity, and to emerge transformed on the other side.