Your Sorrow will turn into Joy (Monday, Lent 4)

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The psalmist, full of joy, expresses his unbounded gratitude to God as he exclaims: “I will extol you, Lord, for you have raised me up. O Lord, you have lifted up my soul from the grave, restored me to life from those who sink into the pit. You have changed my mourning into dancing. O Lord my God, I will thank you forever” (Ps 30:1a.3.11a.12b). What could be the reason for this great feeling and expression of gratitude? Isaiah 65:17-21 gives us a clue. I am sure this might have been the feeling of the people of Israel when they heard God speak through Isaiah: “Behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come to mind” (Isa 65:17).


Former things? What are they? Isaiah 65 is from the third part of Isaiah which contains prophecies addressed to the people of Israel when they returned from exile. Upon their return from exile, they met devastation and ruins, and were thrown into hopelessness and sorrow. And so, the message of the third part of Isaiah was more of reviving their hopes, assuring them that the future would be joyful. Isaiah called the people to forget the past (which was full of guilt, sorrows and regrets), concentrate on the present (full of promises of restoration and reconciliation) and be expectant of the future (a future full of healing, growth and restoration).


Sin seeks to keep us in the past, make us sorrowful and depressed, deprive us of joy and make us live in a vicious circle of spiritual dryness, pessimism, hopelessness and complacency. So, we are being called to forget the past, concentrate on the present and be expectant of good things to come in future. But then, this is easier said than done. When is it going to be over?, some of us may ask. 


The gospel (cf. Jn. 4:43-54) calls us to cultivate an attitude of faith and believe that God will surely put things aright. Such was the attitude of the court official, as we have it in the gospel. His son was seriously sick, and was at the point of death. He came to Jesus, and begged Him to come and heal his son. Jesus did not follow him to his house, but told him to go, assuring him that his son will live. The official didn’t doubt the words of Jesus; he believed; and his expectation was met.


We have these assuring words being spoken to us today. No matter what our situation could be; no matter how dead or hopeless it may be; the message we have is that “WE SHALL LIVE”: our dry bones shall live again. Just like the official, we only have to believe the words of Jesus and cooperate with His grace as we long for our healing and restoration.


Prayer:

May God increase our faith in His power to restore and make us whole, Amen!


Have a fruitful Lenten journey!



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