The Light that “Shines” on the Troubles of Every Day

The Holy Spirit leads us ever more fully into the Heart of Jesus and the infinite mercy of the Father who loves us and sustains us through the whole of this mysterious life. We need God’s light — as we live through the obscurity and sufferings of every day — in order to begin to experience the joy of realizing that He is transforming our humanity and preparing us for the fulfillment of this life in eternity. Indeed, “everything is grace…” But that doesn’t mean that everything is easy.

Christianity is grace, but as we are often reminded, it is not “cheap grace.” It is not an escape from suffering. It does not dispense us from the need to strive to live a genuine human life, to be obedient to the wise and loving plan of God, or to struggle relentlessly against our own sins and selfishness by means of this grace that is given to transform us according to the measure of the crucified and risen Jesus. Since we are called (and enabled) to share in God’s own love, it is not surprising that our road in this world is narrow and often difficult. There are gifts of great beauty and strength and consolation that sustain us, but also challenges and twists and turns and afflictions beyond anything we expect or control by our own power.

Christianity does not provide “cheap answers” to the painful and troubling questions of our lives. It is not a guarantee against disappointment and failure, nor is it a pretext to compromise with mediocrity. It is not a place to hide from our own weakness.

Critics claim that people embrace faith because they want easy answers. They want a package of solutions to their problems and emotional comfort for their hurts and fears.

But this is not the effect of real Christianity. It is not an anesthetic. On the contrary, it opens new dimensions of the questions of the heart, and sparks a deeper dynamic of intelligence in the search for understanding. It awakens a unique sensibility to our own wounds and a compassion for the wounds of the world. It engenders a love that is the opposite of power and domination, a love that has the courage to be more vulnerable, to be poor and humble, to endure our own sufferings and to be with others in the places where they suffer.

Christianity is not a list of cheap answers that take away the real drama and vulnerability of human life. Christianity is a Person who loves us and endures our vulnerability to the very end, transforming it from within. The “answer” is the way Jesus embraces each of our lives. We are changed by living with Him.

We are not changed by a “satisfying explanation.” We are changed by Him.