 |
| Image from http://dominicjallen.com/2013/09/22/did-jesus-doubt-god-the-father-on-the-cross/ |
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34)
Does Our Lord Jesus forsake us? No.
Then why did our Lord say these words? Has God really forsaken Him, His Only Begotten Son? No. What Jesus has done is that He showed us that everyone, even the holiest of people, feels the sense of abandonment and that He is one with us even during these times.
Saint John of the Cross has described this as the "Dark Night of the Soul", and this is experienced by everyone -- you, me -- and all the saints, even Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. But this dark night is more than just a "dark night". According to Phyllis Zagano and Kevin Gillespie in their article "Mother Teresa's Dark Night", they said that it involves two major phases: (1) The Dark Night of Senses and Spirituality; and (2) The Loss of God. And "[s]ouls invited into Dark Night, he wrote, realize they just can’t pray anymore. [And] Not only does prayer cease, but those experiencing Dark Night lose the joy of the spiritual journey." (Zagano and Gillespie, 2014)
But how were the saints able to get past it? How were they able to become victorious?
Simple solution but requires a lot: holding on to their commitment to serve and love Jesus Christ until the very end.
Jesus does this in order to see how much we love Him and how much we seek Him daily. He hides himself from us in order to purify our intentions and our souls as to how we see Him as our Lord and Savior.
And this is how Jesus showed it through the cross. He showed us that despite the sufferings that we are experiencing, despite the dryness in our spiritual life, GOD IS THERE PRESENT.
Let us continue to seek Him no matter what happens.
Let us continue to adore His greatness and works.
Let us continue to love Him until the very end.
---------------------------------
Source: "Mother Teresa's Dark Night" BY: PHYLLIS ZAGANO AND C. KEVIN GILLESPIE
Then why did our Lord say these words? Has God really forsaken Him, His Only Begotten Son? No. What Jesus has done is that He showed us that everyone, even the holiest of people, feels the sense of abandonment and that He is one with us even during these times.
Saint John of the Cross has described this as the "Dark Night of the Soul", and this is experienced by everyone -- you, me -- and all the saints, even Blessed Teresa of Calcutta. But this dark night is more than just a "dark night". According to Phyllis Zagano and Kevin Gillespie in their article "Mother Teresa's Dark Night", they said that it involves two major phases: (1) The Dark Night of Senses and Spirituality; and (2) The Loss of God. And "[s]ouls invited into Dark Night, he wrote, realize they just can’t pray anymore. [And] Not only does prayer cease, but those experiencing Dark Night lose the joy of the spiritual journey." (Zagano and Gillespie, 2014)
But how were the saints able to get past it? How were they able to become victorious?
Simple solution but requires a lot: holding on to their commitment to serve and love Jesus Christ until the very end.
Jesus does this in order to see how much we love Him and how much we seek Him daily. He hides himself from us in order to purify our intentions and our souls as to how we see Him as our Lord and Savior.
And this is how Jesus showed it through the cross. He showed us that despite the sufferings that we are experiencing, despite the dryness in our spiritual life, GOD IS THERE PRESENT.
Let us continue to seek Him no matter what happens.
Let us continue to adore His greatness and works.
Let us continue to love Him until the very end.
---------------------------------
Source: "Mother Teresa's Dark Night" BY: PHYLLIS ZAGANO AND C. KEVIN GILLESPIE
No comments:
Post a Comment