TOUGH TRIALS

“Jesus Christ came not to remove our sufferings but to give meaning to our sacrifices… We must embrace our cross.” Yesterday, I was struck by Fr. Alex Balatbat’s words during mass at the Feast, the Light of Jesus Community Sunday Catholic get-together, at the Valle Verde Country Club in Pasig City.

Indeed being a Christian does not guarantee fool-proof protection against tough trials and difficult people. Almost a year ago, my husband was offered “forced” retrenchment because his manager was bent on kicking him out of the company with the threat of filing one case after the other. This, despite being one of the top collectors of his team.

Just a few weeks ago, a brother from the young couples group was sacked unceremoniously from his work and had to consult a lawyer to face the accusations hurled against him. Thankfully, by God’s grace the company cleared him from all the allegations.

I, too, was short-changed. At her whim, the boss deducted a certain amount from the agreed compensation and turned a deaf ear to my disagreement. This happened when my husband and I were in a financial fix.

It’s one thing to get penalized for neglect and a job done in badly but quite another to receive undeserved punishment for a work done professionally, whole-heartedly and with a clear conscience.

What is a Christian to do in the face of such injustices? Suffer in silence? Stifle brimming anger? Face the offender in a shouting match? Engage in the battle of legal wits and patiently wait for the slow wheels of justice to turn? Just give up without a fight?

Jesus did not think twice as he overturned tables of peddlers in righteous anger for they turned the house of His Father into a market place. He gave frank and honest opinions much to the chagrin of the judgmental Pharisees, Saducees and scribes. They all came together to connive for the greatest injustice of all and crucified the blameless Jesus. Still, with His overwhelming love for mankind, Jesus managed to ask forgiveness from the Father in their behalf “for they know not what they do.”

We may wallow in self-pity and “righteous” anger for all the undeserved pain and sufferings, all the right things may have been said and done and still, the unrepentant offender still goes on seemingly victorious in his wiles. We have but one path to follow. Hard as it is, we must embrace our cross and by the grace of God’s genuine love forgive those who have hurt us. Just as Jesus did.