Kobza's Komments

For us as Catholics, the new liturgical year started with advent and the preparations for Jesus’ arrival. God sent His only son in human form to earth and did this knowing that we would eventually persecute and crucify Him.  Jesus’ willingly sacrificed Himself for us knowing how His life here on earth would end. As if this wasn’t hard enough, Jesus faced many hardships throughout his life.

He was born in a stable after his parents were rejected at the Inn. Not long after Jesus was born, the family had to flee to Egypt to avoid Herod’s paranoia and massacre of innocent children. During his ministry, Jesus was criticized by the religious leaders of the day, the scribes and Pharisees and was ultimately betrayed by one of his followers. What relevance does this have for our world today?  Are not people rejected by others and made to feel not to belong?  Are not people persecuted and have to flee their countries of birth?  Are not people criticized and ridiculed by the “in crowd”? Are not people betrayed by their friends?  With the advent of social media, it has become so much easier to criticize and reject others.

How do we combat our human condition? We follow the example of God and Jesus:  with Love. God wants us to be His hands and feet today on earth and treat one another with Love. According to Pope Francis, our mission is to obey God and give Joy to others: “Love and joy are gifts we must ask the Lord for.”  We spread Joy when we express gratitude for the blessings that God has given to us.  We spread Love when do things for others without expecting something in return.  For this calendar year, take a moment each day to spread some Love and/or Joy.  This is a huge task and we will not always be successful but it is a goal to strive towards each and every day.