Brokenness streams out in human life due to the fall of Adam and Eve. Not to put all the blame on them eventually the bridge between man and God would have been broken somehow. Furthermore, it was their disobedience which allowed sin, death, and an emptiness of one’s heart entered in to the world. This is original sin which is washed away at Baptism, but there remains concupiscence. This is the cause of all heartache, pain, and suffering due to sin. Every time one sins it breaks that bridge that Jesus reappeared. It causes disunion between man and God. The ultimate healing takes place in Heaven, where one knows no more pain and suffering. To obtain a similar healing on earth one must seek freedom within love, and participate in the vocation of suffering.
First, one must seek freedom in order for any kind brokenness to be healed. For man was created in and out of love, this love allows us to choose between being free of sin or to be bound by sin. Jacques Philippe author of Interior Freedom explains, “We have this great thirst for happiness; and we sense that there is no happiness without love, and no love without freedom.” (13). Philippe also states, “Only love, then can satisfy us; and there is no love without love.” (13).Both quotes give one the message of obtaining freedom is not possible without love and love is not possible without freedom. Finding freedom is love, thus the opposite of freedom is slavery to sin. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states “But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle:” (2516). This quote explains brokenness is from the struggle between sin and freedom which impairs our heart to allow one to seek freedom. Seeking freedom can and only will come from love, its trough love we are free, and through freedom we are healed.
Next, one must be open in participation to the vocation of suffering. Jesus calls us to suffer along with him. The closer our relationship grows with Him, the more He invites us to join in the community of suffer. In Jesus’ passion he bore all our suffering out of love. In a sense Jesus asks us to suffer, not for our sake, but rather for others. This calling is for us to be a witness to Jesus’ love. We are not just called to suffer alone, rather with Christ, Saint Mark engraves us with,” He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.”(Mark 7: 33-35). Jesus takes the deaf man away, groans with the man’s suffering and then heals him. In us too Jesus wants to take us away from distraction, groan with us in our suffering, and then heal us. The most important part for us is “Ephphatha” to be open, to healing. Suffering allows us to be healed on Earth and prepares us for the greatest healing in Heaven.
When I look at the readings from these past two weeks I cannot help but praise God. Three weeks ago I don’t think I would have seen this in a clearer way. In a sense God woke me up with a big awaking. Suffering was in my past, and I thought I was healed from last year. Just because I was healed doesn’t mean there was not more junk in my heart. It is very much like conversion, just because I had a conversion doesn’t mean I can’t have ongoing conversion. Really what jumps out to me is the interior freedom in which I need so badly. For years I have been filling my heart with such junk and garbage of sin and lies. I was deaf, bind, and empty. The readings have given me open ears to allow my emptiness to be fill with love that overflows.
First, one must seek freedom in order for any kind brokenness to be healed. For man was created in and out of love, this love allows us to choose between being free of sin or to be bound by sin. Jacques Philippe author of Interior Freedom explains, “We have this great thirst for happiness; and we sense that there is no happiness without love, and no love without freedom.” (13). Philippe also states, “Only love, then can satisfy us; and there is no love without love.” (13).Both quotes give one the message of obtaining freedom is not possible without love and love is not possible without freedom. Finding freedom is love, thus the opposite of freedom is slavery to sin. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church states “But in fact this struggle belongs to the heritage of sin. It is a consequence of sin and at the same time a confirmation of it. It is part of the daily experience of the spiritual battle:” (2516). This quote explains brokenness is from the struggle between sin and freedom which impairs our heart to allow one to seek freedom. Seeking freedom can and only will come from love, its trough love we are free, and through freedom we are healed.
Next, one must be open in participation to the vocation of suffering. Jesus calls us to suffer along with him. The closer our relationship grows with Him, the more He invites us to join in the community of suffer. In Jesus’ passion he bore all our suffering out of love. In a sense Jesus asks us to suffer, not for our sake, but rather for others. This calling is for us to be a witness to Jesus’ love. We are not just called to suffer alone, rather with Christ, Saint Mark engraves us with,” He took him off by himself away from the crowd. He put his finger into the man’s ears and, spitting, touched his tongue; then he looked up to heaven and groaned, and said to him, “Ephphatha!”— that is, “Be opened!” —And immediately the man’s ears were opened, his speech impediment was removed, and he spoke plainly.”(Mark 7: 33-35). Jesus takes the deaf man away, groans with the man’s suffering and then heals him. In us too Jesus wants to take us away from distraction, groan with us in our suffering, and then heal us. The most important part for us is “Ephphatha” to be open, to healing. Suffering allows us to be healed on Earth and prepares us for the greatest healing in Heaven.
When I look at the readings from these past two weeks I cannot help but praise God. Three weeks ago I don’t think I would have seen this in a clearer way. In a sense God woke me up with a big awaking. Suffering was in my past, and I thought I was healed from last year. Just because I was healed doesn’t mean there was not more junk in my heart. It is very much like conversion, just because I had a conversion doesn’t mean I can’t have ongoing conversion. Really what jumps out to me is the interior freedom in which I need so badly. For years I have been filling my heart with such junk and garbage of sin and lies. I was deaf, bind, and empty. The readings have given me open ears to allow my emptiness to be fill with love that overflows.
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