God is real in the midst of suffering
Fr. Anthony Le

Yesterday, I had an opportunity to dialogue with our parents in our community. She brought up a very serious concern among our young people. Perhaps, many of us belong here at Saint Joseph. She recalls how her children participated in catholic school, in faith formation, went through all of those programs, for confirmation as well. And yet just after a year into college, she decided the faith of the church is no longer needed - there's no God. Now, she came back home, having two other siblings. She tells them that there's no God, there's no need for God. Because everything we need, we could have, everything we want we could have also. there's no need for God whatsoever. Now, the younger sister decided that this year, she may not receive confirmation because she has no need of God, and he's not real. therefore, no need for confirmation that would be a lie. Obviously, the mother was very, very distraught. and she gave me an answer that perhaps we could all reflect upon, in light of the gospel today.

All my children never experienced a single difficult day in their life. They did not know what suffering meant. They did not know when you need God, and how meaningful God is for us. Remind you, this is a mother who belonged to a family that decided to escape Vietnam. The chance of success is almost zero. Belong to the boat people, who experience the suffering and horror of war, Horror of being a refugee. Being out there in the middle of the ocean, relying only on God for survival. the group of people who appreciate life and God, all because of suffering and pain they endure. Instead of complaining, instead of condemning, instead of denying God, they say God is real in the midst of suffering.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, today on this Palm Sunday, when we started out our procession with a prayer, and we thank God because we thanks to his invitation, thanks to his death on the cross, thanks to the cross that we become partakers of the cross, and therefore partakers of God's resurrection. We thank him for the cross precisely. and in today's gospel we see that in the midst of suffering, we really understand how weak we are, how terrible sins are - both physical and moral evils. how terrible they are. At the same time, we experience the need for salvation. because we could not really face death alone without trembling. and yet on the other side of suffering, thanks to our lord Jesus order yes to the heavenly father's plan. through the cross he unveils the mystery of suffering, that our lord let us know. In the midst of suffering, we encounter also the loving and the merciful God. how many times our lord Jesus asked us to take up the cross and follow me. The cross of our lord today, let me remind you, it is not just wood that he has to carry on his shoulders, it is not the wooden beam that he has to carry. That is just the visible sign of what actually makes him carry the crust of our sins. the heavy weight of our rejection.

look at peter, look at judas, look at those who calling on him, crucify him, crucify him after witnessing every beautiful thing that he had done, how many lives he has saved, how many people he fed, and how many beautiful teachings, how many broken souls he has saved, and yet they crucify him, crucify him. That is the weight of the cross on his shoulders. My dear brothers and sisters, and what it looks like to carry a cross? it is the man who rejected him, it is a disciple who turned away from him, it is the woman who was caught in adultery, it is the Samaritan woman who lives an immortal life, it is you and I that he carries on our and his shoulders.

let's be honest, let's name the cross of our life at this moment, so that we know that in a minute of suffering, we could truly encounter and understand that God is truly real. he's not fictional character produced by Hollywood, or Greek methodology, or ancient Hebrew story that's no longer relevant to our life. He's real in the midst of suffering. because in the midst of suffering, the one who crucified him on the cross knelt down, and proclaimed this man is truly innocent, and he is truly God. Amazing isn't it.

So what is the cross in our life? could it be your friend who betrayed us, could it be a young child addicted to media, could that be a husband who's no longer faithful, could it be ourselves, the sins that we committed, could it be everything that witnessed in the world, could it be the cross made by Satan, could it be the cross made by our political leaders, could it be cross that we fabricated by our own imagination, our own ideologies. So, my dear brothers and sister whatever the cross looked like, or at the shape, and it weighs, our lord Jesus is saying today. you don't have to carry it alone. We don't have to carry it alone; we don't have to be doomed by it. we could carry along with our lord. He has carried it to the end. and at this moment in time, in this beautiful season of lant, and we enter into the holy week. Let's once again be reminded of the fact that God so loved the world that he took up the cross, embraced it, kissed it, to let you know, let us know, that we are worth dying for. Our dignity, our power, our glory, rest upon this only single act on the cross - The love of our lord has gone all the way to the end to save you and save me.

so, my dear brothers and sisters, as we suffer through life, as we identify the cross in our life, don't forget that our lord is on the cross also crying out to the father. Father forgives them for what they know not, forgive them for what they have done to you, and to me, and to one another, forgive them because they are your children. Our lord is continually inviting you and I to forgive one another. just like Simon who carried along with our lord Jesus, just like Jesus in need of consolation by his own mother, and those who stood at the foot of the cross. we need one another, we need God along the journey of life.

The same people who say we don't need God are among the people who are most lonely. I'm talking about our teens, our young adults, the people supposed to be connected, but the ones who feel most lonely and desperate, among the highest depression rates. so, my brothers and sisters, denying God doesn't make them happier, walking away from the faith doesn't make them more connected. So, it's our responsibility to live through the suffering of life, to offer ourselves a sacrificial offering to God. and therefore, unveil the beautiful face of our lord merciful, loving, and kind. Let's do it together as a community of faith which is doing Hosanna in the highest. The one who walks in through the Jerusalem gate as a king. No not just that, we should wholesand him today and forever. Everywhere we go. Let's make it real, let's make it tangible, and let's make it amazingly attractive. Only then, can we listen to the promise of our lord to the thief "Today you will be with me in paradise". Suffering leads to admission of our need for Christ, and when we open our eyes and hearts for him, heaven is guaranteed.

在苦难中体验真实的主

昨天，我与一个教友家庭的家长谈话。他们非常担忧我们下一代年轻人的信仰。许多圣若瑟教友的家庭有可能有着同样的顾虑。她的女儿在天主教学校中受教育，参加了所有的信仰课程，也完成了坚振圣事。然而就在上大学一年后，她决定离开教会，因为她认为天主并不存在。她回家，并且告诉两个兄弟姐妹说，没有天主，我们也不需要天主。因为我们需要的，都可以取得。我们想要的，也可以拥有。所以根本就不需要天主。现在，妹妹决定今年她不参加坚振了，因为她不需要天主，天主也不存在。不需要坚振，因为那本来就是个骗局。显然的，他们的母亲非常的心烦意乱。她给了我一个解释。或许经由这个解释，并借着福音的光照，我们可以得到深切的反思。

她说：我的孩子们从未经历过一天的艰难。他们不知道苦难是什么。他们不知道为什么需要天主，也不知道天主有多么重要。说这个故事的是一位越南难民家庭的母亲。在那时候，逃难成功的机会几乎是零。他们是船民，经历过战争的灾难和痛苦，难民的恐惧。身处大海中，唯一生存下来的希望就是依靠天主。这群珍爱生命和天主的人，都经历并且忍受过苦难。他们不抱怨，不谴责，不否认，反而在苦难中体验出真实的天主。

亲爱的兄弟姐妹们，今天是圣枝主日，我们以祈祷开始我们的游行。我们感谢天主，，感谢祂在十字架上受苦难而死，感谢祂邀请我们参与十字架的圣死，让我们与主的复活有分。是的，我们正是要感谢这十字架。今天的福音让我们看到在苦难中，我们是多么的软弱，我们身体和道德上的罪恶是多么的可怕。我们体验到需要天主的拯救。因为我们颤抖惊悸，无法独自面对死亡。然而，在苦难的另一面，感谢主耶稣顺从了天父的计划。通过十字架，祂揭示了苦难的奥秘。在苦难中，我们与慈爱的天主相遇。在福音里主耶稣不断地要我们背起十字架来跟随祂 ？主扛的这个十字架不只是一根木头，或是木梁。祂背负的是我们罪孽，是我们拒绝天主的沉重负担。

让我们看看伯多禄，看看犹达斯，看看那些呼求祂的人，那些把祂钉在十字架上的人。他们见证了祂所做的每一件事，拯救了多少生命，喂养了多少人，讲授了多少美好的教义，却钉死了祂。在祂拯救了许多破碎的灵魂后，却把祂钉在十字架上。这就是祂肩上十字架所负的重担。亲爱的兄弟姐妹们，这就是背负十字架的意义。祂背负的是那个拒绝他的人，是背弃祂的弟子，是通奸的女人，是过着罪恶生命的撒玛利亚女人，祂背负的就是你和我，祂扛着我们在祂的肩膀上。

现在，让我们来看看自己的十字架。当我们受苦的每一刻，我们在苦难中体验到真实的主。祂不是电影中的虚构人物，也不在希腊的神话故事里，也不在古老的希伯来故事中。祂是我们在苦难中体验到的，真实的主。当主耶稣在被钉死在十字架的苦难中，那个把祂钉在十字架上的人，跪了下来，宣称这个被钉死的人，是无辜的，是真天主。这真的是个令人意想不到的惊奇。

那么，我们生命中的十字架是什么呢？是背叛的朋友吗？是沉迷于媒体的小孩吗？是不再忠诚的丈夫吗？是我们自己吗？是我们犯下的罪吗？是我们所看到的世俗吗？是撒旦制造的吗？是政治领袖制造的吗？是我们的想像吗？是我们的意识形态吗？亲爱的兄弟姐妹，无论这个十字架的形状或重量，主耶稣告诉我们。 “您不必单独背负它”。是的，我们不必独自背负它，我们不必被这个厄运所钉死。让我们背着这个十字架与主同行。主耶稣会与我们在一起，坚持到底。此时此刻，在这美丽的四旬期，我们将进入圣周。别忘了这一件事实，就是天主如此的爱了这个世界，甚至背起了十字架，拥抱它，亲吻它，并为我们死在十字架上。天主要让我们知道，我们是值得的。我们的尊严，力量，荣耀，都依赖于在十字架上的这一个举动。我们的主爱到最后，来拯救你，拯救我。

兄弟姐妹们，当我们受到苦难时，当我们要背十字架时，不要忘记，我们的主在十字架上也不断地向天父为我们呼求：“父啊，请原谅他们，因为他们不知道他们所做的事，原谅他们对祢，对我，和对彼此所做的一切。原谅他们，因为他们是祢的孩子”。我们的主也邀请你和我互相原谅。主也需要我们的帮助。当主无法负重前行时，西满帮着祂背下去，在苦路中，耶稣的母亲也安慰了祂，在十字架上，站在十字架脚下的人陪伴了祂。我们需要彼此扶持，在生命的旅途中我们需要天主。

那些说我们不需要天主的人，是最孤独的。我指的是我们的青少年，我们的年轻人。他们应该受关怀。但他们却是最孤独和绝望的，是抑郁症发病率最高的族群。否认天主不会让他们更快乐，离开信仰也不会让他们能得到更多的关怀。因此，我们有责任来度过人生的苦难，将我们自己作为向天主献上的祭品。以此来揭开上主仁慈、关爱，善良，和美丽的容颜。让我们一起做一个有信仰团体。一起赞颂「因上主之名而来的君王，应受赞颂！」。不仅如此，我们应该从今天起进行彻底的改造。让我们所到之处。变得真实，有形，更有吸引力。只有这样，我们才能赚得主对右盗的承诺「我实在告诉你：今天你就要与我一同在乐园里。」苦难使我们承认我们需要天主，当我们被主耶稣睁开了眼睛和心灵时，就会得到与主耶稣一起在乐园里的保证。