More than ever, I find myself in the hands of God. This is what I have wanted all my life from my youth. But now there is a difference: the initiative is entirely with God. It is indeed a profound spiritual experience to know and feel my self so totally in God's hands. This beautiful and personal prayer was written by Pedro Arrupe, SJ after he suffered a debilitating stroke. Every time I read it, I find it speaking to me in a different way. Don't we all long for what Fr. Pedro wanted? How comforting to be held in the hands of God. The fact is that God's hands are so large that they can hold all of us at the same time. There is no limit to God despite the attempts by some to define who and what God is and can do. Allowing God to comfort us seems like it would be easy but very often our own actions prohibit it from happening. We usually want to solve the problem ourselves rather than simply turning it over to God to handle. Depend on Him in all things. Seek first the Kingdom of Heaven and all things shall be added. We must work everyday to "find" ourselves in the hands of God. Fr. Pedro's journey was difficult but in his pain and suffering, he realized that God is right there. If you are suffering, take the pain and use it for good. Join yourself with Christ on the cross and offer your suffering for everyone else. In your suffering, you can tabernacle with Christ. You can see the world through the eyes of Jesus. Allow God to take you in His hands now.
The twelve apostles chosen by Jesus formed the bedrock of the early Church , and their Catholic identity is deeply rooted in their direct relationship with Christ and the mission He entrusted to them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights this foundational role, stating that Jesus "instituted the Twelve as 'the seeds of the new Israel and the beginning of the sacred hierarchy'" ( CCC 860 ). These men were not simply followers; they were handpicked by Jesus, lived intimately with Him, witnessed His miracles and teachings firsthand, and were specifically commissioned to preach the Gospel to all nations ( Matthew 28:19-20 ). Their unique position as eyewitnesses to the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, and their reception of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, established them as the authoritative leaders of the nascent Church, a reality echoed in the writings of early Church Fathers like Ignatius of Antioch, who emphasized the apostles' authority as repre...
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