Do you have family or friends who are in pain? They may have been laid off, gotten divorced, experienced the death of a love one or are just beat down by life in general. Every time you see them or speak with them, the conversation is filled with sadness and anguish. It can be exhausting to talk with them but that is just what Jesus calls us to do. I have been reading Max Lucado's latest book You'll Get Through This. In it, he deals with the very situations I described at the beginning of this post; people who have experienced bad things. It brings to mind the question of why God allows this to happen. Lucado seems to think that God is using these bad things to build a stronger you and me. He says that while Satan weaves hate and terror, God reweaves it into good. The Bible tells us in many different places that God will use hardship to sharpen us as Christians. When you look at Paul, Stephen, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus himself, you will realize that people going through hardship is part of life. Lucado uses the story of Joesph, one of Jacob's sons, to illustrate the model that God expects from us when bad things occur in our lives. Joseph was rejected by his family, sold into slavery, falsely accused of rape, and thrown into prison. Because Joseph had faith and an ongoing relationship with God, he knew that his future had not arrived yet. He trusted in God's perfect timing despite the hardship. He never lost his faith and he constantly relied on the Lord to carry him in these difficult times. He also, as Lucado says, did not make rash or foolish decisions. He based his decision making on the promises that God had revealed to him in a series of dreams. It is a great example for us in these trying times. We often are faced with adversity and many of us make really bad decisions trying to alleviate our pain. God does not promise a painless life. Our road will not always be smooth and there will be impediments to overcome. Isn't it nice to know that despite all of this, our God is always there? He wants to pick us up and carry us through the pain. He is love. The pain and suffering caused by the works of Satan and his followers can always be rewoven into good for God's people. I encourage you to read the story of Joseph in Genesis. Build your own relationship with God. Trust in his grace and providence and remain steadfast that He will reweave your life into something beautiful and lasting.
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...