Sufferings provide chance to grow in intimacy with Christ

This paper comes out on New Year’s Eve.  I don’t know when you will see it, but please allow me to wish you a grace-filled year in 2022.  But let’s be clear about God’s blessings.
Many of us live pretty comfortable lives.  We are Christians and we go to Mass.  We tithe.  We participate in the life of our parish.  But really, we are pretty comfortable.  It is easy to see a comfortable life as the natural result of making moral choices and being a good disciple of Jesus.  For most of our lives, the values of our culture basically we in alignment with our Catholic values.
However, historically this peaceful alignment is not the norm.  Jesus Himself warns us that this is the case, but since we haven’t experienced tumult or tribulation because of our faith we sort of forget the history.  The other interesting point about the history of our faith is this:  the times when the Church has been attacked or persecuted are precisely the times when the faith was most vibrant.
There will almost certainly be challenges in your life in 2022.  Some of those will be relatively small, and others may well be monumental and extremely painful and difficult.  It is easier said than done, but let’s try to see those moments of pain or conflict as opportunities for us to grow in intimacy with Christ.
God does not cause suffering, but He often allows it.  I am sure that if gold could talk it would tell us how very painful the refiner’s fire is.  I am sure if gold were alive it would hate the refiner’s fire.  Yet, it is precisely this fire that purifies it and makes it so beautiful.
My hope for myself in 2022 is that I can begin to see my crosses, my sufferings as opportunities dripping with God’s Grace.  Let us not despise these blessings even though they don’t seem very attractive to us.  
 — Pat Arensberg is the Director of the Office for Evangelization and Family Life. Email him at [email protected] 
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