Hurts come into everyone’s life. Many people who have endured physical
pain and emotional pain have told me that emotional pain is worse. Physical wounds, as hurtful
as they may be, do not pain as deeply as that which wounds the heart. Rejections and misunderstandings
go to the core of our being.
It is said that Our Lord’s greatest pain in His Passion was that of His
Love being rejected.
But we are now in the Easter Season, a time for rejoicing that He is
truly risen and Heaven is
open for us.
Yet even in this Easter Season, there are many of you reading this who
carry a cross of some kind. You’ve been hurt in some way. Maybe you have a spouse that nags and
makes you feel like you
never measure up. Maybe your boss has heard an untrue story about you and
won’t believe otherwise.
Maybe someone has ruined your good name.
Whatever the hurt in your heart, you and you, first of all, must handle
that hurt so that you do not
become too depressed and unable to cope with life and duties.
None of us is perfect. We all have many flaws. Sometimes coping with
our own selves is more
difficult for us than coping with others.
As a young Sister I learned how to deal with criticism. When criticized,
I would say: “Does the
shoe fit? Be honest! If it does, wear it! If it doesn’t, forget about it
and get on with your life!”
Sometimes that is easier said than done, but one must really try!
In life, we will never please everyone. There will always be one or more
persons who will find
fault and misunderstand us. What we do with hurts can make or break us!
So honesty with ourselves is the first thing!
Accepting ourselves and others in reality is the second step. Never
should we brood too long
about our hurts. That only paralizes us and keeps us from accomplishing our
work.
The third step is that we must truly forgive those who hurt us, even if
we don’t FEEL like
forgiving. We may need to ask Jesus to forgive FOR us until we are able to do
so generously.
The fourth step is that we must learn from our hurts, that is, we must
never do to others what was
done to hurt us.
The fifth step is to pray for those who hurt us. Jesus said that
Himself.
The sixth step is to try to have a sense of humor. Years ago, a holy
Jesuit priest taught me that
there are two ways to handle a problem: we can cry about it or laugh about
it. If we can get to the
point of laughing something off, we can more easily survive. We have all
heard of the “saving sense of
humor.”
The seventh step is to unite your sufferings with those of Our Lord to
help you save your soul
and those of others. Your sufferings may well shorten your Purgatory.
The eighth step is to leave it all in the Mercy of God and get on with
your life. Let God untangle
the web of pain, lies, anger, confusion, and unforgiveness. Only He can
anyhow. Remember that He
knows what it is like to endure what you are enduring, that He loves you and
is concerned with all that
concerns you.
So be of good cheer and God bless you! A continued Happy Easter Season
to you!