Move on despite misunderstandings

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

THAT’S the lesson we can learn from that gospel episode where Christ, preaching in the synagogue in his hometown of Nazareth, left the people more in disbelief than in amazement. (Lk 4,16-30) “Is this not the son of Joseph?” they asked. To which Christ could only say, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place.”

But Christ did not make a big issue out of this. He just talked a little about similar cases in the past when those, who believed in God-sent prophets, received favors of healing from above rather than those who did not believe the prophets whom they regarded as just one among them. And after this, Christ moved on to continue with his mission.

If we want to follow Christ and to be faithful in our Christian identity and mission, we should expect also be regarded in the same way Christ and the prophets of old were regarded. But this should not deter us from pursuing what we are supposed to do. We just have to move on and not mind so much whatever sting some misunderstanding we can encounter along the way.

This should be the attitude to have in this life. We have to learn to be accepting of whatever fate, situation, condition and circumstance may fall on us, whether it is favorable or not, advantageous or not, but also having the mind of moving on to pursue the ultimate purpose and essential goal in our life here on earth.

That way, we avoid creating unnecessary problems for us as we keep the necessary focus in our life. We have to learn how to suffer when bad things come our way, as well as how to avoid getting spoiled when we are favored with good things. We have to learn how to be accepting of these.

But we should continue to move on, making the pertinent plans, strategies and resolutions, and using the appropriate means. We should not stop at any point even if we face what may seem to be an impenetrable wall.

Yes, there will be predicaments where no more human solutions can handle. But with our will, with our prayers, with our faith God in God in his providence, we also know that nothing is impossible. As they say, where there is a will, there is always a way.

To be avoided is to rot in some self-pity when bad things come or to get self-satisfied when good things come. We have to move on, knowing that the ultimate goal is something that can never be reached definitively as long as we live. It can be reached only in the afterlife.

We should try to do everything for us to be able to engage ourselves with everybody else. To be sure, it would greatly help if we develop our social skills, if we keep an open-minded outlook, if we show warmth towards all, with a smiling friendliness to boot.

For this to happen, I imagine that what we need to do also is to forget ourselves and to adapt the mind and heart of Christ instead. That way we can be full of mercy and compassion, patience and understanding. We don’t waste time getting entangled in our unavoidable differences and conflicts among ourselves as well as in our own personal problems.

We have to find ways to foster interaction among ourselves. We don’t wait for these opportunities to interact with others to come. We look for them. We create them. That is why we need to be inventive and creative also.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com