10 April, Monday — Faith in dark times

Easter Monday

Acts 2:14,22-33
Mt 28:8-15

“…they will see me there.”

Before I attended the Conversion Experience Retreat (CER) in 2015, I had been ‘spiritually dry’ for a long time. During this time, I just could not experience God in my life. For the most part, I heard and felt nothing.

This silence troubled me. 

Imagine how much worse it was for Jesus’ disciples. These men had spent three years with Him physically, walking, eating, and speaking with Him. With Jesus’ death on the cross, they must have immediately felt the void of His absence. 

What stood out for me in preparing for this reflection was how, in spite of not being physically present after the crucifixion and resurrection, Jesus continued to reach out to His disciples and friends in a different way. 

Before I attended the CER, I had been used to the idea that one was not supposed to experience God so intimately. After all, I had never been able to. I used to sit in churches and prayer rooms for hours, waiting for God to speak to me, but somehow I never got to hear Him. I never got to experience Him as other people had previously shared with me.

I cannot explain it, but the CER changed that for me. Without spoiling it for others who have not attended it, I started to ‘hear’ God’s promptings in ways I had not previously heard. It occurred to me then, that I had been looking for God the wrong way — just like how Jesus reached out to His disciples in different ways after His death and resurrection. It was not that God had not been speaking to me; it was just that I was looking for Him the wrong way!

The gospel of today affirms that God will always reach out to us, no matter what, just like the loving father in the parable of the prodigal son and as was promised in Deuteronomy 31:8. 

(Today’s OXYGEN by Paul Wee)

Prayer: We pray for the wisdom and faith to always turn to You, Father. Help us know that You will always be there for us in our difficulties and challenges.

Thanksgiving: We are grateful for Your love for us, Father. Thank You for always being there for us.