There are moments in life when we simply do not understand God.
We pray, but the problem remains. We ask for healing, but someone we love continues to suffer. We try to do what is right, but difficulties still come. And sometimes we ask: “Lord, why?”
In today’s Gospel, the disciples also could not understand Jesus.
People were amazed at the wonderful things Jesus was doing. But in the middle of all that admiration, Jesus suddenly told His disciples: “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men.”
They could not understand. How could the Messiah suffer? How could the One who performed miracles be rejected?
And the Gospel tells us something very human: “They were afraid to ask him about this saying.”
Sometimes we are like them.
We understand God when there is a miracle. We understand God when our prayers are answered. We understand God when life is going according to our plans.
But when the cross comes, we become confused.
And perhaps this is the challenge of the Gospel today: Do not follow Jesus only when He works miracles. Follow Him also when He leads you through the cross.
Faith does not mean understanding everything. Faith means that even when we do not understand, we continue holding the hand of God.
And when you are confused, do not be afraid to ask Him: “Lord, why? Lord, what are You teaching me? Lord, where are You leading me?”
God is not afraid of our questions. Sometimes prayer begins with a question and slowly becomes an act of trust.
“Lord, stay with us“
I remember a simple story about a mother whose little child became seriously ill. Night after night, she sat beside the hospital bed, praying: “Lord, please heal my child.”
One night, exhausted and frightened, she whispered, “Lord, I don’t understand why this is happening. But please, do not leave us.”
Later she said that something changed in her prayer. At first she kept asking God, “Why?” Eventually her prayer became, “Lord, stay with us.”
The problem did not immediately disappear. The fear was still there. But she began to realize: God had not abandoned them. He was present through the doctors and nurses, through family members who stayed with them, through friends who brought food, and through the quiet strength she herself did not know she had.
Final Words
Sometimes, we understand God’s will only after the storm has passed. And sometimes we may never completely understand.
But this we can believe: Even when we cannot see what God is doing, God has not stopped loving us.
So when you cannot understand God’s ways, trust His heart. Hold on. The cross is not the end of the story. After Good Friday comes Easter.