We have all found ourselves in some dark places. It is in these moments that we are the most in need yet often the most doubtful and hopeless. None of us feels good about what happens when we are caught in our distress. This is the place where Christ longs to find us and transform our suffering into a deeper connection with Him. As we repeat this process throughout our lives, we become transformed, joining Him in His glorious defeat of the forces of darkness. We need this hope to burst into our darkest moments just as Christ burst into Hades to declare His triumph. If you haven’t already, please look up the icon of the Harrowing of Hades for a visual depiction of this powerful moment.
The following reflection by Pope Francis is such a beautiful reminder that Christ has already charted a path through the pain so that we may be found:
“That is why he chose the most difficult way possible: the cross. So that no one on earth should ever be so desperate as not to be able to find him, even there, in the midst of anguish, darkness, abandonment, the scandal of his or her own misery and mistakes. There, to the very place we think God cannot be present, there he came. To save those who despair, he himself chose to taste despair; taking upon himself our most bitter anguish, he cried out from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mt 27:46; Ps 22:1). A cry that saves. It saves because God took upon himself even the experience of our abandonment. And now, with him, we are no longer alone, ever” – Feast of the Exhalation of the Holy Cross, Sept. 14, 2021
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* The information provided is for self-enrichment and not intended to replace any necessary mental health treatment.
Warmly,
Jonathan Dixon, LMFT
Alpha Omega Team
