god's lost and found
"For the sins of my children I am left desolate, because they turned from the law of God." —Baruch 4:12
Is there any greater anguish than that of a godly parent who must watch their child choose to forsake God? (Bar 4:8) "With joy" these parents "fostered" the faith in their children (Bar 4:11). Then, after their child has rejected God, they must "let [the child] go" with "mourning and lament" (Bar 4:11).
If you have experienced this, imagine the experience of God the Father. Could anyone foster children (see Hos 11:4) better than the Father raises every human being? If children rebel against the incomparable parental love of God the Father, then don't feel like a total failure if your guidance is rejected.
Though your children reject your instruction and no longer listen to your appeals, take courage. "Bear patiently" this situation (Bar 4:25). Know that God is even more of a Parent to your child than you are. He will search diligently through "the wasteland" of your child's life until He has rescued him or her (Lk 15:4).
So "turn now ten times the more to seek" God (Bar 4:28). Jesus is your only Hope, and "those who hope in" Him "shall never be disappointed" (Is 49:23). "Fear is useless. What is needed is trust" (Mk 5:36). Therefore, "trust in Him at all times" (Ps 62:9). "Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, and all your household" (Acts 16:31).
Prayer: Father, may I have an eternal family reunion with You in heaven — with no family members missing.
Promise: "He Who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring you back enduring joy." —Bar 4:29
Praise: Bl. Francis Xavier Seelos was a humble Redemptorist priest in New Orleans in the mid 1800s. Numerous miracles of healing are attributed to his intercession, including healing of paralysis and leukemia.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
Rescript: †Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 11, 2019
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