You will not remember this pain

Physical pain.

The pain of losing someone you love.

The pain of disappointment.

The pain of loneliness.

These are some of the pains we sometimes suffer and may often fear.

To turn aside these pains we may do things even more hurtful to ourselves and others, such as take illegal drugs, abuse medications or alcohol, leap into relationships out of desperation, or even try to destroy God's gift of life.

In today's Gospel (John 16:20-23), our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, mindful of our pains and sorrows, gives us words of encouragement: that when the Lord comes for us the grief and pain of his faithful ones will become unconquerable joy and that we will have the answers to all our questions and the fulfillment of everything we seek in Christ.

Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will weep and mourn,
while the world rejoices;
you will grieve,
but your grief will become joy.

When a woman is in labor,
she is in anguish
because her hour has arrived;
but when she has given birth to a child,
she no longer remembers the pain
because of her joy
that a child has been born into the world.

So you also are now in anguish.

But I will see you again,
and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.

On that day
you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father
in my name
he will give you.