Birthing a Thought

Jesus said to his disciples:
“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.”
John 16:20-23 (NAB)

Prayer Reflection

Dear Father we have the technology today that makes childbirthing easier for the mother, without the pain. Imagining all those who have gone before us, have birthed their child naturally. Jesus tells us about the joy a mother has when a child is born. He gave us a normal procedure in the life of a human being when they undergo a change such as the example he gave. Woman most of all can relate to it. How much they endure until the time they birth the child, the elation, not just for the fact that they are now relieved of anguish, pain and suffering, but they now can see the life that was within them. In a sense when we sin we lose part of the holiness that belongs to us, the part where we have Jesus within. As we too grow in faith and at times when we fail, we experience the pain a mother feels when her child is in distress. But as we reconcile our hearts to a loving God and let Jesus be part of our lives we see the beauty and joy of having him part of us as a mother does when the child in the womb is sleeping peacefully. For men it must be hard to imagine this, but as we have read Jesus words, it wasn't hard for him to know this truth. The joy of having him in our lives is a blessing, even he speaks to mens hearts and reveals his presence to them as if they too are about to give birth. When he is truly part of our hearts no one can take him away and I mean no one. Throughout the many years it has been tried with the Saints and Martyrs and look how they have survived.