And all shall be well!

“This night, you will all fall away because of me, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered’. But after my resurrection, I shall go before you to Galilee” (Matthew 26:31). The disciples were shocked to see the one they thought had all the power be taken away like a criminal. They could not believe their eyes. All their faith and dreams have crashed in the twinkling of an eye. He had told them several times that he was going to suffer at the hand of the authorities and would be killed (Mk. 10:33; Mt. 20:18; Lk. 24:7). But he would rise again. They heard him. But like most of us, it entered through one ear and left through the other. And when the moment came, they lost all their faith in their Lord and Master and fled for their lives. However, Jesus had assured them that all would be well: light would overcome darkness (Jn. 1:5). The pains, suffering, slaps, mockery and death that he endured, had to be! They all led to the light of Easter. All shall be well, he continued to tell the disciples. The same he tells his disciples in every generation: All shall be well. Our pains, sufferings, disappointments, and betrayals are never in vain. In the end, God makes all things new and beautiful. We only have to hold his hand firmly, just as Our Lord held firmly onto His Father’s hand. We pray to the Risen Christ to not let us leave his hands or take our eyes off him, knowing that as long as we hold his hands and focus our gaze on him, all shall be well, no matter what is going on in and with us. May the grace that comes from the Resurrection of Jesus be upon each one of you now and always. Amen.  Happy Easter to you all.

~Fr. Cornelius Okeke