In today’s Gospel, Our Lord speaks about our suffering state: “From the d.ays of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence and the violent are taking it by force” (Matthew 11:12).
Since its beginning, the Church of Christ suffers violence from evil forces. So, too, do each of us suffer from the onslaught of violence that seeks to separate us from Christ Jesus the Lord and one another.
Following of Jesus is a life-long struggle. Intentional disciples do not settle into mediocrity, lukewarmness and laziness
The Advent midpoint is an excellent moment to reflect on how much we really struggle against our own passions, defects, sins and inclinations. Christianity demands struggle, it demands sustained efforts to fight against our own weaknesses, miseries and misfortunes. Normally this takes the form of little daily skirmishes like making a real effort to be cheerful, good tempered and considerate of the people around us. Othertimes the battles are much fiercer.
