None of us appreciates being manipulated or of having accusations leveled at us that are untrue. None of us, however, escape life without going through this kind of pain—it’s part of human nature rubbing against human nature. Not even Christ escaped being persecuted by persons falsely accusing Him. And He says to us: “A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you too….They hated me without reason” (John 15: 20, 25). Sister Angela, and you and I, will repeatedly go through death and resurrection experiences, the death that comes with opposition and misunderstanding and the rising that comes with how we handle our suffering, namely, in a way that leads to deeper faith and stronger trust or in a way that leads to further dying and greater suffering for ourselves and others. May we, like Sister Angela, learn to approach life’s sorrows through a faith perspective, uniting our sufferings with the sufferings of Christ and make a firm resolve not to allow bitterness to lodge in our hearts.
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