This Momentary Light Affliction

Do you ever get discouraged with your body? Lately, there's been one thing after another going wrong with my body - pain here, pain there, another prescription drug, another medical test, and another doctor to see.

It’s been affliction after affliction and I felt the words of today's second reading giving me some encouragement:

Therefore, we are not discouraged;

rather, although our outer self is wasting away,

our inner self is being renewed day by day.

For this momentary light affliction

is producing for us an eternal weight of glory

Our outer selves, that is our bodies, are wasting away. Getting older teaches us that as more and more starts to break in our bodies. There’s inevitable wear and tear like cars and homes. The more I do for the Lord, the more I feel the exhaustion and impact on my physical body - just like Paul must have felt. Serving others can and does deplete us over time if we are using our gifts to the fullest.

But while our bodies are wasting away, this passage gives us hope that our inner selves are being renewed every day. Our souls are growing closer to God and wiser in the ways of God. Elders in the Church show us good examples of that. Their bodies were well-used in service to others and may not be what they were, but their souls are often masterpieces from the wisdom and experience they've gained by walking with the Lord and doing His will.

So these bodily afflictions we face in this life as we age should not discourage us because they are producing for us an eternal weight of glory. We are bearing some of the sufferings of Jesus, and they are leading us to heaven.

Feeling afflicted as you serve the Lord? Keep your eyes on the eternal glory waiting for you.