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Gospel: John 16: 20-23
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.”
The Gospel of the Lord.
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I’m sure we all know the story of Cinderella.
After the death of her mother, Cinderella is forced to live with her evil stepsisters, who turn her into a prisoner inside her own home.
They force Cinderella to wash dishes, to scrub the floors, and to polish their shoes. It’s an unbearably sad story if you don’t know the ending, when the prince falls in love with her, turning Cinderella into a princess.
Knowing what happens makes the movie worthwhile.
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There’s a strange similarity between Cinderella’s story and the Lord’s words in today’s Gospel.
“Amen, amen, I say to you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices,” he says, “you will grieve, but your grief will become joy.”
Jesus is promising every Christian what Cinderella herself received – a storybook ending; a complete reversal of fortune.
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If we try living out all of Christ’s teachings, then at times we, too, can feel like the world is winning, while we are losing.
We forgive our enemies; we pray for those who persecute us; we turn the other cheek; and we love our neighbors without counting the cost.
Sometimes these efforts leave a bitter taste in our mouth, certainly if we aren’t ready to love, forgive, or surrender ourselves entirely to God’s plan.
But remember the story of Cinderella.
“Your grief will become joy,” the Lord promises, as did hers. Every fortune will be reversed.
What might that mean for me today?
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Image credits: (1) Interrupting the Silence (2) Cinderella, Disney (3) Cosmofunnel.com