S1 E39: When God's Light Shines

Transcript

Carol Vassar:

From SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut, I'm Carol Vassar, and this is Living in Faith, Hope, and Love. Each week, our Pastor, Father Mark Suslenko, delves into Scripture, shares insights from the saints, prophets, and theologians, and discusses practical ways to cultivate faith, strengthen hope, and embody love in the world around us. Through his reflections and spiritual encouragement, this podcast aims to inspire you to live your Catholic faith with joy and purpose. Welcome. 

In today’s episode, Father Mark reflects on where God’s true power is revealed—not just in the dramatic miracles of salvation history, but in the quiet, vulnerable moments where love breaks through our cracks. From the cross to our daily struggles, Father Mark invites us to trust that God’s light shines most brightly in our brokenness, leading us always toward resurrection, hope, and enduring love.

Here’s Father Mark

“Where God’s Light Shines,” by Father Mark S. Suslenko, Pastor, SS. Isidore and Maria Parish, Glastonbury, Connecticut

Father Mark Suslenko:

As we look throughout salvation history, God's immense majesty and power shine forth in particular moments of time. Consider this: God is so powerful that he was able to create the heavens, and the earth, all living things, human beings, and the smallest of ants. Everything was given a place. Everything has a purpose, and its organized, and it's filled with life, and it's filled with love.

When the Israelites were in trouble, God parted the Red Sea so that they could get to safety. When the Israelites were in trouble, he had manna flow from the sky so they could have food. We witnessed God's power, healing the blind, curing the sick, making lepers whole, reaching out to the poorest of poor. All of these signs and wonders were witnessed by those who knew Jesus. They saw what he was able to do, but yet they wondered and questioned: is he really who he says he is?

And then the final moment, when Jesus hangs on the cross, they challenge him and they tell him, "If you're God, then get yourself out of this mess. If you're God, take yourself down. We saw what you did. We saw you heal. We saw you cure. We saw you make people whole. And here you are now, just hanging before us: a charlatan." And they jeered at him because he failed.

I would think that if God wanted to convince us that he was real, that the resurrection was real, he would've come up with a more dramatic way to reveal that moment. Surely, something could have happened that would've been that all convincing thing that it's true.

But Jesus simply died.

As we look at how God works, there are these very dramatic moments that we can point to in time, but those aren't the moments where people are really converted and transformed. Those moments come when he reaches out to the adulterous woman and forgives her. Those moments come when he sees a guy up in the tree and invites himself to his house for dinner. A sinner. A tax collector. Those moments come when he tries to reassure his disciples to cling to their faith and to be strong. Those moments come when he chooses the weakest of weak to lead his church.

What's being told to us in the death and the resurrection of Christ is we do not have a king that lords himself over us, a king who dramatically turns over our lives. We have a king who loves. And what this shows us today is that in Jesus' brokenness, in his shatteredness, in his ultimate cracks, God's light shines through. The courage and the witness comes from how courageously he approached this horrific death on a cross; that unconditional love that God has for you and for me, and for all of his children; a love that endures the greatest of suffering, the worst of rejection, ridicule, scorn, and hatred.

God's unconditional love shines through the cracks, not when we're perfectly put together and made whole. It's when we stumble, when we fall, when we're broken, when we're hurting, when we're suffering, when life is difficult, when we have to watch someone we love endure immense pain, when we have to journey with someone who's facing a very difficult time in their lives. This is where God's unconditional love shines forth, and that's where he tells each one of us, you are mine. Trust. Trust. And that was the true message as Jesus breathe his last. Yes, I am broken. Yes, I am cracked. Yes, I have died, but trust is not over yet. The light of resurrection will shine through those cracks to bring immense joy and hope to all.

Carol Vassar:

Father Mark Suslenko is the pastor of SS. Isidore and Maria Parish in Glastonbury, Connecticut. If you like what you've heard today, please subscribe to Living in Faith, Hope, and Love on your favorite podcast app and take a moment to leave a review.

SS. Isidore and Maria is an active parish community, so whether you’re a long-time parishioner or are just getting to know us through this podcast, we welcome you to join us at Masses or any of our other community events and services. Visit our parish website - isidoreandmaria.org - for a full schedule of Masses, services and other happenings. That's isidoreandmaria.org. We're also active on Facebook and Instagram.

On behalf of Father Mark, I'm Carol Vassar, and we thank you for listening to this episode of Living in Faith, Hope, and Love.