June 10, 2001

Oliver Goldsmith had his heart set on becoming a doctor, but was rejected when he applied for medical school. He was bitterly disappointed but in his disappointment, he turned to writing. Eight years later, the Vicar of Wakefield, one of the greatest classics was given to the world.

Charles Dickens had his heart set on being an actor, only to meet with rejection and disappointment. So, too, Nathaniel Hawthorne, who wanted to be a Customs Official. Three of history's greatest authors may never have practiced their craft if it had not been for the affliction of rejection and disappointment.

Earl Nightengale, a well-known motivational speaker, told the story of a trip he took with his son along the Great Barrier Reef that stretches 1800 miles from New Guinea all the way to Australia. Nightengale noticed that the coral growing on the outside of the reef where the sea was peaceful and quiet looked pale and lifeless. But, the coral on the outside of the reef that faced the powerful waves of the open sea, looked healthy and brightly colored and exquisitely beautiful.

Nightengale asked the tour guide why that was so. "It's very simple," came the reply. "The coral on the quiet side of the seas dies rapidly, as it has little stimulus for growth or survival. The coral facing the open sea thrives and multiplies because it is challenged and tested every day!"

When adversity and affliction beat down upon life, virtues and attributes often surface that speak well of that life. Just as disappointment and rejection served Hawthorne and Goldsmith and Dickens quite well, so can it be for us. Many a bright color adorns a life that might forever have been dull had adversity or affliction not come upon it.

St. Paul, in our second reading, talks of how people of faith "BOAST OF THEIR AFFLICTIONS". He then goes on to catalog the benefits accumulated through affliction, endurance, character, and hope. Reflecting on his own "THORN IN HIS SIDE," he was relaying the truth borne out by that coral on the Great Barrier Reef. Disappointment and adversity can often yield a positive effect.

SO THE QUESTION: DESCRIBE SOME OF THE POSITIVE COLORS THAT MAY COME INTO LIFE THANKS TO SOME AFFLICTION. ARE AFFLICTIONS GOD'S THORNS OR ROSES?

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