Leadership
Be the Change
by Fr. Ron Will c.pp.s.
On December 21, 2017, during our Winter Solstice Celebration at
Precious Blood Renewal Center, Fr. Joe Nassal reflected on the beauty of
the approaching light. But light is only beautiful and only has meaning
when we experience darkness.
At the time, I had been experiencing some dark clouds hanging
over my head because of a severe infection that had invaded my physi-
cal body, even requiring surgery. Along with the physical darkness
came a spiritual darkness as I tried to figure out why God was allowing
this to happen while I was on sabbatical preparing for a new ministry.
I thought that I was a good person. Why do good people suffer? What
was God trying to teach me? In my darkness, I was so enveloped that
I didn’t even see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I came to understand that God is omniscient, all-knowing. He knows
what is best for me in the long run. If God says, “You need to suffer
now,” I trust that he knows what he is doing and what is best for me.
After World War ii, there was a quote found written on the wall of one
of the cells in a concentration camp that said: “I believe in the sun, even
when it isn’t shining. I believe in love, even when there’s no one there.
And I believe in God, even when he is silent.”
One thing I learned during my darkness was that I was seeking the
“consolations of God” rather than the “God of consolation.” Another
thing I learned was that there are many people enveloped in so much
darkness that they can’t see the light at the end of the tunnel either. Now
I can have at least some compassion for people I didn’t even pay atten-
tion to before.
Everyone could tell the story of his or her journey toward God. Some
people, like the Magi, have to journey through a desert. Most everyone
loses the star along the way, often more than once. Like any journey,
there are ups and downs, hills and valleys. Sometimes you get lost.
I have the following banner hanging on the wall of my room:
Road of Ministry
As you travel this
special road of ministry,
May the Spirit of God surround you.
continued on page 4
February 2018 • The New Wine Press • 3