Imagine telling people that you are inviting them to accept a special invitation that has the potential of bringing them “greater happiness … a deeper understanding of life” and a “spiritual awakening.”
That is the invitation being offered by Deacon John P. Lozano in his book “Good News in Bad Times: Discovering Spiritual Meaning in the Midst of Crisis and Uncertainty” (ACTA Publications). Deacon Lozano has worked for 24 years at Villanova University in the Department of Theology and Religious Studies.
I’ve always known that books can be silent teachers, and this book confirms my belief. Deacon Lozano writes, for example: “Each piece of bad news, like every crisis and failure, is an invitation to choose either despair or inertia, or trust and action.”
I have learned from the events of my life how true his words are and how important it is to not only remember such heart-wrenching times, but to simultaneously ask and trust the Lord to direct you to the hope and joy that will sustain you.
It is so important to remember, really remember, how very special we are, each one of us, Deacon Lozano says, emphasizing that “the fact that we exist means we are loved.”
He shares the wisdom of Albert Einstein, who said, “There are two ways to live: You can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle.”
I was very touched when I read again the words of Anne Frank, the young Jewish girl who died at the hands of the atrocious Nazis in World War II, and I was grateful that the author also remembered her writing: “Everyone has inside him a piece of good news. The good news is that you don’t know how great you can be! How much you can love! What you can accomplish!”
Deacon Lozano asks: “What if Anne is right, that we all have a piece of good news within us, a potential to love that is present even in the midst of great sadness or misfortune?”
He leaves us with some questions that are so important for self-examination: “Where have you experienced the most growth, learning and personal development in your life? Was it from your successes, awards and achievements, or from your failures, sufferings and losses?”
His book certainly offers us much to think about. Best of all, it helps us to find truly spiritual ways of responding to the crises, uncertainties and tragedies in our lives even as we rejoice in our successes.
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