Conclusion

The story and history of Alphonsa will remind Christians of the central mystery of the Christian faith, the redemptive suffering and death of the Lord and the Love which it revealed. Her veneration as a saint will be always effect a remembrance of the crucified Lord. This is the theological richness of this saint for the universal Church and for the Church in India, a land traditionally known for its search and hunger for the Divine in and around us.

Alphonsa will remain both a reminder and a challenge to the twenty-first century with its tremendous possibilities of human advancement yet consistent vacuum for Jesus Christ, and His way, the way of the of the Cross and redemptive Love. As for the Christian, so also for the consecrated religious who follow diverse charisms and face the crisis of vocations and vocational growth in faithfulness, an assimilation of the life and message of Alphonsa will reveal the essence of the truth revealed in the way in which she followed Jesus Christ, that being configured to and transformed by Him is possible only through a relational experience of Him in one’s heart and in the Sacraments.

The goal of sanctity both in the baptismal commitment as well as in the profession of religious vows becomes then an ongoing response to the Love and Holiness experienced in and from Jesus Christ. The ultimate sign of that saving infinite Love is nothing but Cross. In the Cross the meaninglessness of suffering can give way to a profound experience of the love of God and neighbor in our daily lives.

Fr. Santhosh Sebastian Cheruvally belongs to the diocese of Gorakhpur in India and holds a doctorate in Christology from the Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome.

Courtesy: http://www.catholic.org