WORD ALIVE

When I did a post-graduate study at the University of Leicester in England, there was a British lady personnel named Joan with whom I occasionally talked about religion. “I find it hard to believe there’s someone up there,” she said. “What I’ve gone through cannot make me accept that God exists.”

“When I was 28 years old, my husband died in an accident; within that year, five of my relatives including my father and grandfather died. 

I thought it was the end. Just when I was recovering from the harrowing experiences, my father-in-law died. Last year my new husband who’s a truck driver…” she paused. I thought he died again but “he bumped an old man who died instantly.” 

The story of Joan is just one of the many instances where faith in God can be badly shaken. 
 

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When this happens, we long desperately for a sign that God is there and that Jesus is really a powerful and caring God.
 

The Lord’s glorious transfiguration was like his Resurrection. It was intended to strengthen the faith of his disciples in the days to come when he would suffer terribly, nailed to the cross and passed away (Mk 9,2-10).
 

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This brings us to the reality of faith. No matter how faithfully we live Christ’s teachings, there will be times when our faith gets badly shaken.
 

This happens, for instance, when a young spouse dies of malignant cancer, a debt-ridden problem, a worker who loses his job, a failed marriage. We cannot help worrying to the point of not believing in God. 

But where do we go when such tragedies happen but to Him? As St. Peter said: “Lord, to whom do we go? You have the words of eternal life and we have come to believe that you are the Messiah.” 
 

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Such was the faith of Abraham (in the first reading). Abraham’s faith faltered when God was asking him to sacrifice his son, Isaac. It was not only a painful command but also “absurd” because Isaac was his only son and God promised Abraham that he would be the “father of all nations.”

But Abraham obeyed with a heavy heart even though he could not understand. For his unwavering obedience, God changed his order and blessed him far beyond his wildest imagination.
 

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As the Apostle James puts it: “Happy is the person who remains faithful under trials, because when he succeeds in passing such a test, he will receive as his reward the life which God has promised to those who love him” (James 1,12).
 

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Faith. A patient, who was being wheeled into the operating room, pleaded with the young doctor: “Doc, ple…please be gentle with me; this…this is my first time to be operated on!”
The surgeon glanced at her and blurted out: “Don’t worry, madam, this…this is also my first time to do an operation!” (Dunno if the patient survived from fright!).

Lesson: Entrusting ourselves in the hands of a greenhorn doctor is faith. Spiritual faith is trusting in Jesus who said, “Don’t worry. Have faith in me; have faith in my Father.”
 

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