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FINDING FAITH AND COURAGE IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD TIMES - stephenkhoo - 12-14-2011 08:32 AM
Scripture Reflections
Wednesday, 14 December, 2011, 3rd Week of Advent
FINDING FAITH AND COURAGE IN GOOD TIMES AND IN BAD TIMES
SCRIPTURE READINGS: ISAIAH 45:6-8, 18, 21-26; LUKE 7:19-23
Christmas is coming and with Christ’s coming, He will bring us hope, joy, love and peace. There is certainly a festive mood in the air. Everyone seems to be happy, laughing, and joyous. But are they? Perhaps under their apparent smiles and laughter is a heart that is filled with deep sadness or disappointment or pain.
What do we do when we feel that the promises of Christ at Christmas seem to be too farfetched? The truth is that we are still trying to live with our difficult spouse who is giving us so much stress; or our in-laws who do not like us very much; or a colleague who is always trying to undermine our achievements; or a boss who is always feeling so threatened by our work. When we find that we are not making progress in our spiritual growth or personal life, or still unable to resolve our financial debts, it is very difficult to believe that God loves us and that He is our hope and joy. It is as if He has abandoned us, or could not be bothered with us. Sometimes, the people we have great faith in leading us out of our problems, our friends, leaders and even the Church seem to betray us. Instead of solving our problems, they become the problem!
Such powerlessness in the face of evil and sin cannot but make us give up hope not only in ourselves but in God and our fellowmen. We cannot help but think that evil has the upper hand and that even good men and women succumb to the influence of evil. Instead of fighting against evil and exposing falsehood, they cover up and are even in cohort with evil, knowingly or unknowingly. How could evil be so strong that no one seems to be able to bring justice and truth, especially those who have the authority or the influence? In such a predicament, how can not conclude that God is dead, that Jesus is history?
Of course, if you are now having a good life; you are enjoying your work; you had a promotion and a rise in salary; your children are all doing well in school; your business is still growing in spite of the economic slowdown; you are in the pink of health; you have a beautiful and loving spouse or confidante, etc, it is certainly easy to praise God and say how wonderful He is, how wondrous is His mercy and goodness. When things are on your side, who would not be able to praise God?
Regardless whether we are in poverty or prosperity, in joy or in sorrow, God wants to assure us that He is in charge of both. He is in control, regardless whether we think the world is going the wrong way or whether we think things are going our way! He said, “Apart from me, all is nothing. I am the Lord, unrivalled, I form the light and create the dark. I make good fortune and create calamity, it is I, the Lord, who do all this.” If ever we are tempted to think otherwise, God reminds us that He is the “creator of the heavens …who formed the earth and made it, who set it firm, created it no chaos, but a place to be lived in.” We must have faith and trust in Him who knows what He is doing.
This was what happened to John the Baptist in today’s gospel. He was having doubts about Jesus as the Messiah. All his life, he knew that his work was to be the precursor of the Messiah. He also knew his end was near because his preaching was unnerving those in authority, especially King Herod and the nobles who were not faithful to the laws. At the same time, he wanted to be sure that he had accomplished his work before he left. He had heard about Jesus’ works and activities and he was unsettled. Jesus appeared to be an enigmatic person. He was perceived to be a drunkard, one who loved to enjoy life! On the other hand, He seemed to be doing wonderful works for the people and for God. So he was left wondering if Jesus really is the Messiah or “must we wait for someone else?” (Lk 7:20)
What was the reply Jesus gave? “Go back and tell John what you have seen and heard; the blind see again, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, the Good News is proclaimed to the poor.” Jesus’ did not simply give a “yes” or a “no” answer. Instead He told the disciples to let John the Baptist know the works He has been doing. Of course, the restoration of life and the overcoming of the evil spirits are considered to be messianic works. For John the Baptist, he too had to submit in faith that the apparent contradictions he was experiencing in his own life should not make him lose faith in God. He knew he would suffer martyrdom soon because of the many enemies he had created by his prophetic preaching of the Word of God. But should he be discouraged even though he did not receive the liberation that Jesus proclaimed and did for others? He too must learn to trust in God that He is the Lord. Indeed, Jesus remarked, “Wisdom is vindicated by all her children!” (Lk 7:35)
The truth is that we might never be able to understand the wisdom of God and the apparent contradictions in our lives. Just when we think that all is lost, then God comes to surprise us. Just when we think that we are at the end of our rope, there God appears at the end of that dark tunnel. Yes, it is impossible to know the mind of God. He who is both light and darkness comes as our strength and our weakness. He comes to us in times of sorrow and joy; in failure and success; in health and in sickness; in poverty and in prosperity; in discouragement and in hope. He comes to us at every moment of our lives.
Truly at such times, we must surrender our limited understanding of life and the universe to God’s wisdom and power. “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance?” (Isa 40:12) Indeed, Amos declares with great confidence, “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind, and reveals his thoughts to man, he who turns dawn to darkness, and treads the high places of the earth – the Lord God Almighty is his name. (Amos 4:13)
Today, we are privileged as St Paul said, “For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Cor 2;16) Yes, we have the mind to understand all these more than John the Baptist. He did not witness Christ’s passion and resurrection but we have the privilege of being His witnesses. We continue to see Him performing miracles before our very eyes today. We can have that confidence that God is faithful and He will be true to His promises even if we are facing difficult times or unable to get out of the straits we are in, whether in terms of slavery to our sins, addictions, failed relationships or our misery. When we put on the mind of Christ, that is, when we reflect on the life of Christ, His birth, His life, His passion, death and resurrection, we are amazed at how God works in our history. When all, including His very own disciples, thought that Jesus was a failure in His mission, God, who miraculously allowed His Son to incarnate Himself in the Baby Jesus, now raises Him to life in the resurrection. Indeed, as Jesus said, “happy is the man who does not lose faith in me.”
So today if we are losing confidence and hope that things can be better, then we only need to be patient and wait for God to act. Let us cling to His promise since He has vouched thus, “I am the Lord, unrivalled, there is no other god besides me, a God of integrity and a saviour; there is none apart from me. Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God unrivalled. By my own self I swear it; what comes from my mouth is truth, a word irrevocable; before me every knee shall bend, by me every tongue shall swear, saying, ‘From the Lord alone come victory and strength.’ To him shall come, ashamed, all who raged against him.” Let us not lose faith. Like the psalmist, we continue to storm heaven and pray, “Let the clouds rain down the Just One, and the earth bring forth a Savior. I will hear what God proclaims; the Lord – for he proclaims peace to his people. Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him, glory dwelling in our land.”
Truly, we show ourselves to be people of faith, not just in good times or when we are happy. We can be said to be people of faith only when we are at perfect peace, whether in good or bad times, in suffering or in joy; in failure or in success. We know that we are not in control but that God is. Instead of trying to make God do our will, let us surrender our will to Him, live a righteous life according to the truth, and God in His own time will vindicate us as He vindicated Jesus at the resurrection. So our hope in Christ’s coming and all His promises are substantiated and real. We are not living in false hope, but Advent is a certain hope based on Christ’s coming in the flesh. Christ will win the victory for us! “Victorious and glorious through the Lord shall be all the descendants of Israel.”