[stephenkhoo]

STEPPING OUT IN FAITH
SCRIPTURE READINGS: JER 30:1-2. 12-15. 18-22; MT 14:22-36 (ALT MT 15:1-2, 10-14)
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All of us have at some stage in our lives felt so hopeless that we thought we would never be able to come out of our crisis, be it a financial bankruptcy, a failure in our studies, a mistake in our career, an infidelity in our marriage, an incurable disease or a threatened pregnancy. Today, Europe is going through a serious financial crisis, and society seems to be at the brink of self-destruction due to a loss of moral values and respect for the institution of marriage and family life. When we look at the world situation, we cannot but feel worried for the future of our children and our children’s children.


This was the situation of Jeremiah in today’s first reading. In spite of his numerous and heartfelt appeal to his countrymen to repent and turn back to God, they refused to listen to him or to the prophets that God sent to them. As a consequence, the Northern Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians and the Kingdom was in total ruins. Yet, Jeremiah never gave up hope for his people. Subsequently, when the Assyrian Empire was collapsing and disintegrating, Jeremiah was filled with new hope that he wrote, “Now I will restore the tents of Jacob, and take pity on his dwellings: the city shall be rebuilt on its ruins, the citadel restored on its site.” In truth, this hope for the Northern tribes to return never took place. The sanctuaries of Samaria, Shiloh or Bethel were not restored. Yet Jeremiah never gave up hope, as this message was meant later for the Israelites who were exiled in Babylon.


These words, which were placed in the Book of Consolation, invite the people to look beyond their present woes and tragedy towards the future restoration. Jeremiah did not allow the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Babylonians to deter him from keeping faith in the power of God to heal and to transform. He assured the people that God would eventually restore the kingdom to its former glory. In the same way too, St Peter was asked to see beyond himself and look to Jesus instead when he was struggling in the waters. So long as we focus on our woes and troubles, we will only become nervous, anxious and fall into despair. What we need to do to is look beyond our struggles in life to a future that is still open. Indeed, even when everyone tells us to give up hope, we must persist in clinging to whatever glimpses of hope that are given to us. This is what the scripture readings encourage us to do. We must continue to hope for a better future. For those who refuse to give up hope, they are often richly rewarded. It is hope for a better future that gives us the will to live meaningfully in life.


But how can we find hope in apparently hopeless situations in life? We ask: can things ever change? Can my relationship with my spouse ever be repaired and healed? Will I be able to start my life all over again after losing my dignity, reputation and credibility? Will I ever be able to find a job after being imprisoned for some criminal offence? Can I ever live a normal life again now that I have been diagnosed with cancer or have one of my organs removed from my body? Indeed, the future looks hopeless and grim. Humanly speaking, it seems impossible. This was the feeling of the disciples when they were battling the treacherous storm in the sea. It was as if their boat was sinking and they could be drowned. Yes, we must hope, but how can our hope be sustained when immense sorrow or tragedy strikes us? Beyond the doom, there is revival and restoration.


In the first place, when we keep our eyes on Jesus, like St Peter, we will come to realize that the storms of life need not destroy us. Often, such storms teach us to be humble and to depend on God. As in the suffering of Jesus on the cross, when it seemed like He was a total failure in His mission, in surrendering His Spirit, God took over! His death teaches us that beyond death, there is life. Only when we are ready to surrender ourselves to the Lord, will He show us that He is the Lord of our lives. The Israelites until then had been proud and arrogant. They were disobedient to the Lord, relying only on their own strength, horses and military might. By losing everything they had, and having only God to rely on, the Lord showed them that restoration is not the work of man but by the gracious power of God.


Secondly, the misfortunes of life can make us bitter or better persons. Quite often, God allows us to go through the dark night of life so that our faith becomes stronger and purified as well. In such difficult times, when we are challenged to come to a conclusion that God does not exist because He does not seem to care, we can with faith choose the way of faith in entrusting our lives to God. Instead of being resentful with God for taking away our status quo or our loved ones, we can resolve to do the right thing and act courageously by trusting in His fidelity and His vindication for us. Let us humbly recognize and accept that the sufferings we are going through are not so much God’s punishment or revenge on us but merely the consequences of what we sow in life.


Indeed, the real turbulence of life is not what is outside of us but what is inside of us. What can calm the storm of life is our faith. Many of us are destroyed by the trials of life because there is much disquiet, unhappiness, anger and fear within us. But a man who has inner peace has an inner strength that can withstand anything that happens outside his house. If Judah was destroyed by the Babylonians, it was because the soul of the nation was sick and proud. Divided within, they could not withstand the enemies from without. Peace must come from within before we can find peace without. Like the disciples, because of a troubled soul, we see ghosts around us and this puts fear into our lives. What are the ghosts of our sinful life that continue to haunt us in our dreams and in our unconscious, making us fearful of people and the future?


Of course, making an act of faith in Jesus is not easy during such times. Many of us are like Peter. We initially make an act of faith in Him. But along the way, when the winds get stronger, we become frightened and lose our grip on life. Peter who took the courage to step out in faith to walk towards Jesus “took fright and began to sink” when “he felt the force of the wind.” We too can expect ourselves to struggle between belief and unbelief in the journey of faith. Growing in faith in Christ is not something that happens overnight. Each one of us would waver in our faith even when we want to trust in the Lord. But the Lord is understanding and tolerant. He knows that we are men of little faith and we do doubt. So let us not condemn ourselves when we lack faith at times in the Lord. It is all right, as Peter did, to lose faith in Him. God knows that we will need time to grow and strengthen our faith in Him. No one becomes a saint without first falling and then getting up and trying again. This is so true of Peter. If his faith in Jesus was able to grow till he was able to even die for Him, it was because of his repeated failure in love for Jesus and Jesus’ forgiveness that made him realize the depth of God’s love for him. Every failure helped Peter to grow in confidence of Jesus’ faithful and forgiving love for him. Each failure was the means by which he grew in faith.


The faith that we must arrive at is our faith in Jesus as the Son of God. If we believe that Jesus is the Son of God, then everything will be secure. As the gospel says, “And as they got into the boat the wind dropped. The men in the boat bowed down before him and said, ‘Truly, you are the Son of God.’” Knowing that Jesus is our savior and we are God’s children and His beloved will give us the confidence that nothing can overwhelm us, not even death. Like the Israelites and Jesus Himself, we must allow God to choose His way and timing to save us and manifest His glory and power.


At any rate, what we must never do in such trying times is to depend on ourselves and give up on God completely. When our doubts and fears cause us to sink, then like Peter, in all sincerity, we must cry out all the more to the Lord, “Save me!” Instead of fixing our eyes on the storm, let us turn our eyes to the Lord so that the ghost of misfortunes and troubles will gradually vanish from us. Our trials in life are transient and they never last for long. In such times, we must plead with the Lord to save us. Placing our entire life in Him and His presence, we will find peace and calm amidst the storm. And even if we deserve the devastating consequences of our sinful actions, the Lord is ready to bring us back the moment we repent and return to Him. Through our desolation, the Lord brings His consolation.


With the faith of the psalmist we pray, “The Lord will build up Zion again, and appear in all his glory. The nations shall revere your name, O Lord, and all the kings of the earth your glory, When the Lord has rebuilt Zion and appeared in his glory; when he has regarded the prayer of the destitute, and not despised their prayer.” With this faith, we can step out from our false security and the threats of the world. With this faith, we will have the fortitude to turn the tide of worldly values and destructive trends of society. By standing up for Jesus in faith in this darkened world and getting ourselves wet in troubled waters and calling upon the name of Jesus, we can be assured of His presence and divine assistance. We might fail at times and fall from grace, but He is there each time to lift us up. In Jesus, we will always have hope, a certain hope.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh