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| Rev. Fr. Augustine Vallooran V.C. |
We are placed on
this earth that our lives may be a blessing to those around us. Through our
lives and our words, we bless others. Words reveal what is held in the heart.
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil
man out of his evil treasure produces evil; for out of the abundance of the
heart his mouth speaks.” (Luke 6:45) If
there is deep faith in our hearts, we will make a great and welcome difference
in the lives of those who are suffering. When we cling to faith, we will be
used by God to fulfill His mission of spreading the light of hope to this
world.
“Utter What Is Precious, And Not What Is Worthless” (Jeremiah 15:19)
The Gospel of
Luke gives a rather elaborate description of the events leading up to the birth
of Jesus, for there is plenty of significance when it is reflected on in the
light of God’s wisdom. One such important passage is the visitation of the
archangel to Zechariah who was to be the father of the Baptist. Angel Gabriel
announces to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer is heard, and
your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And
you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.” (Luke 1:
13-14) What the angel declares is in
fact good news – a prayer that is granted and a baby to be born. However, Zechariah
responds with apprehension saying, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man,
and my wife is advanced in years.” The angel then declares, "I am Gabriel,
who stands in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring
you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until
the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words,
which will be fulfilled in their time.” (Luke 1:18-20)
Zechariah was a
priest, chosen to serve God in the temple. He was childless for his wife was
barren. The Jews of the time understood this to be a curse from God, to be
married and not have children. His life as it appeared was woeful.
Nevertheless, he persisted in praying to the Lord and it was in his old age
that God’s benevolence was manifested. The angel of God conveyed to him the
great news of the long awaited blessing of a child to be born. Zechariah who
all along was praying about this great blessing was now askance at the
declaration of the angel of God. He could not believe what he heard since his
wife and he were rather advanced in age. Unable to trust the Word of God, He
instead sought a proof from God for confirmation. He was a man of reasoning and
in the face of reason, his faith in God faltered. Though he was a priest
serving God all the time, his sense of reasoning failed to acknowledge the
Power and Might of God. He could not comprehend how God could work the
impossible. Because of his unbelief, the angel of God told him that he would
become dumb and remain so until the birth of his son.
One could
conclude easily that Zechariah was being punished. On the contrary, if we look
closer we would realize that God in His Goodness and Infinite Wisdom prevented
Zechariah from talking for his own sake. Zechariah did not really believe God’s
message. Every time he would speak about his experience of the heavenly
visitation, he would express his misgivings about the angel and the Word of
God. In the process, he would be going against God by discrediting His Word.
Zechariah’s speech would affect the faith of those around him and he himself
would grow depressed. Though what he received was the good news of a blessing,
he would become the bearer of bad news. This would undermine the blessings God
was bestowing on him and others through him. Therefore, it was clearly better
for him to remain dumb until the fulfillment of the promise with the birth of
his child.
“How Beautiful Are The Feet Of Him Who Brings Good Tidings” (Isaiah 52:7)
In life, many
things can go wrong. We get sad when things do not happen the way we want it
to. We are angry when others step on our toes. We are desperate when our plans
do not materialize. We are frustrated and upset when we are unable to control
and maneouvre things our way. When we do not see anything good ahead for us, we
lose hope instantly. The Word of God instructs us how to face such struggles in
life.
Sufferings and
setbacks are indeed the moments when God is waiting to enter into our lives and
become part of our struggles. Jesus says, “Behold I stand at the door and
knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and
dine with him, and he with me.” (Revelations 3:20) A moment of struggle can awaken us to the
faithful love of God that waits to redeem us. However, we need to open the door
of our heart to let Him in. “Dining with the Lord” is a symbol of celebration
in the Bible. The Lord is waiting to enter into the difficult moments of our
lives to turn them all into a celebration. What is required here is a faith
with which we open the door for Him who waits for us to let Him in. This is
indeed genuine faith: to let go of our life into the hands of God for Him to
take charge. When we are challenged we can stubbornly cling on to the problems
of our life imagining that we are the masters of our destiny. It is in such
moments that we make too many mistakes. On the other, we have the great
opportunity to leave our life in the Hands of God. As servants and handmaids of
God, we wait upon Him to listen to His Voice and to do His Will. This is when
we are united with His Will and God’s magnificent Grace flows into all
situations turning everything to our good. As St. Paul assures us, “We know
that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called
according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)
We need to experience and understand how God is leading me by the hand
changing my sadness to joy. “Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in
all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1
Thessalonians 5:16-18) This is when we
become the bearers of good news at all times as we have been assured that God
is working in our lives. When we realize and acknowledge this in our lives then
we will bring healing and hope to other weary and wounded souls with the
message of our words.
A story is told
of the time when the St. Peter’s Basilica was being constructed at the Vatican.
Many people were working around the place, mixing sand, breaking stones and
doing all the preliminary work usual to construction. A Cardinal was taking his
evening stroll. He went to a woman worker and asked her how the work was
progressing. She was in a grumpy mood and grumbled to the Cardinal, “I’m
breaking stones all the day long. It is a very hard job. The sun is blazing.
Work seems endless. I’m tired and fed up of doing this.” The Cardinal after
listening to her proceeded to the other side of the construction site. He saw
another woman breaking stones and enquired of her how the work was. Excitedly
she said, “Your Eminence I am building the cathedral. I thank God for this
great work that is happening and that I am a part of it.” With great joy on her
face she was sharing her vision of how gloriously the cathedral would stand and
how many nations would come and stand in awe at the masterpiece that was being
moulded. Both the women were doing the same job. However, the first woman was
getting broken while breaking the stones. The hardness of the job quenched her
spirit. Therefore, she was tired of the job and had nothing good to say.
Whenever she spoke, those who listening to her would become demoralized. The
other woman was doing the same hard job but she was excited about it because
she had opened her eyes to take count of God’s Presence and the vision of the
Church to inspire her. This option strengthened her for the task. Her words
effectively conveyed the good news of God’s Presence even in the midst of an
unfavourable situation.
“He Comes With Good Tidings” (2 Samuel 18:27)
It is good to
introspect on this important aspect of our faith. Do we really believe in God,
particularly when things go wrong? The gospels describe a faith crisis that the
disciples of Jesus faced when everything went against their calculations. Two disciples
of Jesus, Cleophas and his companion were on their way to Emmaus. They were
greatly discouraged and in fact had slipped into despair. Their entire
conversation was about the tragic events surrounding the Arrest, Condemnation,
and Crucifixion of Jesus. All their hopes were ended with the death of Jesus
All that Jesus had spoken to them seemed meaningless now. They could not see
God anywhere in what had passed. They had abandoned the community in Jerusalem
and were heading back to their former life and their hometown.
In that moment
of utter hopelessness, the Risen Lord joined them in their walk. Listening to
their woes, He spoke to them words of comfort and hope. He explained to them
the Promise of Scriptures that through the Crucifixion of Jesus, God was
working the ultimate salvation for all humankind. “Was it not necessary that
the Christ should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” (Luke
24:25-26) At that instant, they
experienced hope stirring in their hearts. Their faith was renewed and they
began to believe in the goodness of God and His infinite love for humankind.
Later they would recount, “Did not our hearts burn within us while He talked to
us on the road, while He opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24: 32) When faith and hope entered their hearts, it
dispelled the darkness from their mind and heart.
In our families,
elders can speak hope into every situation, however adverse, only when there is
faith in the Goodness of God. When something upsetting or stressful happens,
one can react to the situation with anger, frustration, sadness, or a similar
negative emotion. But the one who believes in God will continue to cling to
hope in God, confident that He will see them through it and no matter what
happens He will work out everything for their best. A person who has deep
genuine faith and firm trust in God will always speak words of hope. Whoever we
are, whatever may be our profession, if we identify ourselves as disciples of
Jesus, we are vested with the responsibility to always speak the Good News. We
are meant to be prophets who declare the hope in a God who is good and who
turns everything for the good.
“The Almighty Has Done Great Things For Me” (Luke 1:49)
Mother Mary is
exemplary in her marvelous response to the call of faith. The angel of God
greeted Mary and told her that she would bear the Son of God. She was perplexed
wondering how it could all come about. When the angel explained her that it
would be through the Power of God, she humbly submitted to God’s Will in her life
without any hesitation, “Let it be to me according to your word.” (Luke
1:38) This was possible because she
implicitly believed and trusted in the Goodness of God. Following this, when
she went to the house of Zechariah to minister to her cousin, Elizabeth who was
also pregnant, Mary’s very greeting filled the baby in Elizabeth’s womb with
joy. This is the effect of the words of one who believes in the Mercy and
Goodness of God, the very Power of God flows through them when they speak.
Elizabeth recognized the Power of God at work in Mary and exclaimed, “Blessed
are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be
fulfilled.” (Luke 1:45)
When one is
reconciled to every circumstance and situation in life, one can see God’s hand
at work, transforming everything for the higher purpose of salvation for all.
The degree to which one accepts and submits to the Will of God is proportionate
to the joy one experiences in His Comforting and Reassuring Presence. That is
why Mother Mary could sing with joy, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit
rejoices in God my Saviour.” (Luke 1:46-48)
“The Good News Of Faith” (I Thessalonians 3:6)
When faith is
strong, no matter what adversities arise, one will continue to be hopeful in
God - confident in a positive outcome. For this is what God is always pointing
us to, “For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for welfare
and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) When a person of faith gives expression to
his thoughts and feelings, it will always be with belief and hope in God’s
Goodness, Love, and Mercy. For what we believe in is what we will speak. The
words of such men and women will always be a blessing to others, leading others
to turn to God in times of need. This is the faith we are called to possess, a
faith that generates faith. The psalmist expresses this, “I believed therefore
have I spoken.” (Psalm 116:10) St. Paul echoes this, “Since we have the same
spirit of faith as he had who wrote, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we too
believe, and so we speak.” (2 Corinthians 4:13)
What does living
out of such faith mean? Even when friends and loved ones abandon us, the deep
conviction that God loves us and is with us, should remain embedded in our
heart. “The hour is coming, indeed it has come, when you will be scattered,
every man to his home, and will leave me alone; yet I am not alone, for the
Father is with me.” (John 16:32) Even
when all the problems around crush us and everything seems to be going wrong in
life, our confidence in God will remain unshaken because we know that “If God
is for us who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
In the adverse and painful circumstances of life, God can never leave us
alone. We will continue to trust in His Love. In such faith, we shall never be
disappointed for we shall be firmly set on the path that leads to victory.
Let Us Pray:
Lord God, we praise You for Your Unfailing
Love that will hold us up even when all else should pass away. As we meditate
on Your Goodness, we pray that our faith may be strengthened, our lives be
blessed and our words bring blessing to this world. In the moments of trial and
temptation, may your Spirit remind us to hold on to the sure hope we have in
You.
Amen.
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