Trust God And Live

𝐉𝐀𝐍. 𝟑𝟏, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔: 𝐌𝐄𝐌𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐓. 𝐉𝐎𝐇𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐒𝐂𝐎, 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬𝐭    

𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐈: 𝟐 𝐒𝐚𝐦 𝟏𝟐:𝟏-𝟕, 𝟏𝟎-𝟏𝟕   

𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐏𝐬𝐚𝐥𝐦: 𝐏𝐬𝐚 𝟓𝟏:𝟏𝟐-𝟏𝟕 "𝐂𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐦𝐞 𝐚 𝐜𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭, 𝐎 𝐆𝐨𝐝."   𝐆𝐎𝐒𝐏𝐄𝐋: 𝐌𝐤 𝟒:𝟑𝟓-𝟒𝟏   

𝐊𝐞𝐲 𝐕𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐞: "𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭! 𝐁𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥! (𝐯.𝟑𝟗)

          I once lived a life where I couldn't care less about what happens to others. Sure, I took care of my family but my strong desire to go after the material turned me into an obnoxious and arrogant person.

          Despite the rewards I really wasn't exactly happy anymore. Soon I was confronted with the fact that I no longer knew who I really was and realized I didn't have the power to even reorient my own life.

          I needed someone who is more powerful than I am. Someone who knows me inside out. Someone who created me. Jesus came into my life through the Life in the Spirit Seminar I attended with my spouse, and I could hear him saying in very clear terms “𝑸𝒖𝒊𝒆𝒕! 𝑩𝒆 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍!”

         Then just as he spoke these words, the winds of frustration, uncertainty and despair died down, and I found myself completely calm. I could also hear Jesus asking “𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅? 𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉?”         

         What I am saying here is that we may feel we have everything. That we are in control of things in our lives - family, fortunes - and at times even our own future. But that isn't the case. At some point we will come to grips with the fact that there are storms that we cannot face, and we need someone who can command these storms to be quiet and be still.

        There will always be storms in our lives. We cannot escape from them. And just as we were going through our lives serving Our Lord in whatever way we could, my Spouse Malou once again suffered her most serious stroke that left her paralyzed on the left side and had become speechless. For me it was not only just a storm, but it was also a tsunami of sorts that left me devastated.

         I had to draw deep on my faith in God to find meaning in what has been happening in our life. Besides God, Malou was my anchor as she kept me grounded and she was my rudder who always guided me when my temper gets the better of me. During this time of trial, I came to realize that prayers aren’t always answered in the way we hope for and there is always a reason for these storms in our lives.          

         In our Gospel reading today, there are two verses that we should reflect upon because this is what this gospel reading is all about: 𝐌𝐤 𝟒:𝟑𝟗-𝟒𝟎 "𝐐𝐮𝐢𝐞𝐭! 𝐁𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐥!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “𝑾𝒉𝒚 𝒂𝒓𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒐 𝒂𝒇𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒅? 𝑫𝒐 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒏𝒐 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉?”         

I also beg the indulgence of those engaged in counseling in schools or elsewhere amidst the terrifying suicidal tendencies of many of the youths today. For reasons we aren't privy to, it seems that temporal or secular counselling has failed to address the emotional needs of the youth today who must grapple not only with peer pressure but the feeling they have been abandoned and are left on their own to face the world.

         What do these two verses in today's Gospel reading tell us. Simply put, Jesus has shown his might and immense power and authority to calm the storm in the lake that terrified his disciples who have been with him for some time.

         It simply means that we cannot and we don't have the power to take control of the storms we face in our lives. Storms are problems, difficulties and struggles we face in life, and these are problems that don't get away even in the course of time.

         These could be personal, family or work-related. Problems or storms are things that disrupt our ability to live a normal life. It could be our addiction to drugs and alcohol that transform us into the exact opposite of who we truly are. Failed family relationships are caused by innumerable reasons but primarily due to indiscretion. Sibling rivalry. Identity crisis. Financial burdens and indebtedness. The list can go on and on. Temporal counselling may be of help but at times its success rate is far and few between.

         To me, the sure-fire solution to getting hold of ourselves and getting back on track is to open our lives to let someone who has conquered the world to come in and take possession of our situation.

         As Christians, we are not exempt from storms that come and being disciples of Jesus is not an assurance we will be protected from these storms that batter our lives. However, it is good to know that there are four ways by which Jesus can help us deal with the storms that we face.

𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒕𝒉. Our Lord teaches that fear is a sign of lack of faith and to overcome fear when these life storms come, we need to grow in faith. We need to believe that through faith God will protect us if it be His will and that he will deliver us to His heavenly Kingdom even if we die.

𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒅. Which is why we need to dwell on His Words and meditate on it as what the Psalmist said: “𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐎𝐑𝐃, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐨𝐧 𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐥𝐚𝐰 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭.” 𝑷𝒔𝒂 1:2 Jesus also wants us to lay up treasures in heaven rather than on earth (Matt 6:19) and to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness (Matt 6:31).

𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝒑𝒓𝒂𝒚𝒆𝒓. Jesus is the key to receiving mercy and grace in times of need and when we find ourselves during a storm, Jesus offers peace to guard our hearts and minds to help us get through the storm (Phi 4:6-7).

𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒉𝒆𝒍𝒑𝒔 𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒈𝒉 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒔𝒂𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒆. As I have shared in our WSC last Thursday evening, the greatest storm we will face will be the Day of Judgment. This is the day when we will all stand before the judgment seat before our God. But believe and have faith that Jesus Christ has already spared us from eternal damnation when He shed His blood on the Cross. Salvation is free but discipleship costs.

Which is why in this life we live; it is imperative that we obey the Gospel and clothe ourselves with His righteousness. And in Mk 16:15-16, we are commanded to go out and spread the Gospel so that whoever believes and is baptized will be saved and, whoever does not believe will be condemned.

This Gospel passage is also about having the kind of faith that can surpass all forms of fear. Today, I am fearful of what the coming days will bring. My spouse Malou who has been my rudder is gone now and I feel lost in this maze of life. God has been good to us in all these 37 years that we have been serving Him through our renewal community and in parishes and organizations who invite us when Malou was still around and I just have to trust and believe in God whom I know will be with me every step of the way.

I clearly remember the time when the BLD Manila District gave me a plaque of recognition for the 35 years of service to Our Lord through the Community. Many times, I have wanted to leave and spend the remaining days of my life in retirement. I made plans to visit the places that Malou and I have been to in the past. But I cannot turn away from the link that connects me to God, and I know that Malou would want me to continue serving our Lord till the end of age. (𝘌𝘥 𝘔𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘺 – 𝘑𝘢𝘯. 31, 2026)