20210130 OVERCOMING FEAR IN THE MIDST OF THE STORMS OF LIFE
30 January, 2021, Saturday, 3rd Week, Ordinary Time
First reading |
Hebrews 11:1-2,8-19 © |
Abraham looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God
Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen. It was for faith that our ancestors were commended.
It was by faith that Abraham obeyed the call to set out for a country that was the inheritance given to him and his descendants, and that he set out without knowing where he was going. By faith he arrived, as a foreigner, in the Promised Land, and lived there as if in a strange country, with Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. They lived there in tents while he looked forward to a city founded, designed and built by God.
It was equally by faith that Sarah, in spite of being past the age, was made able to conceive, because she believed that he who had made the promise would be faithful to it. Because of this, there came from one man, and one who was already as good as dead himself, more descendants than could be counted, as many as the stars of heaven or the grains of sand on the seashore.
All these died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth. People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.
It was by faith that Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac. He offered to sacrifice his only son even though the promises had been made to him and he had been told: It is through Isaac that your name will be carried on. He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given back Isaac from the dead.
Responsorial Psalm | Luke 1:69-75 © |
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He has raised up for us a mighty saviour
in the house of David his servant,
as he promised by the lips of holy men,
those who were his prophets from of old.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
A saviour who would free us from our foes,
from the hands of all who hate us.
So his love for our fathers is fulfilled
and his holy covenant remembered.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
He swore to Abraham our father
to grant us that free from fear,
and saved from the hands of our foes,
we might serve him in holiness and justice
all the days of our life in his presence.
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel! He has visited his people and redeemed them.
Gospel Acclamation | cf.Ps26:11 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
Instruct me, Lord, in your way;
on an even path lead me.
Alleluia!
Or: | Jn3:16 |
Alleluia, alleluia!
God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son:
everyone who believes in him has eternal life.
Alleluia!
Gospel | Mark 4:35-41 © |
'Even the wind and the sea obey him'
With the coming of evening, Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Let us cross over to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind they took him, just as he was, in the boat; and there were other boats with him. Then it began to blow a gale and the waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped. But he was in the stern, his head on the cushion, asleep. They woke him and said to him, ‘Master, do you not care? We are going down!’ And he woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you so frightened? How is it that you have no faith?’ They were filled with awe and said to one another, ‘Who can this be? Even the wind and the sea obey him.’
OVERCOMING FEAR IN THE MIDST OF THE STORMS OF LIFE
SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ HEB 11:1-2,8-19; LUKE 1:69-75; MARK 4:35-41 ]
It is natural for us to be fearful when we are under threat, and especially when our reputation or physical life is in danger. So, we can appreciate how frightened the disciples were when the “gale and waves were breaking into the boat so that it was almost swamped.” Even though some might have been fishermen, perhaps some were not good swimmers. We too would be terrified siting in a boat being tossed up and down by the waves. So in their fear they woke the Lord who was sleeping soundly “in the stern, his head on the cushion.” They cried out to the Lord, “Master, do you not care? We are going down!” Isn’t that how we feel every time we are in deep trouble, perhaps suffering from a severe illness, terminal disease, financial difficulties, betrayal, an injustice or a failed relationship? Where is God in the midst of all these?
Today, we are asked to place our trust in God who cares for us more than we think He does. Jesus might have appeared to be sleeping in the boat but He was aware that the storm would not overcome them. He had complete confidence in His Father and that was why He did not panic. He knew that His Father was in charge and in control. So when He was awakened, He “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet now! Be calm!’ And the wind dropped, and all was calm again.” It is significant that Jesus commanded the sea the way He commanded the evil spirit to be quiet. This was because the ancient people believed that evil monsters, such as Leviathan, lived in the sea and was responsible for such natural disasters. The sea embodied what was evil in the bible.
But this faith must go beyond trusting in God to perform miracles in our lives. Otherwise, our faith in God will remain infantile. Indeed, many people come to God only when they need their prayers to be answered, especially temporal favours, such as healing from sickness, help for financial difficulties or when taking exams or for success in their projects. God becomes a dispensing machine for all our favours. We become inward-looking and earthly. Yet, as the letter of Hebrews tells us, our homeland is not on this earth. Like the Fathers of Israel, they all “died in faith, before receiving any of the things that had been promised.” The promises of a land where they could be settled comfortably was never realized in their time.
“All these, but they saw them in the far distance and welcomed them, recognising that they were only strangers and nomads on earth.” Indeed, we are strangers and nomads on this earth. We are all passing through like the nomads in the desert, searching for a better homeland. No matter what we have in this world, we remain strangers because we are just in sojourn, a temporary resident for a while. Eighty or even a hundred years of life compared to eternity is but a split second. That was why when the Fathers of Israel moved out of their country, such as Abraham from the rich and developed city of Ur in Chaldea, they never returned back to their homeland. As the letter to the Hebrews said, “People who use such terms about themselves make it quite plain that they are in search of their real homeland. They can hardly have meant the country they came from, since they had the opportunity to go back to it; but in fact they were longing for a better homeland, their heavenly homeland.”
Faith ultimately is our hope to be with God. Only God can give us real and lasting happiness. This is our real hope in life. This is what faith does for us. If our hope is just for this life, we are a most pitiable people. (1 Cor 15:9) This is where God is all in all. (1 Cor 15:28) Our eternal resting place is to be with God. Hence, the author wrote, “That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, since he has founded the city for them.”
This hope is certain. This is why certainty is one of the qualities of faith. “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.” Faith is to be sure that what we hope for, even if we cannot see clearly now with our eyes, will be given to us. It is because of our confidence in what we hope for in Christ, that gives us power over sin and makes us loving towards our neighbours.
This is what the first reading wants to underscore. A firm faith and confidence in the hope before us is seen in our love for our brothers and sisters. As St James says, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” (Jms 2:17) The author in this chapter did what St James did, by demonstrating the effects of faith as seen in the actions of those who had faith in God, such as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and other Israelite heroes. Abraham believed in God at every moment of his journey. It began with a call to leave his country and culminated in his obedience to God when he was asked to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. He submitted in faith and in obedience to God’s voice. Even though he did not see the promises which were still far off, in faith, he trusted that God would be faithful. This hope of “a city founded, designed and built by God” was only realized in Christ thousands of years later. Even though he could not see his descendants like sand on the seashore, yet through Isaac his name would live. The author remarked, “He was confident that God had the power even to raise the dead; and so, figuratively speaking, he was given Isaac back from the dead.” Through Christ, the Church becomes the new People of Israel and we live forever through His death and resurrection. With faith, fear of death is overcome.
Faith makes us act differently because we no longer live for this world, for ourselves, for this life only, but for God and for others and for the next life. This is why the world does not understand why we sacrifice our lives, our pleasure, our time and our resources for others. With faith, we will do the impossible, even to suffer unjustly like our Lord in the hands of our enemies. Indeed, St Peter wrote, “an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.” (cf 1 Pt 1:3-9) Similarly too, when we have faith in someone, we bring out the best in that person. Many of us have much latent potentials in us, but because we do not have faith in ourselves, others consequently have no faith in us either. When we have faith in God and in ourselves, we can do great wonders for God and for humanity.
How, then, can we acquire this kind of faith that enables us to overcome all fears and trials in life? We need to learn from the example of Abel, Enoch and Noah. Their faith is described in the missing lines of today’s first reading, verses 3-7. Abel taught us to be patient for God to vindicate us. His righteous faith made it possible for him to continue to speak even though he died. (Heb 11:4; cf Gn 4:10) But his blood must also be linked to Christ’s blood shed for us. Whilst Abel’s blood cried out for vindication, Jesus’ blood offered us forgiveness. His faith was one of trust and acceptance of whatever happened, just like Jesus who surrendered justice to the Father. God is faithful and will justify us. Abel’s faith, like that of Jesus, was a trusting and waiting faith. From Enoch, we learn that faith grows in intimacy when we walk with the Lord. Enoch, because of faith, turned away from sin and godlessness when he was warned by the Lord. (cf Gn 6:5) As a consequence, “by faith Enoch was taken so that he did not experience death; and ‘he was not found, because God had taken him.’ For it was attested before he was taken away that ‘he had pleased God.'” (Heb 11:5)
Finally, from Noah, we learn to persevere in our faith. His faith enabled him to see the coming of the Flood that would destroy humanity. “By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark to save his household; by this he condemned the world and became an heir to the righteousness that is in accordance with faith.” It was unimaginable for anyone to believe him at that time. He would have been mocked at for building a ship a hundred miles from the nearest sea. He trusted in God against all odds.
This is why Hebrews concludes, “without faith it is impossible to please God, for whoever would approach him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Heb 11:6) Indeed, anyone who believes in God would be saved. Hence, even those who have not yet heard of the gospel, could also be saved so long as they believe in God. This was the case of those who came before our Lord and all those who still have not yet come to know Jesus as well. Whilst faith can be stimulated through reason and the study of nature and science can lead us to believe in God’s existence, (cf Rom 1:19f; Ps 8, 19), ultimately, the wisdom of the world cannot find Him unless God reveals Himself. (1 Cor 1:21) But once we begin with a belief in God, He will grant us the grace to find Him eventually in Christ. (Acts 4:12)
Written by The Most Rev William Goh, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved.
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