The eerie and scary end of time stories in the gospel continues. The turmoil and destruction mentioned in today’s gospel bear some similarities to what has happened lately in our country. During this time of sorrow and distress, people cannot help but to ask: where is God from all of these? Or Why God allowed these things to happen? Why the innocent, poor people suffered and died and not our corrupt government officials instead? Why not the houses of the proponents of PDAF scam instead of our historical churches? These and many other heart-breaking questions disturb the thoughts of many.
But Jesus strongly advises us in the gospel to “stand
erect and lift up our heads” when these things happen. To stand is a sign of
victory. Jesus wants us to become victors. We can be victorious if we have our
firm faith in God. Faith in God is the attitude of clinging unto Him who will make
“all things new;” birth from death; new creation from destruction; unity and
charity from calamity; holiness from sinfulness. Through faith, we can survive
any trials. Nothing lasts in this world. Our savings and properties can be
easily swept away by any calamity. But what natural disasters cannot take from
us is our firm and trusting faith in God. How can we obtain such faith? Faith is
a gift from God. Like all blessings, we invoke the Lord for this gift. Pray to
God always. Prayer strengthens our faith and deepens our union with God.
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