Homilies

12th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME: DO YOU NOT YET HAVE FAITH?

FAITH IS CENTRAL to every Christian’s life. As a matter of rule, it is faith which shapes the person’s life. For those who are serious in their Christianity, they try to live out what they have believed in. Indeed, they stand by the principle that “the law of believing is the law of living.”

But there is also a certain role of faith in the midst of life’s “storms”: be it problems, tragedies, or misfortunes. In the gospel, there is an implication in Jesus’ words to the disciples that faith is necessary to combat storms in life. He expects his disciples to remain steadfast in faith amidst the storm. It is for this reason that when the disciples faltered, Jesus remarked, “Why are you so terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

From our view, we could say that the incident is something which should not happen in the life of Jesus’ disciples. The presence of Jesus in their midst should have been the source of security. They should not have worried about the storm because Jesus was with them. But then they faltered.

In our life, there are two ways how we usually respond to life’s storms: a) to distance ourselves from God; or b) to get ourselves closer to God.

I have known some people who took the first response. In their experience of succeeding misfortunes or unbearable illness, they shifted to another religion or they completely forget about God. They have questioned God; they questioned where is God’s goodness and mercy in these trying times. They could not reconcile the goodness of God with the suffering they have experienced. For one, a relative of mine started to “curse” God as soon as he learned that he had a cancer. When pain becomes more unbearable, the more he cursed Him. It was sad that even in moments or minutes before he died, his hatred toward God remained noticeable.

However, I also met people who did not lose their faith when they struggled against problems in life. In fact, they took it as an opportunity to get closer to God. These were a people who are reflective and who tried to see the meaning of the sacrifices or sufferings they have been undergoing. Instead of blaming God, they blamed themselves for they have not been faithful to Him.

Do you not yet have faith?  I think there is a need to re-phrase the question. We already have faith in us. We have received it when we were baptized. So, the better question or perhaps the right question is: Where is your faith? What have you done with your faith?

The problem with the disciples’ faith is that it remains in the level of the mind. It has not gone down to the level of feeling: it has not become a “trusting” faith. If only they put their “trust” in Jesus, they could not have been bothered by the storm. But there is a lack of trust on their part.

In the same way, things like that can happen in our life if we fail to trust in God and in his goodness. It is praiseworthy if we remain steadfast in our faith, most especially during those times when we feel that God seems to be absent in our life.

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