Faith, for me, had always been associated with a palpable feeling of believing and knowing for sure. But, like any other feeling, it seems fleeting and fickle - sometimes sure, brave and strong; sometimes uncertain, trembling and weak.
Just a few weeks ago, He spoke to me in you-can't-possible-miss-this terms that I felt elated. Surely, this was the idiot-proof sign I had been praying for! And for days I floated on air, beaming ... until there was just me and silence and life unfolding uneventfully. Before I knew it, I found myself in a dark cloud. Nasty place. Nasty feeling.
Yet, in the darkness is where light - even the tiniest - shines the brightest.
That was Sunday for me: a tiny point of light amidst a blanket of darkness.
1st pinpoint of light: Monsignor Manny Gabriel's voice. What are the odds he'd be celebrating the Mass we attended? Just hearing his voice somehow comforted me.
And then the stars came:
1st Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
12 "As the sun was about to set, a trance fell upon Abram, and a deep, terrifying darkness enveloped him.
Gospel: Luke 9:28-36
"34 While he was still speaking, a cloud came and cast a shadow over them, and they became frightened when they entered the cloud. "
The shadows do come and the darkness they bring is bound to be frightening. That is its purpose.
But we must always ...
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 27:1, 7-8, 8-9, 13-14
"...believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living. 14 Wait for the Lord with courage; be stouthearted, and wait for the Lord. "
2nd Reading: Philippians 3:17-4:1
"...stand firm in the Lord."
Because ...
Gospel: Luke 9:28-36
"Then from the cloud came a voice ..."
1st Reading: Genesis 15:5-12, 17-18
17 When the sun had set and it was dark, there appeared a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch, which passed between those pieces. 18 It was on that occasion that the Lord made a covenant with Abram ..."
"Faith is a personal covenant with God" (Monsi Manny). A covenant - sacred promise - between you and God. So keep the faith and "stand firm". Hold on to that light, while you sit in darkness and wait on Him.
No comments:
Post a Comment