Faith, Hope and Love

Some national events bring heavy impact on us. The March 1957 P.AF. C-47 plane crash in Lahug, Cebu killing Pres. Magsaysay, the 1971 Liberal Party Plaza Miranda bombing, the 1982 Ninoy Aquino murder remind us of what an American wrote, “These are the times that try men’s soul.” The arrest and coming trial of P.R.R.D. is a continuous drama. Many are deeply affected, some are lost, frightened, confused. We are slowly recovering our composure but in the end, we fall back on God.

Through baptism, we received the gifts of faith, hope, and love. When the priest says during mass, “Let us proclaim the mystery of faith,” we say “Christ has died Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” This is the answer from heaven. Christ is alive, will help and protect us despite our sins if we repent and call for help. Our shortcomings, failures depresses us and increases our fears. St. Matthew 6:6-34 says, “therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink or xx what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than the clothings? Look at the birds of the air, they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life. And why do you worry about clothing. Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow, they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, Solomon even in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you? You of little faith; Therefore, do not worry, saying what will we eat or what will we drink or what will we wear. For it is the gentiles who strive for all these things and indeed your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things will given to you. So do not worry about tomorrow for tomorrow will bring worries of its own.”

Today’s trouble is enough for today. God inspired the prophets to give comforting words to those who call on Him thus Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want, He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside still waters, He restores my soul, He leads me in the right path, for His name’s sake. Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I fear no evil, for you are at my side, with your rod and your staff, they comfort me xxx surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord, my whole life long.”

The Lord also inspired St. Peter to tell the early Christians who were persecuted and discouraged: (1 Peter 1:59) you may for a time have to suffer the distress of many trials but this is so your faith which is more precious than the passing splendor of fire tested gold may by its genuine lead to prayer and glory when Jesus Christ appears. Although you have never seen him, you love him, you now believe in him xx.

These bible passages are not only for you but for all us because we are all frightened sinners. God guided the hand of Prophet Isaiah in writing, “This is the one whom I approve; the lowly and the afflicted, who trembles at my word xx” (Isaiah 66:2).