Shepherd's call for Faith:An inspirational reflection “Oh Lord, the sea is so wide; and my boat is so small.”


"WHAT IS FAITH?

There are the days when my prayer springs from an old saying: “Oh Lord, the sea is so wide, and my boat is so small.” Our stormy world seems to be moving so fast, so engaged in the culture of death over the culture of life, so buried in self-satisfaction and self-gratification that words like community, family, relationship have taken on new meaning, or have no meaning at all. Embroiled in the sins of the past or in the neuroses of the past, scandals – real or imaginary – can create storms in the community. Family values like love, peace, mercy, justice are being replaced with anger, violence, revenge, and fear. Lay and religious communities are sometimes seen as clubs, where diversity of opinions, diversity of one’s hue or ilk are no longer part of the fabric of life.  Amidst the buffets of life, we turn to God in faith and find how apropos is the saying: “Oh Lord, the sea is so wide; and my boat is so small.”

We at times forget that faith is trust and courage, not fear and cowardice. We forget that “Faith is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb. 11: 1). We forget that we walk by faith. This means that by faith, everything is going to be alright. By faith, all things are not made easy, but all things are made possible. By faith, it is not a question of “do we believe,” but “in whom do we believe?”  By faith, we see what we believe and we believe what we see. By faith, we see the invisible, believe the incredible, and receive the impossible. By faith, we take God at His word and ask Him no question. By faith, it is not a matter of IF God can, but we know God WILL. By faith, our nothingness is bound into almightiness. By faith, our doubts and fears are settled.

So, as we reflect upon our faith in this Year of Faith, let us remember the times that Jesus has helped us through the squalls and hurricanes of life. As we celebrate our faith in this Year of Faith, let us rejoice in the times when we actively and consciously placed our trust in Jesus and moved on courageously."

In the Divine Word,
Bishop J. Terry Steib, SVD



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Our Lady of Snow: Tuticorin: Golden Car Festival August 5th, 2013

Image
"History THE PARAVARS OF THE PEARL FISHERY COAST The history of Shrine Basilica is closely connected with the history of the conversion of the PARAVARS (Tuticorin), the indigenous people of the Pearl Fishery Coast. In fact, Our Lady of Snows, is fondly called in Portuguese senhora, Das Nevis which means Our Lady of Snows. She has been given the unique title of Yelu Kadalthurai, Yega Adikala Thai in Tamil which means the Mother of Refuge for the seven major coastal villages, viz Vembar, Vaippar, Thoothukudi (Snows Basilica, Tuticorin), Punnaikayal, Virapandianpatinam, Thiruchendur and Manapad (Thoothukkudi District). THE MASS CONVERSION Once the paravars of Pearl Fishery Coast had a sharp dispute with the Muslims of this area regarding the right of Pearl Fishing. The Pattankattimar (The leaders of Parava villages) requested the Portuguese to rescue them form the cruelties of the Muslims and the Portuguese and the Muslims were routed. As a token of gratitude to
Read more

Velankanni Matha Novena for nine days: Day 2

Image
Novena Prayer to Our Lady Of Vailankanni Oh Most Holy Virgin! You were chosen by the Most Adorable Trinity from all eternity to be the most pure Mother of Jesus. Permit me, your humble and devoted servant, to remind you of the joy received in the instant of the Most Sacred Incarnation of our Divine Lord and during the nine months you carried Him in your chaste womb. I wish most sincerely that I could renew, or even increase that joy, by the fervour of my Prayers. Oh! Tender Mother of the afflicted! Grant me under my present necessities that special protection You have promised to those who devoutly commemorate this ineffable joy. Relying on the infinite mercies of your Divine Son, trusting in the promise which He has made that those who ask should receive, and penetrated with confidence in your powerful prayers, I most humbly entreat you intercede for me. I beg you to obtain for me the favours which I petition for in this novena, if it be the Holy Will of God to grant them; to
Read more

Our Lady of Velankanni Novena : Day 3

Image
Novena Prayer to Our Lady Of Vailankanni Oh Most Holy Virgin! You were chosen by the Most Adorable Trinity from all eternity to be the most pure Mother of Jesus. Permit me, your humble and devoted servant, to remind you of the joy received in the instant of the Most Sacred Incarnation of our Divine Lord and during the nine months you carried Him in your chaste womb. I wish most sincerely that I could renew, or even increase that joy, by the fervour of my Prayers. Oh! Tender Mother of the afflicted! Grant me under my present necessities that special protection You have promised to those who devoutly commemorate this ineffable joy. Relying on the infinite mercies of your Divine Son, trusting in the promise which He has made that those who ask should receive, and penetrated with confidence in your powerful prayers, I most humbly entreat you intercede for me. I beg you to obtain for me the favours which I petition for in this novena, if it be the Holy Will of God to grant them;
Read more