Once we took a boat ride towards an island that was said to be very beautiful. In the middle of what was supposed to be a short thirty minute trip, suddenly the winds became strong. Hence, water was getting into the boat. So frightening was the experience, that I bargained with the Lord, “Lord not now, I still want to serve you as a priest!” Surely, some of us in the congregation had a similar experience. It is so frightening that we will bargain anything with the Lord.
That is why in the Gospel, you could just imagine the fear of the apostles, “Don’t you care that we are perishing?”
My dear friends, whether we like it or not, whether we are ready or not, typhoons will always be a part of life. Three reflections for us to deal with these typhoons in life.
- Typhoons are part of life. Just as there are sunny days, so there will be gloomy days. Just as there are quiet days, there certainly will be stormy days. Indeed, typhoons are part of life.
- Nothing lasts forever. This holds true for the typhoons in life. So when going through one, be positive, be hopeful and hold on to God in prayer. He will see you through.
- Strength. What cannot break us will only make us stronger. Ask any person in life who seems to be a strong person. If you hear out his or her story, you would realize that he or she was not exempted from the typhoons in life. But guess what? Because of these typhoons, he or she was made stronger.
Hence in this Mass, we realize to always be prepared for the typhoons in life. Always be hopeful, persevering and strong because of the promise of God, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
3 Ways 2 Your 1 God 