GOD, WHERE ARE YOU? Fr. Gerald Musa Habakkuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4; 2 Timothy 1:6-8, 13-14; Luke 17:5-10 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time C/ 6th October, 2013 Everyday, we are surrounded by tragedies, calamities, catastrophes, chaos, confusion, disorder, war, terror, persecutions, injustice and violence. In the midst of these moral and physical evils, we ask: “God, where are you?” “Can you not do something to stop all these sad events?” The month of September this year, we heard of so many tragic stories: In the United States, a former Navy reservist killed at least 12 people and wounded 8 others in a mass shooting; Over 63 people were killed and many others wounded by a group of terrorists in the Westgate Mall in Kenya; in Nigeria about 50 college students were slaughtered in cold blood by another group of terrorists. Only a few days ago, we lost Suzzette Ukatu, a young, beautiful, brilliant student and a committed parishioner who lived in Sokoto and Lagos. We shed tears and cry profusely over these sad events and families go through intense agony over the loss of beloved ones. Prophet Habakkuk raises his voice in lamentation over the suffering and pain of the people of Israel. He says: How long, O Lord? I cry for help but you do not listen! I cry out to you, “Violence!” and you never intervene. Why do you let me see ruin; why must I look at misery? Destruction and violence are before me; there is strife and clamorous discord. Habakkuk’s prayer is an honest prayer to God and in this prayers he expresses his inner frustration over the violence and destructions that surrounded him. What is remarkable about the prayer of Habakkuk is that in spite of the calamities around him, he did not lose faith and hope in God. At least, he was still able to pray and listen to the silent voice speaking to his heart. Very often, we lose faith and hope when we are faced with so many crises and challenges. The book of Hebrews 11:1 tells us what faith is: It is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. This same chapter of Hebrews gives a litany of people who lived by faith and the great things they were able to accomplish by their faith. The Lord reveals to the prophet Habakkuk that “the just shall live by faith.” One important question that people ask is: How does a good God allow the forces of evil to operate in the world? And why does God not create a world where there will be no violence and sad stories? A careful reflection will make us understand that a faith that is not tested is a feeble and weak faith. We are subjected to suffering just as gold is tested in fire. Our life story is interesting only if it is full of ups and downs. The most powerful people in the world are revered not because life has been so good or fair to them, but because they passed through all kinds of hurdles with dogged determination. In his letter to Timothy, St. Paul says how God gives his people, not the spirit of fear but the spirit of power to confront crises and challenges of life. In our prayers, we ask the Lord to increase our faith and to make us faithful servants who work tirelessly to relieve the burden of others. We need a faith that moves mountains; we need a faith that hopes in God in the midst of troubles and trials. We need a faith that is able to see the silver linen around the dark clouds that surround us. In Nigeria, we express our hope in the time of agony and distress as we say with confidence: E go good (It will be well).
Posted on: Sat, 05 Oct 2013 08:32:09 +0000
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