Our reflection today is taken from the Gospel of John. Today we hear some of the most reassuring words come from the mouth of Jesus. He tells his disciples that do not let your heart be troubled; trust in God, and trust in me too. These words are words that need to become a sort of a mantra for us, a repeated prayer for us. These are words that need to be engraved on our heart so that we can keep returning to them and keep reminding ourselves under different circumstances what the Lord’s take is on what is going on in our life. “Let not your hearts be troubled; believe in God, and believe also in me.”
Life is full of different circumstances where our hearts will always be troubled. We all go through seasons of fear, of confusion, of inadequacy, of anxiety, of uncertainty, of loss, of powerlessness, of betrayal. We will always go through seasons in life where we feel misunderstood, attacked, let down, or unsure. Some of these circumstances can be long enduring difficulties, and we question God and ask Him why this all is happening, and where is it all going in our lives.
Troubled Waters
Some of these troubling circumstances can be in our personal life, our marriage, our family life, our work places, our community, our Church, or our countries. The Lord tells us not to let our hearts be troubled, rather, to trust in God and to trust in Him. As we say in other parts of the world, “do not let your troubles tell you how big they are, tell your troubles how big your God is!” It all starts with placing our trust in Him rather than placing our trust in our abilities or resources.
Trust in the Lord
I am not sure whether I have shared this story before but I believe it can’t hurt to repeat it. A couple of years ago while in the seminary I went through a crisis in my vocation. This was at the time when the abuse scandals were at their prime in media. I wasn’t sure I wanted to continue on the journey of priesthood and religious life. I was terribly troubled by what had happened and how everything looked in the Church. Then one day I attended a Mass where the preacher spoke about God and the troubling circumstances in a way that totally brought God in the picture and totally reframed the difficult situation for me. That homily that day saved my vocation. I heard God tell me not to be troubled, I heard Him tell me to trust Him. If I didn’t hear God’s reassuring voice amidst the circumstances, probably you wouldn’t have a priest today.
Turning Our Eyes to God
Today we are being invited to shift the gaze from ourselves and focus on God himself. Today we are being asked – Is there something troubling you at this time? What it is it? How have you entrusted the situation to God? Do not be troubled. Have trust in God and have trust in the Lord.
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