Does God Care?

The Gospel reading reminds me of a very moving scene of Pope Francis - in front of a rainy St. Peter’s Basilica, before an empty square - as the world  grappled with the spread of the coronavirus. Pope Francis delivered a homily of hope - based on the same Gospel reading we have today.

The Pope said: “Just as it happened with the disciples, we too are faced with a “darkness… Thick darkness has gathered over our squares, our streets and our cities; it has taken over our lives… We find ourselves afraid and lost.”

Even among the faithful, many asked the same question as the disciples did: Why does it seem God is sleeping? Doesn’t God care that we are perishing?

The Pope said that it is “a time of choosing” …  people have a chance to “choose what matters and what passes away, a time to separate what is necessary from what is not.”

By the grace of God, we can say with gratitude, we are here – alive and well - we survived the pandemic although sadly many of us lost family members and friends.

The question is – as survivors - did we learn anything from our Covid pandemic experience?  What did we learn? Because - What a wasted experience - if we did not learn anything at all or if we did not change for the better especially in terms of our perspective on what really matters in life…. what life is all about.

The big question is: Are we better persons today; better yet - are we better Christians – are we better followers of Christ - today than we were before the pandemic especially in terms of our relationship with God and with one another?

With all the violence and all kinds of problems in our society today, wars going on now in many areas of the world – with social media - even talking about the world being on the brink of World III,.. again, as Pope Francis said before the pandemic: we are faced again with a “darkness… we find ourselves afraid and lost.”

On a personal level - You might be going through personal darkness right now: personal illness or your loved ones being sick; problems in relationships, financial problems, problems with addiction, etc.

Does not God care about what we are going through?

The most serious questions about God - come not from theory – or intellectual pursuit or discussions - but from tragedy.

When we are caught in a storm from which there seems to be no escape, then the question becomes real and relevant:  Does God care? Does He even exist?

Do not avoid that question and do not be ashamed of it.  Those disciples would never have become the men that we so greatly admire today without that experience when they doubted but had the honesty to say so.  That kind of struggle has always been a vital part of great living and of great faith.

Look at it this way:  When a person raises that question – Does God care? – that person is at least facing the realistic facts.

We live in such a tragic world, and that if we are going to believe in God at all, we must hold that faith in the midst of tragedy. Does God care? That question is not disrespectful to God.

I do not think there is such a kind of easygoing faith in God that never wonders, that never struggles, that never doubts.

We must recognize that faith has always risen to its height in times of adversity and trials.

The unexpected storm, that almost sunk their ship, played a vital role in the lives of those early disciples.  Without it, they would not have been driven to doubt.  They would not have wondered if the Lord cared. They would not have learned that the Lord actually, really cares… they would not have had experiential knowledge of the power and love of God.

The reading ends with another kind of question, not a question of doubt, but a question of awe and wonder.  The disciples were saying to one another, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?”

Similarly – we can say: “Who then is this – whom even Covid19 obey?” Yes, the scientists, medical professionals, the authorities, we all did our part so we can be where we are now.  But the bottom line – Everything is by the grace of God. Thanks be to God!

But of course, COVID 19 and other viruses still exist with all the new variants. Hatred and wars, illnesess, violence, evil still exist.

Jesus said: “In this world, you will have troubles; but take heart, I have overcome the world”.

We commonly think that people are most inclined to believe in God when life is beautiful and easy. But that is not supported by the experiences of the great believers.  Look at Jesus, our Lord himself.  Yes - He saw His heavenly Father in the flowers of the field and the birds of the air. 

But that was not the place where Jesus’ faith reached its height.  That happened at Calvary where doubt was strong and faith was hard. It was at Calvary, on the cross that Jesus wondered why God had forsaken him.  But it was also there that Jesus calmly spoke His final sentence, “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”

As long as you and I live in this world, we will – at times - continue to find ourselves in darkness of the soul – as saints call it - and we ask God:  Where are you?  Do you care?  Do you hear me? We will probably never get finished with that question. 

But the very experiences that cause us to ask that question - will be the same place where we find our answer.  It is a strange paradox, but then again, faith reaches its height in the midst of adversities or trials.

But - of course, we do not pray for adversity in our lives to deepen or strengthen our faith. The fact is – sooner of later – life will bring trials to us - it is the reality… fact of life.

Perhaps you are currently passing through some rough waters, so to speak - fearful that conditions might get worse, and not knowing - how you will manage if they do. Maybe you are even now at the end of your wits and your strength, and wondering if anybody cares that you are drowning in your misery, so to speak.

Our Gospel message today is a great continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel message - on trusting God – God is working although we do not know how.

… but the truth is - God is in control and always at work.

We need to remember this:  Things happen, even bad things, happen only to the extent that God allows them to happen – God’s permissive will. And if God, allows even seemingly bad things to happen, God has the power to bring good out bad things that happen in our lives.  God loves us.

But you see - God is more concerned with calming the storms inside of us - in our hearts – in our minds - than with changing things in the world around us …. The sudden furious storms outside of us may be overwhelming but it is what is going inside of us – storms of doubt and unbelief that can pose the greater threat to our lives.

Our first reaction to a crisis is to want God to change our external circumstances, for God to save us from bad situation we are in - but usually, the change that matters is not the rearranging of the world outside of ourselves, but the transforming or conversion of our hearts. … How we experience the world about us is largely determined by the condition of our souls.

The calming of our inner seas, so to speak - comes primarily through our faith in the trustworthy nature of God’s love… as revealed in Christ Jesus. 

Today’s gospel does not solve the problem of pains, sufferings and adversities we face in our lives.

We are grappling here with a profound mystery, and the gospel leaves us with an image that helps us see into the mystery - the beautiful image of Jesus WITH us, His head on the cushion, asleep in the stern –a picture of peace and serenity even in the midst of storm - meaning – Jesus is in our boat, so to speak – God is present in our lives; Jesus is within us, IN us, even in the midst of the storms of life to give us peace and serenity and hope.

Like the disciples - when we are fearful and overwhelmed by the waves or storms of life – the question is: where do we place our faith? Do we focus on the power of the wind and the waves, or do we place our faith in the One whom even the wind and the sea obey? Such a faith does not mean certainty; it means the courage to live with uncertainties of life and of our faith.

Such a faith “does not mean having the answers, it means having the courage to ask the questions and NOT let go of God, as God does NOT let go of us.”

Be at peace.