THEY were five strong Catholic women who shared with me their faith via conference. They prayed the Rosary fervently and revealed the boldness, tenacity, and joy of their faith.
One of them remarked, “I feel that this difficult time has even made my faith in Jesus stronger. I feel a stirring joy in my heart to proclaim the Gospel to others.”
Another said, “I refuse to succumb to fear, which this has caused in many people. I have Jesus with me.”
And another one shared with conviction and confidence, “I will keep believing and teaching the Spirit of Truth in Jesus.”
The other two shared their love for Jesus by following his commandments and their need to believe in his presence and power.
These women’s faith encouraged me to lead the parish with the boldness, joy, and passion they have. Indeed, this is not the time to fear, but to trust in the power and presence of God in our Church and us.
The foundation and strength of our Christian faith rest on our relationship with Jesus. It’s why it is crucial to have a strong bond with him. All our thoughts and actions should flow from our intimate relationship with him. If our relationship with Jesus is vigorous, then nothing in this world will put us down—not even this coronavirus that affected the whole world.
It’s why I always remember the scripture passage comes from the Letter of Paul to the Romans, Chapter 8:35-39:
What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. For I am convinced neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor heights, nor depth, nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
Here St. Paul is telling us to remain in the love of Christ. For it is Jesus’ desire to be continuously connected to him. Remember his words, “I am the vine, you are the branches. Apart from me, you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
Our Scripture readings this Sunday speak of the need to protect our relationship with Jesus, to keep it secure always.
In our First Reading (Acts 8:5-8:14-17), the disciples saw the need to send Peter and John to Samaria to strengthen the faith of the people there who had accepted the word of God and were impressed by the of those possessed, paralyzed, and crippled. They were baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, but Peter and John had to see them and pray for them so that they might receive the Holy Spirit and strengthen their faith.
In the Second Reading (1 Peter 3:15-18), Peter also reminded the early Christians to sanctify Christ as Lord in their hearts so that they would always be ready to explain to anyone who asks for a reason for their hope.
In Gospel (John 14:15-21), Jesus not only told his disciples to be faithful to him by following his commandments but also assured them that he would not leave them orphaned. He will not abandon them, for he will ask the Father to give them another Advocate to be with them always, that is the Holy Spirit.
Friends, Jesus desires that we become steadfast in the faith, to know that he abides in us. On our part, we must make every effort to grow in an intimate relationship with him. For as I said, this personal relationship with Jesus, the foundation of our Christian faith, makes us bear any pain and overcome any crisis in life.
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Fr. Rodel “Odey” Balagtas is the pastor of Incarnation Church in Glendale, California.
