22 June 2024 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) (Sunset Mass)

by Fr Larry Tan

Recently we heard about the Singapore SQ flight that hit a turbulence and many people panicked. Can you just imagine suddenly most of those in the plane were thrown off balance except for those who had put on a safety belt. We all know one person died.

It was a very, very fearful moment. Most of them panicked because their very lives were at stake. Somehow the pilot with a steady pair of hands was enough to bring the plane down safely.

We wonder whether Jesus Christ was on board or not. Who is the one that was really guiding the plane down?

Talking about turbulence, tragedies, crisis, storms in our life. They are no stranger to us. We face them almost every day, every moment. So for the point of my homily, as usual there will be just one point. Remember this point. Never mind if you forget the rest. The point is:

Have faith to be bold. Have faith to be bold.

Two key words: Faith and Boldness.

I believe many of us here have heard the proverb: Fortune favours the bold. And of course for those who are familiar with chinese, they say: There is an opportunity in a dangerous wind.

So opportunities in crisis. Obviously the Chinese word wei xian, danger and opportunity. So in the Gospel Reading we also have this danger/opportunity. It is basically how do we see it that is important.

So let us look at the First Reading, the First Reading from Job. One of my favourite story about Job. The mystery of suffering for a just and righteous person. And here for those who are familiar with the story of Job, sometimes we just say to ourself: Haha God has a way of messing up our lives. Really. And very often we don’t know.

Just think about here Satan meeting up with God and just saying: Look at your servant Job. Because you have blessed him so much and so forth, he dare not curse you. But let me take away his family, his life stock, wealth and health. I am sure he will curse you.

So that was the bet, so to speak.

One after another tragedies hit him. Can you imagine Job was saying: I better die. So when three of his friends came to console him, the only key point making life miserable for him: Haha you see your suffering and so much so is all because you have sinned. Nothing more, nothing less.

So here this three friends, instead of consoling, made it worse for him. So much so Job was tired of this, finally had the courage to take God to counsel to speak: Haha, I want to hear from God why is it I am suffering so much.

In other words, he took God to court. But we also know that God is the jury and also the judge and no way therefore God will give Job a just verdict. But one thing was Job had the courage even to question God. Even when he had a friend, a fourth friend, who told him: Job, whatever suffering you are going through, embrace these as part of the way God wants to purify you.

Finally in today’s First Reading, God answered Job and Job finally has to really, really keep quiet, acknowledge God’s mysterious way, how God dealt with suffering. And then Job was rewarded.

So talking about suffering and pain and crisis and tragedy, we may not know the bigger picture. But what I do understand is sometimes God just mess up our lives.

Have you every experienced that? I am sure you have. For no reason, just messes up our lives. Perhaps maybe to wake us up: Haha life is not in your hands. It is all in my hands.

This is it. 

When we place everything in God’s hands, we see God’s hands in everything. So do we see that?

And so this brings me to the Gospel Reading. And here we have this interesting reading. As you all know, there was a storm and Jesus was fast asleep, tired, on a boat. And a storm brew and strong winds and the disciples panicked, so to speak.

They woke up Jesus and then asked him something like this:
Master, do you not care? We are going down.

They woke Jesus up. And just notice the response of Jesus Christ. He woke up and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: Be quiet. Now be calm.

Interesting enough, Jesus did not say to the disciples: Be quiet. Calm down, please calm down. No! Jesus did not ask the disciples to calm down.

First thing He did, He rebuked the wind. And then be quiet, be calm. Asking the wind to calm down, calm down. And the wind calmed down. 

And so here Jesus Christ said to them: Why are you so frighten? How is it that you have no faith?

So this brings me to the theme of my homily: Have faith. Be bold.

Here it talks about frighten. Basically it has to do with cowardice. They are afraid to do anything, to take action in their hands. They were very passive: Haha so one day wake Him up. Maybe He can do wonders for us.

It is like passing the buck. That is the meaning of frighten here. Coward, timid, refuse to take any action. Pass the buck to Jesus Christ.

And Jesus says here: How is it that you have no faith?

So have faith, be bold. So how do we go about having faith?

Consider again the pilot on the plane that hit a turbulence. Did he believe in himself, that he had the skills to steer, steady hands and to have the courage to steer the plane down? Or did he believe in something bigger than himself that got him the courage and a steady pair of hands to bring the plane down safely?

So talking about that, therefore when we go through crisis and difficulties, tragedies and so forth, who do we believe in? Trust in ourselves? Believe in ourselves: Wow gung ho! I am sure to go through?

No! Sometimes crisis, tragedies and so forth just throws us off balance and we scream out for help. We realise it is very unwise to believe in our abilities, in ourselves, to maneuver through these tragedies and crisis. We need someone bigger than us. Someone. Therefore we have to believe in the guiding hand of God. 

Yes, we may not know the reason why we are going through tragedies and crisis.

Yes, obviously much of the sufferings in our lives has to do with our lifestyle, what we call a lifelong sickness like cancer. A life-threatening sickness. Wow it is a big wake up call. Maybe my diet has not been following a healthy diet. Maybe I have not exercised enough. Maybe I have not slept enough and so forth.

We all know that poison is delicious. Poison is delicious. Wow ho chiak, ho chiak, ho chiak. Take this, take this, take this. Take a lot of sugar stuff and then diabetes, high blood pressure and so forth.

We may have inflicted this on ourselves but then of course there are things that we do not inflict on ourselves. It can be inflicted by someone and so forth. ‘Why, why, why?’ we scream out.

But for those who really believe in God, this is not so much ‘Why me?’. The question we should ask is: Why not me?

And then when we see and when we turn around ‘Why not me?‘, then everything, every circumstances can be moments of gratitude. That everything is a gift from God. We use it therefore with a good sense of gratitude. Tragedies can draw us closer to God. Anything. So if tragedies can draw us closer to God, crisis and so forth, then these are moments that we can embrace them and see God’s hands in everything. 

Therefore, all moments are grateful. Then you realise your faith have grown. Not complaining, complaining all the time but be grateful. Find every excuse to thank God and your faith will grow. 

So have faith to be bold. Bold enough to take risks, not to be cowed down by the conditions, not to be overwhelmed by the difficulties but to be really courageous to face the challenges and say ‘Yes, God, I know I am in your hands. I know you will guide me through.‘

So this brings me back to the point of my homily: Have faith to be bold.

Amen.

Click below to listen to homily and watch video:-

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