WORLD ALIVE
By FR. BEL SAN LUIS, SVD
An elderly woman, accompanied by a young doctor, was being wheeled into a room in preparation for surgery. Visibly nervous, she blurted out, “Doctor, please be gentle with me. This is my first
time to be operated on.”
Fr. Bel R. San Luis, SVD
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The youthful surgeon glanced at her and said, “Don’t worry, madam. This is also my first time to do an operation.” (Dunno if the patient survived!).
When a doctor tells you not to worry, your operation will be successful — even if it’s his first time! — and you believe him, that's faith, human faith.
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Similarly in this 20th Sunday’s gospel, Christ asks us to believe in the Eucharist, even though we don't understand how his body can become our life-giving food and his blood our nourishing drink.
It is not surprising why the cynical Jews grumbled, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" (Jn 6, 5). "Cannibalism," one might say today. The Church calls it "transubstantiation," that is, the appearances of bread and wine remain the same but their substances are changed into Christ’s body and blood in the Consecration part of the Mass.
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How can Jesus give his body and blood as our food and drink? Humanly speaking, we don't know. But if he could use His power to feed 5,000 people with only five loaves of bread, if he could walk on water, if he could raise the dead Lazarus to life, then he could use his power to change bread into his body to feed thousands spiritually.
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Ultimately, we are asked to trust in Jesus even though we cannot understand how it all can happen. Like Peter and the apostles who stayed on after the skeptical followers turned their backs on him, let’s say: "Lord, to whom do we go; you have the words of eternal life."
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FAITH AMIDST TRIALS. Faith in the Eucharist should, likewise, inspire us to put faith in God in the trials and crisis situations of life, which are sometimes difficult to understand.
In his book Through the Eyes of Faith, Fr. John Powell relates about a friend George who had a heart attack in his mid-30s. He was so weakened that he could walk only short distances and had to live a sedentary life.
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Then in his 40s George had more than 20 operations for cancer of the face, including removal of his nose. George was asked if he ever lost faith in God. “No,” he replied. “These are the cards God gave me which I lovingly play.” Would we have the same faith as George have?
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The adversity or misfortune may not be a life-threatening sickness but it could be the loss of lives, crops, or properties, resulting from the monsoon rains and destructive floods. It could also be the senseless death of a loved one from a drug-crazed man, or the traumatic effect of children growing up from separated parents. The list of adversities is endless.
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You may complain: "I can’t understand God. Why do I experience all these? It's unfair when I've been trying to be good."
If we can do something to remedy these problems, by all means do it. If we cannot, then let’s hold on in faith and trust that God in his goodness has something better in store for us. Remember the saying? “When God closes a window, He opens another one.”
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THE LIGHTER SIDE. The airplane was rocked by turbulence due to the stormy weather. Everyone kept quiet or prayed, except one man laughing.
“My friend,” said the woman praying beside him, “Don’t you know that we may crash and die? Can’t you do something religious?” The man stood up and passed his hat for collections.
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