Not a time to lose but to find Hope!
Some of us ask ourselves, Is the Lord still in charge of this world or has the devil taken over the reign? Certainly, each of us approach this question in different ways. Different people have different answers. I would prefer to respond to this question by starting from the second part of this question. I ask myself; can the devil take over the reign of world? Has he got the ability and caliber to take over the world and run it? Certainly, it sounds silly and funny to me. Is the devil capable of running the world? If so, it should be a fiction; the greatest fiction of all times! It is a reality that he is capable of creating confusion and disorder as he is the king of confusion. It is part of his nature to confuse everyone and bring chaos as he is doing now. But the question regarding his capability of running the word is absolutely an absurdity!
If not he, then who? I believe, it is the Lord Himself. If so, why are all these crazy things happening around us which we have not seen in the past. Certainly, we are living in a changing world, and the current situations are part of a changing world. Changes bring unrest, stress, tension and even loss of lives in our personal lives and that of the Universe. Changes are necessary and inevitable. We are subjected to some changes every day. We are different today from when we were born; and it is due to those changes that took place in our lives during the course of time. Would we be able to escape these changes?
Sometimes changes can take place very subtly or mildly or even very powerfully. Certainly, this time it is hitting us very powerfully. There have been issues in the past with plagues, flus, and viruses in our human history. Even the Holy Bible speaks about plague in the Old Testament. The Spanish flu of 1918 killed about 50 million people and left about 500 million people affected. The Asian flu of 1957 killed about 2 million people. These are facts and figures that are parts of our human history. We don’t feel them as much as we feel now, as they were not part of our current history. But the truth is that the world still continues to move on its path. This is not the end of the world.
I believe, God let this happen and He has a plan. Therefore, it is not time to lose hope and go into despair and despondency, instead, learn to discern in silence His ways in the midst of confusion and chaos, knowing fully well that He is still in charge of this wonderful Creation which we affectionately call the Universe.
When we are deprived of the Public Holy Mass, certainly, we experience worry and panic, because it is part of our faith and life. As a priest when I celebrate the Mass without my faithful people, I too feel pain and aches deep within me, but my faith gives me strength and courage to move on. Now it is time for us to think of those people in some other part of the world who are deprived of the Holy Eucharist and forced into physical, emotional, and spiritual persecution? How about we offer our discomforts on behalf of those men and women who suffer for the same faith?
All these changes help us to understand the limits of human developments and scientific achievements. It helps us to come closer to our Creator and bend our knees and raise our hearts before Him on a daily basis. I believe, God let this happen and He has a plan. Therefore, it is not time to lose hope and go into despair and despondency, instead, learn to discern in silence His ways in the midst of confusion and chaos, knowing fully well that He is still in charge of this wonderful Creation which we affectionately call the Universe.
With Prayers,
Fr Tomy Puliyan, MSFS
“Holiness and Happiness through Wellness and Wholeness”
Nice thought father, at the time of the pandemic.
I do feel that this is the right time for us to get deeply involved with Christ.