Confidence and abandonment

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

GIVEN the fact that we in this world will always have to contend with complicated situations, challenges, difficulties, trials and the like, we need to follow what Christ advised his disciples once: “Be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Mt 10,16)

In this way, we can manage to go through our life with a deep sense of confidence and a healthy spirit of abandonment. We should just stick ourselves as closely as possible to Christ. We should just rev up our faith that would enable us to share the very power of Christ. This is what we see in the history of salvation where we see how the faith of the saints redounded to their fidelity.

Let us remember that it is through faith that everything becomes possible. Even that which is unattainable to us can be achieved, since it will be God himself who will do it for us and with us.

In a world that is steeped in sin, what we need is a strong faith, “fortes in fide” (1 Pt 5,9) The complexities of our life here on earth, with their accompanying pains and sufferings, should not surprise us. To live a consistent Christian life, we should somehow expect some misunderstanding, persecution, even martyrdom. Let’s just try to be sport with and in Christ in this condition.

Let’s be edified by the example of St. Paul who, in all his trials, did not give up in his mission. Let’s try to echo his words: “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Cor 4,8-10) These trials are actually meant to heal our weaknesses, and to make us a better person, a better Christian.

Anyway, Christ already assured us that though we will always have troubles in this world, he already has conquered everything. (cfr. Jn 16,33) Christ will calm down whatever storms we will have in our life. He assures us that even if our efforts would seem to be insignificant, we will not work in vain. (cfr. Is 65,23)

The parable of the wheat and the weeds (cfr. Mt 13,24-43) somehow tells us that we should just continue working and doing a lot of good even if some bad elements continue to hound us. Anyway, there is the last judgment where God always has the last say, and the good will always prevail.

The ways of God may be too mysterious for us to comprehend. But let’s never doubt that God can “write straight with crooked lines.” St. Paul assured us that with God, everything will always work for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) And in that Easter vigil hymn, the Exsultet, we are told about the “felix culpa” (happy fault) where our sinfulness has led God to give us a greater good—God became man for us!

We have to learn how to unite ourselves in an active and creative way to the will of God before all the uncertainties of our life. That’s when we can manage to feel secure and confident.

We have to remove ourselves from that state mentioned by St. Paul in his Letter to the Ephesians: “children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles.” (4,14) We have to move on. There are a lot of things to do.

It’s important that we be confident and at peace always, because that would put us in the proper condition to do the things we are supposed to do. It will make us bold and courageous, fruitful and productive.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com