Then he asked them, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?” - Mark 4:40

The Gospel today reminds me to keep my faith in Jesus. Jesus tested the disciples by sleeping in the midst of the storm. Jesus' sleeping presence on the storm symbolizes the sleeping faith of the disciples. They were terrified even though they knew that their master was on the same boat. Sometimes, we all have to agree that we are like the disciples. At the very beginning of this Gospel, the disciples took Jesus with them in their journey to cross the sea. Like them, we accept Jesus whole-heartedly in our lives without hesitation. But as our lives meet the storms such as the storms of adversity, sorrow and temptation, we begin to be frightened and soon we forget that our Lord is here with us.

There are instances in my life that I showed my fear and my lack of faith. Recently, my new cell phone could not be opened. I got so mad because even if I handled my phone with so much care, it still broke. I was afraid that it wont be fixed anymore. In my  happens to me frustration, I started to question God. I didn't do anything wrong and yet it seems bad things keep on happening, cellphones won't stay long with me. I was like, "Lord nganong ing-ani mani? Murag gina parusahan ko nimo na wala man koy sala." I couldn't accept that my 2nd phone is destroyed again. And to think that the phone was given to me by my dad and everything he gives are precious to me. So I slept that night with a heavy heart forgetting the most valuable thing that I do every night- To pray. I forgot about Jesus just because of a material thing. My disappointment extended until the next morning. I woke up with a frown on my face and I didn't even bother to greet my family a good morning. I gave up. I even told my mom to stop trying fixing my phone. Yet my mom never gave up and still tried to fix it even at school and finally I just got the news from my best friend that my mom informed her that my cellphone was already fixed.

This event only showed how little my faith is. Thanks to the  Gospel, it reminded me that our Jesus, our Lord is ever present not only to me, but to all of us. When our faith is put to test, he asks the same question: "Why are you terrified? Did you not yet have faith?" And whenever we encounter trouble, the Lord is there with the same reassuring message, "It is I, do not be afraid."

What are the characteristics of faith and how can we grow in it? Faith is God's free gift. Believing is only possible by grace and the help of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and opens the eyes of the people to understand the truth which God has revealed to us. Faith enables us to relate to God rightly and confidently by believing to his word because he is trustworthy. If we want to live, grow and persevere in faith, then it must be nourished by the word of God.

Fear doesn't need to cripple us from taking the right action or rob us of our trust on God. Courage with faith enables us to embrace God's word of truth and love with confidence and to act on it with hope in God's promises. The love of God strengthens our faith in him and helps us show kindness to our neighbors. Now the question is, do you allow the love of Christ to rule in your heart and mind, and to move your will to choose what is good in accordance with his will?

We, Christians must learn how to keep our faith in God. Faith is our weapon to every battle that may come in our lives. Without faith, the evil would be present and would overpower our thoughts. That's the time when we sometimes feel that we want to give up on our problems. Our lives will never run out of obstacles and challenges but with faith in God, there is no doubt that we can pass through those storms. 

-Angelique Art Mascarinas