12th Sunday in Ordinary Time – June 19, 2022
First Reading: Isaiah 65:1-9
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 40:1-11
Second Reading: Galatians 3:23-29
Gospel Reading: Luke 8:22-25
Homily by Fr. Jun Peñalosa
“Do not worry, everything is going to be fine.” This was a statement of conviction uttered by Father Jun as he shared a story of what happened to one of his travel experiences where the airplane encountered turbulence in the air. A threat of death was in front of him, but he was assured it was not yet his time
Relating this in today’s gospel reading, “All of us will experience a storm in our life.” Not just natural storms, but storms brought by life itself. For as Jesus said, while we are in the world, we will have tribulations.
But the issue here is not about the storm, but how do we respond to the storm. No one is exempted. Rich or poor, educated or not, man or woman… everyone will come to a point where they will be facing a storm in their life. Even our Lord Jesus who lives in perfect obedience to God faced the greatest storm, His dying on the cross! But how should we respond to things beyond our control? The parable of the sower taught by Jesus to his disciples teaches us the right response when facing a storm if our life. After hearing the word of God, 1)receive it with all your heart, 2) retain it in your mind, 3) persevere and persist it to have fruit in your life. Every time we receive teachings from the Lord, it is always followed by testing. Storms always come at times you least expect. And Father Jun taught us the three dimensions of the storm:
- Physical storm (a crisis that happens in our life, financial breakdown, and losses, friends rejection and betrayal, families torn apart, sickness, etc.)
- Mental and emotional storm (fear, anger, anxiety, depression, etc)
- Spiritual storm (questioning the principles of God, scriptures become insignificant, promises of God become vague, etc.)
No matter how hard and how long the storm is – it has an end. Only those who persevere in the word will receive the blessing.
Storms expose our foundation. We begin to see and know ourselves when we are subjected to trials. Our faith overcomes whatever storms that come into our life. We should not fear the storm but instead, we should be terrified of Him who commands the storm.
Recap by:
MERCY DE LA CRUZ-ESPIRITU
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