26 December 2004: A fault 1200km long,
beneath the sea off Sumatra, produced a great earthquake
and generated one of the most powerful tsunamis
in the Indian Ocean the world has known.
230,000 died.
How did Saint Stephen "survive?
How can we survive?
Live the Word with perseverance.
What Word is given today?
The First Reading (Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59) tells of the wisdom
of Saint Stephen captured by the Holy Spirit,
facing being stoned to death.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 30)
includes the cry of Jesus before he died,
“Into your hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”
And the Gospel (Mt 10:17-22) pre-warns all Christians
of betrayal, suffering, hatred and death
when we witness to the Law of Love.
How do we triumph?
“... the one who endures to the end will be saved,”
assures Jesus; i.e.
Live the Word with perseverance.
Lets link the two, Stephen and the tsunami,
having been blessed by the newborn Jesus of Christmas Day,
and in this way ride the waves of the gift of life.
Firstly,
I think each one of us dies a martyr
in some way or another.
Prepare for those decisions
in the normal daily “dyings” of our life:
to hatred, to indifference, to relying on hearsay, to sin,
to always asserting my opinion when an alternative is more
in line with the Gospel.
Live the Word with perseverance.
Secondly,
tsunamis are inevitable.
But we can ride the waves!
Are we prepared to ride the waves,
rather than be drowned by them?
Stephen’s martyrdom was inevitable.
The Holy Spirit prepared him, and his wisdom gave him
the strength to “endure to the end.”
Am I aware of the power of the Holy Spirit in my life?
Has the Holy Spirit been “released”
in my day-to-day living of the Word of God?
Or am I still revengeful, obdurate, arrogant,
defiant, impatient…? Why not rather
Live the Word with perseverance,
and ride the waves?
Thirdly,
tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes,
and all “explosions” in nature,
tell us that we do not belong here.
Hence these words of Jesus become so relevant for us
about to enter 2012:
“Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out,
an unfailing treasure in heaven,
where no thief comes near and no moth destroys.
For where your treasure is,
there your heart will be also”
(Lk 12:33-34).
Live the Word with perseverance.
Fourthly,
we are being taught that life is short!
How, then, do we ride that wave?
LIVE!
Live to live life to the full in the time you have now!
But also live to outlive the here and now!
How?
Live the Word with perseverance.
Ride the waves - don't be drowned by them!
and stay blessed!
G
[pics:
top: http://staff.aist.go.jp/kenji.satake/Sumatra-E.html
lower: http://news.sky.com/skynews/Home/World-News/Surfers-In-Hawaii-Ride-Monster-Waves/Media-Gallery/200912215496677?lpos=World_News_First_World_News_Strap_Teaser_Region_0&lid=GALLERY_15496677_Surfers_In_Hawaii_Ride_Monster_Waves
[ Live the Word with perseverance.
Vivere la Parola con perseveranza
Viver a Palavra com perseverança
Vivre la Parole avec persévérance
Vivir la Palabra con perseverancia
Durchhalten im Leben des Wortes!
Het Woord beleven met volharding ]
