It is the right decision we make with the help of the Lord in times of crisis that will make us settle in lasting happiness.
Selvaraj Soosaimanikam – Vatican
In our Bible search last week, ‘Witnesses that bear witness!’ We meditated on verses 37 to 38 in the 37th hymn titled This week we will meditate on the verses 39 to 40 that follow and bring this hymn to completion. Now let us read those words in the presence of God. Salvation for the righteous comes from the Lord, and he is their strength in time of trouble. The Lord stands by and delivers them; He delivers them from evil; Taking refuge in Him, He rescues them (Verses 39-40)
There is a city in China called Houhan. Here the tangerine, known for its fury, runs around. Just like Jallikattu is held in our towns, once a year young people jump into this river and swim against the flow of the river as a heroic tradition. On July 16, 1966, Chairman Mao of the People’s Republic of China visited Wuhan. The person who started the anti-swimming festival when he came to Manjala area suddenly jumped into the river himself. Then, Mao started to swim against the raging current, and with no other choice, his bodyguards also jumped into the water and forced him to shore. However, Maowo swam about fifteen kilometers in competition with other Chinese youths. It is noteworthy that his age was 73 at that time.
Immediately, the news of Mao’s counter-swimming began to spread throughout the world. He did not fail to use this achievement for his politics. The various charges leveled against him at that time were crushed due to this record counter-swimming. It must be said that it was ‘swimming’ that brought Mao ashore at a time of severe political crisis. Mao said, “My father taught me to swim at an early age, and it was only when I was swimming that I came up with ideas that could solve all kinds of problems.” A large part of his revolutionary ideas came from his swimming. In his final days, “Mao’s chapter is over. “He can’t even walk anymore,” the Western media wrote. At that time, Mao not only got up and walked, but also swam from one side to the other side of the same yellow field to show his mental strength to the Chinese people. He achieved such a rare feat at the age of 82. All the great leaders of the world have this ‘Never Ever Give Up’ attitude. Such people will stand and fight against any crisis without letting them down and without considering success or failure. We should not forget that all the leaders like Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Nelson Mandela, Fidel Castro, Gandhis, Jawaharlal Nehru, Periyar achieved great success in times of crisis.
King David very succinctly points out that the Lord gives strength to the righteous in times of crisis and rescues them from the wicked. It is inevitable that every human being born in this world will not face hardships. It must be said that David faced these crises a lot. He had a crisis in killing Goliath and saving the people of Israel. Later, when King Saul, jealous and jealous of him, sought to kill him, he had great difficulty in escaping from him. When he killed his commander Uriah and took his wife Bathsheba as his own, he was unable to escape God’s punishment and went through crises. He faced hardships when his and Patasabha’s first child fell ill and died. He faced hardships when his son Absalom rose up against him and attempted to take over the kingdom, and as a result, he met a gruesome death. He faced many crises in his life. But in all the hardships he faced, he clung to the Lord as his rightful property. He was a king, he had the right to do anything, and he behaved humbly towards the Lord, not worrying about who could question me. In particular, when he fell into sin, when the prophet Nathan condemned his sinful act saying that it is still a crime even if it is seen on the forehead, he humbly accepted it. God! Have mercy on me according to your grace; Wash away my sins according to your infinite mercy. Wash me so that my filthiness may be completely removed; Purify me so that my sin is gone; For I am conscious of my transgressions; My sin is always before my mind. I have sinned against you; I have done evil in your sight. (Tiba 51:1-4a) He wept bitterly and begged for forgiveness.
We can see that crises happen not only to the sinful man but also to the holy mantra. We see that he was troubled by the auspicious words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. “How can this happen? I am a virgin!” His words (see Luke 1:34) indicate that he was in crisis. Yet, in the deep faith that God will lead, to face the crisis with courage, “I am the servant of the Lord; Let it be done unto me according to thy word.” (See Luke 1:38). He says. Likewise, Joseph was forced into a dilemma of whether to betray Mary, abandon her, or stay away. However, it was only when he secretly planned to remove Mary from disgrace (see Matt 1:18-20) that he accepted Mary, trusting God’s word through the angel.
When the Lord Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit to the land of milk to be tested by the unit, he was subjected to a crisis. But, because he acted authentically to the Father, he was successful in all three trials that gave him unity (see Luke 4:1-11). However, “My father, if possible, let this cup of bliss pass from me. Yet, not my will, but thine be done.” (See Matthew 26:39) He was resurrected victorious over death because he surrendered completely to the Father.
We suffer in all circumstances and do not become discouraged; Don’t lose faith even if you are confused; Persecuted but not forsaken; Even if it is knocked down, it is not destroyed. Wherever we go we carry the sufferings of Jesus in our bodies so that the life of Jesus may be manifested in our bodies. We are always standing at death’s door before Jesus while he lives to be manifested in our mortal bodies. (See 2 Cor 4:8-11) St. Paul describes the difficulties he and his friends, the other apostles, faced. So, as David says, we see that the Lord is strength and support and a fortress in times of crisis.
So let’s do a soul-examination of what kind of mindset I react to whenever I face crises in my life. Also, at such moments did I surrender to God alone? Did I trust him alone? Was I completely honest with him? Let’s find answers to the questions. We will realize that it is the right decision we take with the help of the Lord in times of crisis that will make us stand in lasting happiness. Let us pray to God for the grace to live in such a state on this day.