The Catholic News

14 Nov 09, Novena Church Bulletin: The gospel reading of today talks about physical signs and the transience of life. Everything else is temporary, even heaven and earth. Only the word of God and His promises remain.

Indeed, life is fragile. My father was healthy and mobile. One day, his heart collapsed and he became an invalid supported by the respirator, with tubes all over his body. It was heartbreaking to see him in this state.

My father is fighting for his life and the situation changes each day. This period has been difficult for our family as there were critical moments and his condition can be unpredictable. There were days that were especially worrying. It is through prayer, remembering God’s faithfulness and community support that has sustained us.

The gospel reading reminds me that ultimately, God is the only one in control.

Personally, I know that God has indeed blessed my father and given him another lease of life. Through God’s grace and mercy, he has moved from the critical care unit to the acute ward.

During this one-month period, I know that God is administering to him at a level that is beyond our human senses. My father’s baby steps to recovery are milestones that our family celebrate. I trust that God is taking care of his precious child and wants to show him His great love and mercy.

As believers, we live on His Word and cling on to His promise of eternal life. It is with this promise that I am strengthened to continue to ask God to heal my father and allow him to come to know Him as his personal Saviour and Lord. I believe that each individual is precious to our Lord and He never gives up on us.

At the same time, this experience has also helped me to surrender more to the Lord, to be more positive in my outlook. It has taught me that anger and holding on to grudges will not do anyone any good because life is simply too fragile. I do not wish to spend time and energy on negative thoughts anymore. We should be grateful and happy for what we have and use our resources wisely.

Focus on the positive things in our lives. Forget about the pride, the slights and insults. Ultimately, we do not need to bring along such baggage to heaven. We can choose to travel light right now and remove the unnecessary weight in our lives. Let Go and Let God (LGLG) take over.

Hope
Novena Church Bulletin