Jun 2 – Memorial for Sts Marcellinus & Peter
Saints Marcellinus and Peter (sometimes called Petrus Exorcista – Peter the Exorcist; Italian: Marcellino e Pietro) are venerated within the Catholic Church as martyrs who were beheaded. Hagiographies place them in 4th century Rome. They are generally represented as men in middle age, with tonsures and palms of martyrdom; sometimes they hold a crown each.
– Wikipedia
Ecc 44:1,9-13
Mk 11:11-26
“Have faith in God…with no hesitation in his heart but believing that what he says will happen, it will be done for him.”
Today’s Gospel reading is a unique one. Jesus cursing the fig tree and it withers to the root. This is a good reminder that as Christians, we must bear good fruits as well, or else there will dire consequences.
But what really struck me today was what Jesus said to Peter,“Have faith in God.” I consider myself a ‘good’ Catholic — I go to Church every Sunday; if I miss Mass, I go to Confession. I volunteer in various ministries at church. I try to pray every day, even though sometimes I don’t feel like it. I would almost pat myself on the back for a job well done.
That is the problem. Faith is not a job; it is not a task list to be completed. Faith is a journey, a development of a deep and meaningful relationship with our Lord. When I read that phrase, I felt as if Jesus was speaking to me directly, because He knows that I don’t really have faith in God. I am not referring to belief. I believe there is a God, I believe in the Trinity, and I believe in the Church’s teachings. But do I really have faith in God? Do I trust God with my life? Do I trust God to have my back or my best interests?
When things go wrong or don’t go the way that we want, do we try to take control and change it to our satisfaction? The last thing that comes into our mind is God. Yes, we blame Him when it gets too tough, but we rarely turn to Him in the first instance.
A few weeks ago, I drove to what used to be tourist central in our city. But when COVID-19 hit, and travel stopped, those that are homeless and those that are addicted to drugs started moving into this neighbourhood. I pulled in to a parkade after a few stops and as I left my car, I realized my purse was gone! In a blind panic, I start rummaging through my car, leaving no space unturned. Without any luck, I retraced my steps through the ‘sketchy’ parts of town. Thinking that my purse was surely gone and never to be recovered – it had all my IDs, credit cards, ATM, passport; in essence, my whole life. A little voice said pray, ask God for help. Mentally, I said yes, yes, but I am way too busy right now, I am in panic mode.
After an hour of fruitless searching, I finally gave in. Crying to the Lord for help, praying that He could help me find my purse (I know, feeling silly to bother God about such trivial things; but I had nowhere else to turn). I really prayed earnestly, believing that He could help me if He wanted. Immediately after I finished my prayer (it wasn’t eloquent or elaborate, but a heartfelt cry for help), the thought entered my mind where I might have dropped it. Tearing down to the entrance of the parkade, I checked with the cashier in the kiosk; someone had found the purse and turned it in!
To you, it may seem like a coincidence but to me, God was with me, telling me to turn to Him, to have faith in Him, to trust Him.
Of course, God will not answer all our prayers to our heart’s desires. That is not why He answers prayers. I believe that He answers prayers for our own good, and perhaps the good of others. In this case, when my prayers were answered, I became more aware that I needed to have more faith in God. He has changed my heart a little at a time. When the opportunity comes up, I share with others this experience, hoping that they will also turn to God when they hit a dead end, and perhaps they will have faith in God.
(Today’s OXYGEN by Winnie Kung)
Prayer: Our most merciful Lord, please grant us the grace of Faith in the face of adversity. Help us to place all our trust in You.
Thanksgiving: Heavenly Father, we thank you for being there, walking with us during our difficulties, even though we don’t often sense Your presence. Thank you for the gentle reminder that You are always there, and that all we need to do is to put our faith in You and Your love.
OXYGEN 
Thank you for your sharing, especially this comment – (I know, feeling silly to bother God about such trivial things; but I had nowhere else to turn) – I felt exactly the same way when I impulsively mumbled a prayer before I made a difficult call for work, and to my surprised relief it went well, which also made me think I perhaps ought to turn to God more often though I also know I should not expect Him to answer my every prayer the way I want Him to.
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