Walk on

They say that walking is good for the health. I heard a story about a man who started walking at the age of 65…. Up to now he’s still walking, and his relatives can’t find him!

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In today’s Gospel (Mt. 14, 22-23), we hear of Jesus walking on the water. Usually we float or swim on or sink into the water, but we never walk on it. Alone we cannot, but with the Lord we can. Recall today in many times past how we made it through the waves and storms of life because the Lord was there with His helping hand.

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Compare the serenity of Jesus praying on the mountain by Himself, and the panic of the disciples on the boat tossed about by the waves of the sea. What eventually calmed them down was the coming of the Lord to their midst with assuring words: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Whatever storm may come and however strong it may be, may we find peace, comfort and courage because of our faith in the Lord who loves us.

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“When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high, and don’t be afraid of the dark.” This line of a song is a beautiful reminder for us to look up and not to look down whenever we encounter storms in life. It also reminds us to take courage and not to lose heart when everything around us is gloomy and dark. Yes, when you’re down and troubled, don’t forget the holy uplook and the positive outlook.

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There is a story about a cranky and gloomy old man who surprised everyone one day with his pleasant disposition. When he was asked why, his response was: “It finally dawned on me that the Scriptures always say, ‘It came to pass’, and not ‘It came to stay’.”  We must hold on with our hope that all our trials will pass, and will be over, soon.

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We have the responsibility to stay afloat on the water. How do we do that? Well, humor is a very good floating device. Humorous and joyful people are floaters, while serious and gloomy people are sinkers and losers.

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For a while, I thought that it was possible in this country of ours for some few privileged people to “walk on the water” with their money, power and influence. In the not-so-distant past, how many of us shook our heads in disgust whenever we heard how the powerful and the mighty could lie, cheat and steal from the people and seemed to get away with it. Now the hand of justice is slowly and surely catching up with those who have done our people wrong. Remember, it is only the Lord who can make us walk on the water. No human resource, effort or device can make us walk above the rest. “What goes up, must go down.” Nobody can defy the law of gravity in this life. Not for long anyway.

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The disciples were so terrified that they cried out in fear: “It is a ghost!” We too have our ghosts from our past and they continue to haunt us, especially the ghost that haunts us with the fear of being uncovered and discovered for our wrongdoings and mistakes. We all can relate with that. But what boggles my mind no end is how some people—national liars we call them—can think of cheating and stealing so much and somehow believe that they can get away with it! To them we say: May your ghosts continue to haunt you!

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“Lord, save me.” This prayer by Peter is one of the most beautiful prayer we all can say, especially in our lowest and darkest moments. In fact, it is the only prayer we can say at our journey’s end. Unless and until we have learned this prayer, we have not really learned well in life. “Lord save me.” – Say it now, say it well, say it often.

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Our Gospel story today ends with the wind dying down, and with the disciples doing Him homage, saying:  “Truly, you are the Son of God.”  Do we pay homage to the Lord whenever He helps us out of our troubles? Do we really appreciate the Lord who has, in many untold ways, helped us on? Let us not take for granted His many blessings upon us, many of which we are not even aware of. Say a prayer of thanksgiving. The prayer “Lord, save me” should always be followed by “Lord, thank you!”

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Thank you once again to Grandslam Global Productions Inc. for the “Musikaibigan” Concert at the Music Museum last July 15, 2011. It had good entertainment value, and it also had a noble value as it helped raise funds for our Filipino missionaries overseas. God bless you!

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I can’t help but somehow end this column borrowing again the lines of a song:  “Walk on through the wind, walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown; walk on, walk on with hope in your heart, and you’ll never walk alone.” This is inspiring and all, but aside from walking on, we must ask these two questions: Where are you walking to, and who are you walking with?

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A moment with the Lord:

Walk with me, Lord, and stay with me in my journey.  Amen