Ascension : News From The Grotto
Submitted by The Islander (Shari Parkhill) 26.01.2006 (Article Archived on 09.02.2006)

In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the world as they know it is passing away, and to prepare for what is coming.

News From The Grotto

Thought For The Week

            In the second reading, St. Paul reminds the Corinthians that the world as they know it is passing away, and to prepare for what is coming.  We all know that our world is constantly changing.  I know that if anyone had told me five years ago that I would be living and working on a remote island called Ascension in the middle of nowhere, I would have questioned their sanity.  Yet, here I am.  We can plan our lives all we want, but circumstances can change those plans, and fate really decides what happens.  There is a saying I love: “Blessed are the flexible, because they cannot be bent out of shape”.

            Most of us know, that although some changes that come about move more slowly, the course of a life, the course of our life, can change in an instant.  The sudden death of a loved one, an accident that injures us permanently, a house fire, a sudden termination of work, any of these events will change our life, and all the plans we’ve made.  This point was proved so many times this past year, in the tragic events that unfolded through natural disasters.  First, the tsunami, then the mud slides in Central America, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake in Pakistan, and more hurricanes. 

            So many people throughout the world had their lives altered in a moment.  They lost loved ones, their homes, their livelihoods, their very world was changed forever.  So many people had to start from scratch, to begin their lives all over again, with nothing.  For most of us, as we watched in horror and sadness, this is a concept that is foreign to us.  For that, we should thank God every day.

            But it also raises the question, how ready are we if such a tragic event happened to us directly?  How capable are we to start all over again, to start anew with nothing?  This week’s readings remind us that we should contemplate this situation.  What would we do?  Is our faith strong enough to carry us through?  How many survivors did we see interviewed after the disasters, people of all nationalities and religions, who said that they would rebuild their lives with the help of their God?  Their faith was all they had left.  And somehow, in the midst of their grief, their despair, their hunger, their loss and their sadness, they knew that it would be enough. 

            This is the time when we realize that God and our faith is truly the most important thing in our lives.  Without faith, what do we have to carry us through the dark times?  And maybe it is time to pay more attention to our faith, and less attention on the material things in our lives.  For we have been shown just how easily these can be taken away from us. 

            This week, as we live our busy lives, let us all take a little extra time and pay attention to our faith.  While we give thanks to the Lord for the blessings in our lives, let us remember that a day may come when they are gone.  Our faith will be what carries us through, not only through the everyday difficulties, but also through the really tough times.  Let’s make sure our faith is strong enough.