Walk By Faith

 by Latai Muller

 

On July 25, around 1:00 pm, I went to one of the communities that I am assigned to, called Landless in Barra, because they invited me to join them in their BEC (Basic Ecclesial Community). This is a movement in the Catholic Church where bishops, priests, religious, and lay people gather together to share the Gospel. The members know each other by name and share not only the word of God and the Eucharist but also their concerns, both material and spiritual. They have a strong sense of belonging and of responsibility for one another.

As I arrived in Landless, the chapel leaders were still trying to gather the others. So, we ended up with only five of us, with some of the kids, and the rest were busy. As we were heading to the couple’s house where the BEC was supposed to be held, something caught my eye at that moment. I saw some of the houses were flooded because there had been heavy rain in the morning, and the house where we were about to have our BEC was also flooded. We stood there for about five minutes, reflecting on what to do next. In the end there were only two options: keep going or cancel.

As we reflected in silence I thought that they would cancel the BEC until the following Sunday, but little did I know that the devotion of these women was way deeper than I realized. Their desire and longing for God in sharing with others was so enormous.

They agreed to continue, but the only place that was remotely possible was a small place near the front road where cars were passing. We had no choice but to have our BEC on that spot. I was moved when one of the mothers said, "sa Dios ang tanang butang posible" (with God, all things are possible). Despite the pandemic's limitations, something somehow empowers these beautiful women to have faith in God no matter what; even floods cannot stop them. Hearing their sharing gave me inspiration. Even though they are struggling to find a job in the midst of the pandemic to provide for their families, they still manage to put a huge smile on their faces.

As I recalled my experience on that day, I learned a lot from these women. Sometimes I need to pause and reflect on my faith because faith is not an option for us people of God. It is, and must remain, a way of life. If we believe and trust God, all things are possible, and when we walk by our faith, we don’t see obstacles but opportunities to let our life reflect the faith that we have in God, just like these women in Land-less. Fear nothing and pray about everything.