O Lord Omnipotent, Who permittest evil that Thou mayest draw good therefrom, give ear to our humble petitions, whereby we beg of Thee the grace of being faithful unto death, evermore conforming ourselves to Thy most holy will. Amen.
“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth toward those who honor his covenant and decrees.” Psalm 25:10
One of my favorite Disney movies is Moana, which centers on the daughter of a village chief in the Polynesian Islands who is called by the ocean to find Maui and get the heart of Te Fiti back to its rightful place. While Moana has the desire to sail out into the ocean, there are times throughout the movie that she is tested on her resolve.
Many people misunderstand what it means to have faith. It doesn’t mean that as long as you believe in yourself or a higher power, you will get what you want. It means that when times are hard, you are grounded in something that gets you through it.
Towards the last third of Moana, the titular heroine loses her resolve when she faces a great defeat and Maui abandons her. She’s literally in her darkest moment when all of a sudden, the spirit of her grandmother appears to her and reminds her about the calling she’s had ever since she could remember. She recalls who she is and where she came from. She says that the calling in her heart “is like the tide, always falling and rising.”
Hebrews 11:1-3 says “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith we understand that the universe was ordered by the word of God, so that what is visible came into being through the invisible.”
We always work towards a goal, whether it’s a goal that we set for ourselves, a deadline that we have to meet, or a calling that God put in our hearts. Faith helps us get through the hardships that we face in pursuit of that goal. It gives us resolve and determination. So long as we remember that we belong to God and that He calls us to be holy in our own special way, our faith will carry us though.
To Jesus through Mary- Monique Ocampo
