Faith in God should always be like a seed which grows to be a sapling and then a plant; every day should be a day to increase in the Lord. During this lockdown, everyone had their days of setbacks and so for me too. Often, I have felt low in spirit, hearing about all those affected with COVID; the number of deaths had caused my heart to waver and question God’s love for us.

I had so many questions and I found myself asking: does my faith depend on only church services? Even when I am unable to participate in Holy Mass, do I still love my Jesus as always? Why did Jesus let this pandemic affect us? Doesn’t God love us? The questions never ended and had no limits…

In this time, I had a very beautiful and pleasant encounter with Shalom Tidings. As with the rest of the world, I, too, was shut within four walls, isolating from everyone. I got a chance to read the articles on Shalom Tidings magazine; I found Jesus talking to me again. There are four categories: Engage, Encounter, Enjoy and Evangelize; four “E”s through which I heard the voice of God.

The article “I Could Never Take My Children to Adoration” spoke beautifully well about the comfort the family received sitting in the presence of the Holy Eucharist during silent Adoration. After this, I started going to Church daily and sat in silence; I experienced the same comfort as that family. No matter how spiritually nourished we are, there are times when we need a helping hand, one that supports us when we fall apart: Shalom Tidings was just that for me. Shalom Tidings offers many inspirational and spiritually nourishing articles and testimonies which made me realize that God loves us even when we don’t love ourselves.

“Thus says the Lord who made you, who formed you from the womb and will help you” - Isaiah 44:2. This means He knows us: what we are, how we are, what is good for us, put simply, everything we require and need, He knows. The things and concerns of this world shouldn’t stop us from loving our Lord. Whatever pandemic or crisis comes our way, our trust in the Lord should be as strong as the foundation of a building.

God speaks to us in many uncertain ways. We have time for daily news, text messages and forwards, and many others; let’s ask ourselves why do we shy away from reading spiritual articles?