"By faith Abraham obeyed . . . "
Luke 12: 32-48
The Word: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/080722.cfm
It has been said that were it not for people taking risks in life, many benefits of those risks would have never happened. Case in point may be the great explorers, such as Columbus, or Lewis and Clark in this Country, the daring exploration of space, in particular going to the moon in 1969 just to name very few of those whose courage has brought great benefit to humanity.
Dangers aside, these adventurers were not held back but
as President Kennedy stated in 1961 that America would send a man to the moon within
ten years, “Not because it is easy but
because it is hard!” Life is filled with all sorts of challenges and risks
but stepping out in faith is an opportunity for all of us in our daily walk
with the Lord. Sometimes, the Lord
simply asks us to follow him or to go where he sends us.
Our second reading this Sunday from Hebrews offers us the
classic biblical definition of faith: “Faith
is confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things
we do not see.” Every one of the above examples demanded a level of trust
in the unknown and when God is involved it may call for a particular heroic
faith. This we find in the example of Abraham.
To form one’s life around that faith is both risky and
rewarding. Yet, we know that believing in something greater than ourselves will
not only bring us motivation but may also assure us about a conviction that
will provide direction for our lives. Here we see great confidence not
especially in my ability to carry out a tough task but a confidence born that
if I step aside and let God take the lead, great things will be accomplished. Abraham
is the spiritual model for believers and in particular for anyone who suffers
from a shaky faith.
If, as Hebrews tells us, “Faith is confident assurance .
. . what we hope for” then we must recognize it as a gift. It is grace from
God. Faith is a seed planted in our hearts and nurtured through our life
experience, strengthened by the support of others, the inspiration of others,
personal prayer and participation in a faith centered community such as a
parish, participation in a sacramental life, and a serious approach to the
question of God in my life. Abraham learned, through his obedience, as Mary did
through hers, that though God’s will is often not clear, to follow it anyway
brings great rewards and benefits.
The Gospel this Sunday provides assurance. We are not
only asked to prepare wisely for the “master’s return” but to do so with the
promise that our preparation will not go unnoticed or be without success. The
Lord (master) will come and find us not wanting. In other words, we live by a
faith that is active and to be about what God has called us to do knowing that
in the end, like Abraham, we are following his will not for personal fame or
gain but in order to serve him. In that
perspective is great joy and confidence that all will be well.
We might think of the following example:
There is a true story told about Mother Teresa in
Calcutta, India. A priest came to the
“house of the dying” to ask Mother Teresa about his future. One morning Mother Teresa met this priest
after Mass at dawn.
She asked, “What can I do for you?” The priest asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for?” Mother
Teresa asked him. He said, “Pray that I
have clarity.”
Mother Teresa curtly answered, “No.”
Confused the priest asked why she said “no.” She told him
that clarity was the last thing he should cling to and had to let go of. The priest then commented that she herself
had always seemed to have the clarity he longed for. She laughed, “I have never had clarity; what
I’ve always had is trust. So I will pray
that you trust.”
Jesus’ gift of self in the
Eucharist has come to us through suffering but offers us the conviction found
in trust that with God all will be well.
whom, taught by the Holy Spirit,
we dare to call our Father
bring to perfection in our hearts
the spirit of adoption as your sons and
daughters,
that we may merit to enter into the
inheritance
which you have promised.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
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