"By faith Abraham . . . "
Luke 12: 32 - 48
The Word for Sunday: http://usccb.org/bible/readings/081119.cfm
Earlier today I went to visit a home bound 100 year old man
whose daughter had called a few days ago expressing a desire on her Dad’s part
that he see a priest. He was preparing for a serious medical procedure and
wanted to speak to a priest.
Well, when I met him he and his wife (second wife) greeted me warmly and I spent some time talking with this man who I learned quickly was named, "Puzzy!" An obvious nickname that he held since the time he was young.
So, old Puzzy told me about his life, his family, living for a long time in Fairbanks, Alaska and how his present children, though no longer practicing Catholics, were very involved in another Christian Church. Despite all he had seen and heard in 100 years, however, he tenaciously held on to his Catholic faith. I'm Catholic "through and through" he told me.
Although he had not been at Mass in a number of years due to health reasons, he ticked off the names of a good number of priests he had known over the years and how much he enjoyed them but knew that he never wanted to abandon the faith of his long life. So, considering the medical procedures coming up, I invited him to receive the anointing of the sick, go to confession, and receive the Holy Eucharist. As he told me, "Father, I may make it or I may not." Still I knew this was an important time for him to reconnect with the Church and to receive the beautiful grace of these sacraments and so he did, willingly. Afterwards, his sense of gratitude was obvious and the smile on his face said, "Whatever God wills, I accept." I was struck by his faithfulness all these years and how he knew that faith formed his life.
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. To believe in a hope and to trust in something I cannot see
and 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. That is, hope
for the future. For Puzzy and others, they embody the reason why faith is more than just words and his faith guided his hope for the future.
In the letter to the Hebrews we hear of the great man of faith
– Abraham. What was it about Abraham that has caused his forever fame? He was a man of true faith. His response to
God’s open ended requests is a model for believers and in particular for anyone
who suffers from a shaky faith.
For example, Hebrews tells us: “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called . . .By faith he sojourned .
. . not knowing where he was to go . . . by faith he received power to
generate, even though he was past the normal age – and Sarah herself was
sterile . . . by faith Abraham was put to the test, offered up Isaac . . . he
reasoned that God was able to even raise from the dead . . .” (Heb 11: 2,
8-19) This belief system and his experience of the Almighty convinced him of
God’s never failing faithfulness.
Still, how can I believe in something I either do not see or
have never experienced? 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.
One thing, faith is not magic.
If we ignore it, never nurture it or “tend the soil” of God’s word in
our hearts, then we put ourselves at some risk of simply loosing that gift of
faith. Maybe stated in simple terms, “I have to show up.”
The point is that the kind of faith we hear of today in our
Scriptures is beyond proof. It is God’s
word alone that convinces us it is true.
It is faith that will trust that God’s word is reliable and the proof is
in the scriptures and the countless lives of believers over the centuries.
True faith in God’s love and mercy then is based not in
verifiable scientific study but rather in the lives of people who have trusted
the truth of the Lord’s word. We may
come to convince ourselves of God’s existence, for example, by the study of the
universe or logical philosophical argument but that does not tell us what God
is like.
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. 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.”
Her words are an example of what Hebrews tells us this
Sunday. While there may be no satisfying
answer to the existence of evil, we still are convinced that God is love and
mercy itself. In the face of the cross of Jesus we hear of resurrection and new
life. Our Eucharist has come to us
through suffering but offers us the conviction found in trust that with God all
will be well.
Almighty ever-living God,
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,
one God for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
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