NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
11 AUGUST 2019
The
Letter to the Hebrews defines faith as “…the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.” As an
example of authentic faith, the Letter cites the faith of Abraham. Called by God, Abraham left his comfortable
life in Ur to journey to a new and unknown Promised Land. He began this journey, because he had faith in
the God who made the promises. In his
journey, Abraham encountered many obstacles:
enemies who resisted him, his old age that challenged God’s promise that
his descendants would be as numerous as the sands on the shore of the sea and
the stars in the sky (the third mosaic in our center aisle), and even his
willingness to obey God in sacrificing Isaac, the only link to that
promise. Because Abraham demonstrated
the realization of what is hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, he
became the father of all who had the courage to embark on this journey of faith.
The Book of
Wisdom gives an example of the faith of some of his descendants. The children of Abraham may have been living
in slavery in Egypt. But, at least they
knew that condition and understood it. However,
they trusted God and participated in the first Passover Meal. Each household slaughtered a lamb and spread
its blood on their lintels, trusting that God would spare their firstborn
males. Like Abraham, they left the place
where they were familiar and embarked on a journey through a desert about which
they knew nothing. Their journey in
faith was difficult, filled with many dangers.
But they came to that same land promised to Abraham. They realized what they had hoped for, even
though they could not have seen it.
In reading
the Scriptures, we encounter countless men and women on their journeys of
faith. At the heart of every journey is
the God who journeyed with them. In the
fullness of time, God himself departed from the familiar home of his divinity
to empty himself of the privileges of divinity to journey with us as a human
being, even to death on a cross. We have
been following the journey of Jesus Christ in the Gospel of Saint Luke as he
makes his way from the security of his home in Nazareth to his ultimate death
and resurrection in Jerusalem. On the
way, he has been calling people to follow him.
On the way, he has been giving advice to his disciples about the best
ways to walk with him in faith.
He tells
us, his disciples, that we cannot depend on earthly treasures as we walk with
him to embrace the Kingdom of God already in our midst. Those treasures will not endure. Instead, we walk in the faith defined in the
Letter to the Hebrews. That faith is
threefold. First, faith is an intimate
relationship with Jesus Christ, a trust that enables us to continue letting go
of what is comfortable and familiar to embrace new challenges and difficulties
in our journey of faith. Second, faith
involves a trust that God will always remain faithful to us, just as he had
remained faithful to the children of Abraham walking through the desert from
slavery to freedom. Finally, our faith
is expressed in the Nicene Creed that we pray at every Sunday Mass. We profess this faith, not as isolated
individuals, but as children of Abraham walking together on our journey to the
new and eternal Jerusalem, promised to us by the death and resurrection of
Jesus Christ.
Authentic
faith always involves risks and always encourages us to trust as we venture
from what is comfortable to what is unknown. Authentic faith invites us to let go of fear
and embrace trust. Jesus gives himself to us in his real presence in the
Eucharist. Nourished by that presence,
he invites us to recognize his presence in those we serve as humble servants. If we have the courage to be humble servants,
he will recognize us as his followers and serve us in that eternal
Kingdom. Much has been entrusted to us,
and much will be given, if we continue to trust and walk together in faith.
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