Faith gives us hope--hope in all the we do and in all we encounter. Ideally, this hope leads to love, which in turn leads back to faith.
For me, living must somehow include faith and love because it is what allows us to live more fully so that we may live in light of our gospel call.
I think of today's gospel: the parable of the Good Samaritan. If we are to be good Samaritans are we not required to have faith and love? A faith and love that is rooted in the gospel. After all, the gospel itself is rooted in faith and love.
As Brothers, educators, our salvation of young people is centered around the faith and love found in the gospels. A salvation that allows young people to live more fully.
To bring faith and love to our students, we must be rooted in the gospel, in love, and in faith--for it is the way to live. Jesus said, "I came so that they may have life and have it more abundantly."
Let us live abudantly in faith and love.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Saturday, October 6, 2007
Increase Our Faith
Reflecting on the week's readings (Mon., Oct. 1 - Sun., Oct. 7)
“Increase our faith…” is the request of the apostles to Jesus. Throughout the week, the readings spoke very much of FAITH. I want to begin by saying that faith does not make sense, it is illogical.
Monday’s first reading is from the prophet Zechariah. It ends: “Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem. They shall be my people, and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice.” God seems to be saying, “stick with me,” and “I’ll have your back, I won’t let you down.” Thursday’s reading comes from the prophet Nehemiah. It deals with Ezra sharing God’s word following the return of the Israelites from exile. The reading is rather detailed about Ezra sharing the Torah with the people, but one line stands out, “…rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!” The people are reminded that this great joy of returning from exile must begin with “rejoicing in the Lord” for God provided the strength during the time of hardship.
Friday’s reading returns to the Babylonia exile as the people admit sin to the Lord, “For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us…” In Saturday’s reading from the same book, the Prophet Baruch speaks, “Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought this upon you will remember you. As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him; For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring back enduring joy.”
In all that is said above there seems to be this idea of having faith in God even though life may be tough at the moment. Doesn’t faith make even less sense when life gets tough? Yet, the prophets very clearly push their people to have faith, their words push us to have faith and even “rejoice in the Lord!” Sunday’s Old Testament reading from Habakkuk presses on, “if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” A very clear message that takes it to another level by saying that in order to simply live we must have faith. How do we then make sense of faith?
If Habakkuk is saying “…the just one, because of his faith, shall live,” then I say the one who lives has faith. Therefore, how we live will give us faith, how we live will allow God’s grace to come upon us and give us faith. That is the challenge: to live. It is not easy to simply live. I turn to the gospel readings of the week then for guidance on how to live.
We can say that the gospel themselves are our guide for living so that we may gain faith amongst much more of God’s grace. But, again, I think the readings of this past week point to some specific examples for us.
This week we hear two versions of the same gospel reading where the apostles ask Jesus who is the greatest. Jesus turns to a child for his response to the apostles saying, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is the least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” A very clear message from Jesus about how we should live. Living to the point where we are able to humble ourselves in such a way that “children” / “the least” become the greatest. The faith received because of directing our lives in this way helps us accept and truly receive Jesus who is our path to God the Father.
Using some other gospel passages of the past week, I believe we desire to follow Jesus like the one who speaks to Jesus and says, “I will follow you, wherever you go.” Jesus’ clear message to those who want to follow is, “Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” That is to live. Jesus adds, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” To live then means to go forward and let go of what is preventing us from proclaiming the Kingdom of God. We must look at our lives and see what is getting in the way. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy (Sunday’s 2nd reading) he reminds Timothy, “…God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” To be humbled to point of being childlike, of being the least is to use God’s gift “of power and love and self-control.” Yet, it is very easy to live without using these gifts, life is just much easier without having to worry about loving all, taking self-control over our desires that steer us away from God, and why worry about the power to bear our “share of hardship for the gospel.”
Let us live such that we may open our eyes to see and ears to hear, for faith is a grace from God. Jesus reminds us, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
If we hear and see, Jesus’ message to “Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” becomes God’s call to live. Live so that we might recognize faith, gain faith, and live faith. Live so that on that day we may say to God, “We were unprofitable servants; but have done what we were obliged to do.”
“Increase our faith…” is the request of the apostles to Jesus. Throughout the week, the readings spoke very much of FAITH. I want to begin by saying that faith does not make sense, it is illogical.
Monday’s first reading is from the prophet Zechariah. It ends: “Lo, I will rescue my people from the land of the rising sun, and from the land of the setting sun. I will bring them back to dwell within Jerusalem. They shall be my people, and I will be their God, with faithfulness and justice.” God seems to be saying, “stick with me,” and “I’ll have your back, I won’t let you down.” Thursday’s reading comes from the prophet Nehemiah. It deals with Ezra sharing God’s word following the return of the Israelites from exile. The reading is rather detailed about Ezra sharing the Torah with the people, but one line stands out, “…rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength!” The people are reminded that this great joy of returning from exile must begin with “rejoicing in the Lord” for God provided the strength during the time of hardship.
Friday’s reading returns to the Babylonia exile as the people admit sin to the Lord, “For we did not heed the voice of the Lord, our God, in all the words of the prophets whom he sent us…” In Saturday’s reading from the same book, the Prophet Baruch speaks, “Fear not, my children; call out to God! He who brought this upon you will remember you. As your hearts have been disposed to stray from God, turn now ten times the more to seek him; For he who has brought disaster upon you will, in saving you, bring back enduring joy.”
In all that is said above there seems to be this idea of having faith in God even though life may be tough at the moment. Doesn’t faith make even less sense when life gets tough? Yet, the prophets very clearly push their people to have faith, their words push us to have faith and even “rejoice in the Lord!” Sunday’s Old Testament reading from Habakkuk presses on, “if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. The rash one has no integrity; but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.” A very clear message that takes it to another level by saying that in order to simply live we must have faith. How do we then make sense of faith?
If Habakkuk is saying “…the just one, because of his faith, shall live,” then I say the one who lives has faith. Therefore, how we live will give us faith, how we live will allow God’s grace to come upon us and give us faith. That is the challenge: to live. It is not easy to simply live. I turn to the gospel readings of the week then for guidance on how to live.
We can say that the gospel themselves are our guide for living so that we may gain faith amongst much more of God’s grace. But, again, I think the readings of this past week point to some specific examples for us.
This week we hear two versions of the same gospel reading where the apostles ask Jesus who is the greatest. Jesus turns to a child for his response to the apostles saying, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven.” “Whoever receives this child in my name receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. For the one who is the least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” A very clear message from Jesus about how we should live. Living to the point where we are able to humble ourselves in such a way that “children” / “the least” become the greatest. The faith received because of directing our lives in this way helps us accept and truly receive Jesus who is our path to God the Father.
Using some other gospel passages of the past week, I believe we desire to follow Jesus like the one who speaks to Jesus and says, “I will follow you, wherever you go.” Jesus’ clear message to those who want to follow is, “Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” That is to live. Jesus adds, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God.” To live then means to go forward and let go of what is preventing us from proclaiming the Kingdom of God. We must look at our lives and see what is getting in the way. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy (Sunday’s 2nd reading) he reminds Timothy, “…God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.” To be humbled to point of being childlike, of being the least is to use God’s gift “of power and love and self-control.” Yet, it is very easy to live without using these gifts, life is just much easier without having to worry about loving all, taking self-control over our desires that steer us away from God, and why worry about the power to bear our “share of hardship for the gospel.”
Let us live such that we may open our eyes to see and ears to hear, for faith is a grace from God. Jesus reminds us, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see. For I say to you, many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.”
If we hear and see, Jesus’ message to “Go and proclaim the Kingdom of God” becomes God’s call to live. Live so that we might recognize faith, gain faith, and live faith. Live so that on that day we may say to God, “We were unprofitable servants; but have done what we were obliged to do.”
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