Learning to rely on God
Reflections on the readings for the Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (August 11, 2019): WIS 18:8-9; PS 33:1,12,18-19,20-22; HEB 11:1-2,8-19; LK 12:32-48
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days
Faith is the essence of today’s liturgy.
We are reminded to have confidence in God who is always there for us and always fulfills His promises. The first line of the citation from Hebrews is a beautiful expression of what it means to entrust ourselves to our loving Lord. “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested.… By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land” (Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-9). The first Christians came from the Jewish community and so were familiar with the profound belief in Almighty God shown by Abraham and his wife Sarah. Despite their advanced age, the couple was called by God to have descendants as abundant as the very stars above. They persevered in their loyalty to the Lord and were rewarded.
Today we need to have the same trust in God – Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We need to allow Him to make use of us to build His kingdom. Our Lord blesses each of us with gifts that He wants us to use in our own unique way. We are individuals chosen by our Creator to fulfill a particular role for the good of His precious world as well as that of our own soul so beloved by Him. Let us humbly and gratefully cooperate with God this day and every single day He gives us.
Suggested missionary action: We can spend some time considering what faith means in our day-to-day lives. And we can get into the habit of saying thoughtfully throughout the day, “Jesus, I trust in you.”
