August 8, 2010
In the pledge of allegiance to the flag of our nation, we claim to
be "a nation under God"; yet it would seem that the light of Christ
has not been kept burring brightly by the majority of the people and
leaders of our nation. The sorry fact is that if we are truly
honest with ourselves in looking into the very depths of our souls,
we will probably have to admit that
1.) the light of Christ given to us at Baptism is slowly
beginning to flicker and dim, and
2.) like the society in which we live, we are becoming more
enticed by the our pagan society rather than by the light of
our Faith in Jesus Christ and in the Church.
3.) We have become so sophisticated that we even question the
basic teachings of our faith.
The readings of today's Mass call us to faith. The Lord
speaks to us through the letter of St. Paul and tells us:
"because of Faith, the men and women of the Old Testament era
were approved by God."
In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us: "Do not live in fear"! He is
telling us to have a deep faith in Him and in the Church which He
established and there will be no need for fear!
Faith is a free gift from God.
1.) It is like a pearl of great price or a treasured coin;
2.) it’s like a Christmas gift which, being unwrapped, reads on
the box: "Assembly required and batteries not included."
3.) Faith is not merely a gift received; it is also a gift which
requires effort to expand it and make it work. It must be
cared for, otherwise it will deteriorate - it needs care and
attention or it will become wild and deteriorate.
To believe in Jesus does not mean that we are automatically saved
right here and now!. To believe in Jesus means that a person is
1.) on the way to being saved, not that we have arrived.
2.) Faith is the free decision to accept and believe the
teachings of Jesus Christ and of His Church; and to live our
lives accordingly.
Today Jesus calls us through the readings to a deeper faith
- a total faith. he does not say to us: "I offer you a variety
of truths, and you may pick and choose as you like." He invites
us to a strong vibrant faith in unchanging truths –
1.) truths which do not and
2.) cannot change. –
3.) truths which are handed down to us from Jesus to His apostles
and to their successors in an uninterrupted line of succession from
generation to generation through the successors of St. Peter.
As the Second reading on today's Mass indicates, Abraham
and Sarah were not religious pickers and choosers.
1.) They accepted what seemed to be one impossible statement from
God after another and
2.) some were difficult:
A.) pack up and leave your homeland and
B.) sacrifice you only son.
Abraham and Sarah trusted in God and they were led to greatness.
1.) We are called to that same kind of faith.
2.) We are called to the realization that our lives are short and
that we are created and destined to live with the Lord
forever.
3.) We are called today to realize that the day or night is
coming when we least expect it and it will be our turn to
face the Lord in death and judgment.
We might not have time to prepare: thus Jesus regularly stressed
the necessity of continued perseverence in the Faith. we must be like
the steward in the Gospel today, who Jesus says must always be ready
to receive the Master. Faith must express itself in deeds at all
times.
Henry Cardinal Newman once stated that watching for Christ is the
unique sign of a Christian - it is a quality of Faith that sets him
apart from all the other people in the world. Watching for Christ is
to have our minds fixed in the future and our memory fixed on what
Jesus has suffered for our salvation. The Old Testament Prophet Hosea
tells us:
"Let us know: let usstrive to know the Lord: For as certain as
the dawn is His coming, and His judgment shines like the light
of day. He will come to us like rain - like the spring rain
that waters the earth."