Year A: 10th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Second Reading: Romans 4: 18-25

Faith is central to our relationship with God. The faith in question is not blind and unquestioning - but is closer to trust - a trust that goes on believing even when things do not make sense.

It is a faith which draws on experience - and, sometimes, on the strength of others - to sustain ourselves through the difficult times.

It is a trust that comes from deep within - like that of Abraham. Abraham was prepared to uproot himself and his whole household, leaving behind his family’s gods, to go into the wilderness in search of a new homeland because of the promises and covenant made by God.

He could not explain where his certainty came from - it was pure trust - pure faith.

This faith proved the depth of his commitment to God. It is easy to believe in God when things are going right - when faith brings the fruits of prosperity and success.

Faith that perseveres through suffering and trials and disappointment is of higher order. This is the faith that St Paul exhorts his readers to strive for. They may be suffering persecution - but their faith can lead to a deeper trust in God who can sustain them through it. Not only that, but their perseverance in faith and trust will justify them before God.

They can prove that they are not fair weather believers - faithful only as long as God comes up with the goods. Their faith and trust in the face of seemingly overwhelming odds shows God that they believe in Him for His own sake - and not for any reward.

The reason for our faith lies in the death and resurrection of Jesus. Jesus’ faith and trust in God remained constant through all the suffering that He endured. His trust enabled Him to place His spirit into the hands of the God He could no longer feel.

This is the kind of faith we are called to. Most of us do not have an intense sense of God’s presence - we have to echo Jesus’ act of faith on the cross - into Your hands... This trust is what commends us to God - as it commended the early Christians - and believers right back into the mists of time.

What does it mean for me?

When has your faith and trust in God sustained you through seemingly impossible difficulties?

Text © 2007 Wellspring

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