TREASURE YOUR FAITH
Monday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
My dear encountered couples:
Have you ever noticed there are some things we believe and some we don’t? That there are some people whose word we will take but not others? This is nothing new. It is as old as the human race. Who are we to believe, who are we to doubt? There were people who struggled with that question in regard to Jesus. There were some who believed him when he spoke, others who mistrusted his every word. It is no different now. You believe in Christ, while somebody in your own neighborhood, maybe in your own house, might not.
Faith is a mystery. We can’t buy it, we can’t earn it, we can’t make it happen. But when it does happen our lives are changed either to the better or to the worse, depending in whom and what we put our faith in.
Faith is what moves us to do what we do. The people of Nineveh believed Jonah when he told them to change their ways or their city would be destroyed. They believed, so they changed their ways and their city was saved. The Queen of Sheba believed the fantastic stories about Solomon and traveled many miles to see him and listen to him. She was not disappointed.
I suspect that we human beings at times also ask Jesus or God for a sign. Perhaps we hope Jesus will affirm a decision we are making. Or we simply would like to receive a sign that Jesus is present with us. Personally, I always want my sign to be clear and evident! Yet Jesus tells his listeners that, he, Jesus, will be the sign to the present generation just as Jonas was the sign for the Ninevites. Is Jesus enough of a sign for us? Or do we desire something more visible or tangible? Or will we trust that Jesus is present to us now and every moment of our lives?
Jesus speaks to us. Not just from the past in the Scriptures, but in the present through all the people and things in our lives. Those who hear him and believe, and prove their belief by acting upon his words, not only save their souls, they will never know disappointment in eternity. Treasure your faith. It’s a gift from God. Pray for everyone to be as fortunate as you. May we always believe that Jesus is the sign given to us by God! And may we trust that Jesus is with us every moment of the day!
