1 February 2025 - homily for Saturday of the 3rd week in Ordinary Time - Hebrews 11: 1-2 and 8-19

As we continue to hear from the letter to the Hebrews in our first reading at daily Mass today, we hear a beautiful reflection on faith from the 11th chapter of Hebrews. This chapter draws upon the people and events of the Hebrew Scriptures in Old Testament to give us an inspiring portrait of religious faith that does not yield to the obstacles and challenges that it faces. It looks at the book of Genesis, the time of Moses, and the patriarchs, judges, and prophets of the Jewish faith. The author concentrates on what faith does, rather than trying to give a theological or academic definition of faith. Through faith, God brings us the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith, that what he promises will eventually come to pass 

Faith and hope often deal with realities for which we do not have concrete evidence, but they are realities on which we base our life of discipleship.  However, it does not mean that we have no evidence for these realities. Often, with faith and hope, we discover that by acting on the basis of their promise, we find what we are looking for.  It is more than just wishful thinking or a wild shot in the dark. 

The author of Hebrews tells us these stories to give us encouragement. For members of the Early Church, who were often under times of great persecution, great faith was needed. I wonder what those early Christians would make of our faith today? In our own country, and throughout the world, our faith is sometimes under attack in one form or another. It can be in the form of direct persecution or harassment, or it can be pressure from our secular culture. We are called to go back to the heart of the faith, to the proclamation of God’s kingdom that Christ and the apostles handed down to us. We are called to continue on our journey of faith, trusting that the Lord will keep his covenant with us.