We see in our readings today a common theme of faith. Our second reading today from the 11th chapter of the letter to the Hebrews. That chapter lists many figures from Old Testament, explaining how they walked in faith. It lists Abel, Enoch, Noah, Jacob, Rahab, and Moses. In our reading today, we hear the part that speaks about Abraham, how in faith, Abraham put his entire trust in the promises God made to him and obeyed God, leaving his past behind him and embarking on a new future, guided by his faith, not knowing exactly where God was leading him.
It is important for us to clarify and to reflect upon what faith really is, since we want to be people who walk by faith. A lot of people, unfortunately, think that faith consists of believing in something, and then it ends there. Faith is not just believing in all that God teaches us. It is interesting that in the list of all the Old Testament figures I mentioned from the 11th Chapter of Hebrew, when it mentions faith, it not only states that they believed, but that they acted upon that belief. Our faith is not only what we believe, but what we do out of that belief.
Faith is not entirely intellectually, nor is entirely emotional. Through the intellectual side of faith, we learn about our faith, and we profess what is true in our faith. But in faith, we also respond to our feelings and our emotions, learning to incorporate them and integrate them into the way we engage in our faith. But faith is also a gift of the spirit in which we give ourselves over to the divine. We have to trust God and discern God’s will through us as a part of our faith, knowing that our faith is beyond just what we individually can do by our own means.
There is a lot about faith that cannot be explained in words. I can try to explain how in faith I was called to be a missionary in Canada and Ecuador, why I followed God in faith to become a Diocesan priest here in Mississippi, but words cannot entirely explain our faith journey, can they. Our faith journey is an on-going process. It is never complete and never finished. Our faith grows as we grow. It changes as we change. The faith we have as a child is different than the faith we have as an adult. Our faith is to develop and remain with us as we journey through life. And perhaps that is part of the problem, that some people cling to the faith of their childhood and do not allow that faith to grow throughout their lifetime.
Sometimes we will feel abundance of faith in our lives. Sometimes we may have doubt. Sometimes we may have a dark night. It is a grace and a privilege to feel God’s presence with us in a special way or to have an epiphany of faith. Sometimes, we can feel a lot of clarity on our journey of faith, while at other times we may be very confused and frustrated. There may be times when we are searching for God and all we find is silence. We need to remind ourselves that in those times of confusion and loneliness, God is still there for us. We can find God in our experiences, in our work, in our family, in our relationships, and in the Church. We should never give up searching for God. We should never want to give up wanting to grow on our journey of faith.
Our Gospel tells us to have our belts done up and to have our lamps lit. For us as modern Christians, this is telling us to be like the servants awaiting the return of their master, Whenever the master arrives, the servants need to be ready to get to work with their sleeves rolled up. They will have the house lit up to keep themselves awake.
It is easy to be passive in life. To give up. To feel like we cannot make a difference. But that is not where God is calling us in faith. As we celebrate this jubilee year of hope, we can have hope on our journey of faith. We can bring that hope to others.
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