In our readings for today we are called to have
patience and trust in God that our faith in Him will grow. There will be times,
as described in Hebrews, that we will struggle in our faith. Hebrews describes
those with faith as in a contest of suffering or being exposed to abuse and
afflictions due to their faith in the Lord. Hebrews goes on to describe that we
with faith, though we are suffering at times, we will have a “better and
lasting possession.”
That better and lasting possession is being in
relationship with the Lord. In the Psalm response for today, we hear, “Trust in the Lord and do good that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security. Take delight in the Lord, and he will grant you your heart’s request.” Trusting
in the Lord, even when things in our lives seem difficult or hard, is what the
Lord is hoping that each one will do. We need to place our trust in God, and he
will be there to comfort us even in times of difficulty.
Then in our gospel for today we hear the Lord describe
our faith like that of a seed, which at first is small and insignificant. With
time and nurturing, our faith grows, and we become stronger in our faith in the
Lord. It is then we can find peace and security in the Lord.
Today we commemorate St. Angela Merici, a saint from
the 15th century saint. She is an example of how faith can grow,
even during difficult times. At the age of 10, Angela and her sister became
orphaned and went to live with their uncle.
Then, after the death of her sister, Angela was inspired by the Holy Spirit to
dedicate herself to the Lord and to give her life in service to the Church to
help everyone grow closer to the Lord.
She became increasingly more devout and joined the Third Order of St.
Francis where she also pledged to remain a consecrated virgin, forsaking
marriage to one man to be married to the Lord and His Church. Though suffering
greatly in her life, she was able to find peace and consolation in serving the
Lord.
As we journey through our lives, let
us use St. Angela Merici as an example of how to live out our faith. Even
during her life and her suffering and losses, she was able to find that peace
that can only come from the Lord by loving him above all things and by serving
other people in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. We can do this service very
easily by serving those among our family and friends. We are to love and serve
them as we are to love and serve Christ. And we are to do it with patience,
kindness, and love. Angela Merici, pray for us.
From Arlene B. Muller
ReplyDeleteYES, often we are called to trust GOD, especially when He allows things that we do not understand & especially when the people who are suffering are very faithful servants of the LORD.
A friend in our choir had a son (she is a widow & her only child, Anthony, was adopted): a very fine young man in his 20s who truly loved GOD with all his heart & was even considering priesthood, but he was going through a lot of emotional struggling (someone had pointed a gun at him in Texas, he came back home, & he was struggling with his new teaching job & didn't even realize what wonderful job he had been doing under challenging circumstances). My friend is also an EM, & after singing in the choir with us at the Sunday noon Mass she was called to bring Holy Communion to someone that was not originally a planned Communion call. After the Communion call she was in touch with her son by text as she shopped at CVS. When she came home she noticed that her son had not come downstairs to attend the 5PM Mass, which was unlike him, so she went upstairs to find him dead from suicide (he had hanged himself in his room).
It is hard to understand why GOD allowed this to happen, especially when his mother had answered an unplanned call to bring Him to someone in need of receiving Him in Holy Communion & especially since her son deeply loved the LORD, was truly seeking Him in the midst of his struggles & had a deep desire to serve Him.
In cases such as this it is only human to ask "Why" & "What if"--especially to ask why GOD in His sovereignty did not intervene to stop him, since sometimes GOD DOES act in Intervening, as we know from instances, such as in the many accounts of people who would normally have been in One World Trade on 9/11/2001 but for some circumstances were not there & their lives were spared.
Thank the LORD my friend is a woman of very strong faith who has a strong support system of priests who are close friends, including a spiritual director, & fellow lay people in the choir who sang at her son's funeral last Saturday, & many other close friends from her many years of service in the Church.
We trust that Our LORD knows Anthony intimately & fully knows & understands his mind & his heart even more than any human being could & is full of mercy & understanding & forgiveness & that He will give Anthony peace. We trust that He is present to his mother in her grieving, & we trust that somehow He will work this tragedy for some good (Romans 8:28) with our cooperation.
This is definitely a situation that demands trust, endurance & continued faithfulness