28th Week, Saturday, Oct 16
Romans 4:13, 16-18 / Luke 12:8:12
Abraham is our father; He saw hope where others didn't see it.
A famous painting portrays a man playing chess with the devil for his soul. The devil has just checkmated the man's king. The average chess player looks at the painting and sees no hope at all for the young man. Paul Murphy, one of the world's great chess players, studied the painting for a long time. Suddenly he saw a way out of the situation. Excitedly he cried out, “Don't give up hope, young man! There's still a good move left!" This is also the message that Abraham shouts to each one of us. “Don't give up hope!"
***
How hopeful are we of God's love and grace, in spite of our
own sinfulness? "If I keep the green bough in my heart, the singing bird
will come.” Chinese proverb
***
It is faith that makes us what God wants us to be. What is
faith? It can have four meanings. It can mean -
1. To
accept as true what we are told. As we say, I believe you. This has no
merit as St James tells us; even the devils believe.
2. The
whole Doctrine: whatever a Catholic believes. As we say: Catechism teaches
us the Catholic Faith.
3. Faith
as it is used here means: to know, love and serve God. Total surrender to
God. To fill my thoughts with God, to give my whole heart to God. To accept God
as the meaning of my life.
4. Faith
can mean trust or confidence. Such trust or confidence can be blind. Faith
knows whom it trusts. This was the faith of Abraham. Faith made him see God as
the one who brings the dead to life and calls into being what does not exist.
This faith relies on the promise of God, in God's grace and not in the
observance of law. Observance of the law and faith are completely different
from each other. Law leads to transgression and to the anger of God, faith
leads to grace and the love of God.
***
Faith consists in encountering a living God and taking him
at his word, believing in a promise. This is what Abraham did, and God
fulfilled the promise. This is, in a way, what two young people do when they
embark on a marriage. They trust that they can make it, that they can deepen
their relations, that they will grow in love and faithfulness. This is the
adventure of the religious: they believe in a promise – that’s why
they make a vow – a promise to a Christ who promises. A promise
belongs to the order of love: a trust, a love, and a faithfulness that keep
growing.
***
There is always this question about the meaning of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit and what does that entail, because Jesus said that such a thing cannot be forgiven. For us, we believe that the Holy Spirit is one of the Persons of the Trinity, and that the Holy Spirit is sent by the Father and the Son into our hearts to lead us and to direct us in the truth. But if we knowingly and constantly ignore the call to faith and outrightly suppress the truth within us, then we are obstinately rejecting the Holy Spirit, which is actually rejecting God Himself. But it is not likely that we are absolutely that stubborn.
However, to blaspheme against the Holy Spirit is a more serious matter. Because that would be like ascribing the working of the Holy Spirit and something holy to that of the working of the devil and the unholy. They commit it, persist in it, even though they know what they are doing is not right at all.
It is like their eyes and hearts are so tightly closed to
the goodness of divine love, so much so that the light of goodness had become
darkness, and goodness had become evil. May the Holy Spirit open our hearts and
heal our hearts of sin so that we may see goodness and love in everything and
everyone.
***
To those that are faithful to him, Christ promises to let
his Spirit speak and work in them in times of trial.
***
A Christian has no reason to fear. If in his life he lived
for God, the father will protect him. We are of greater worth than sparrows.
Man cannot flee in fear, except into the merciful arms of the Father. The Son
will speak up for us when it matters most at the last judgement, if we have
spent our life for him. The Holy Spirit will teach us what to say when we are
dragged before magistrates and authorities. Who speaks against him will not be
forgiven as long as he persists within this attitude. The spirit is our
advocate who will put the right word into our mouth. Our security is in the
hands of God. Even in his passion, Jesus was able to say: I am not alone, for
the Father is with me. A Christian may not be secure in his body before the
enemies of Christ. His security lies in the trust of the infinite who alone can
decide our eternal fate.
***
Prayer
Lord our God, you can bring the dead back to life. You want
us to trust you and to believe in your promises. Give us a faith strong enough to
keep hoping in the good news of your power that can renew the world, of people
capable of unity and peace, of the joy of a fresh love that can bear all and do
all through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
