February 16, 2025
Loving Father,
Help us place our trust in You. May we embrace our faith in You, place all our hope in You, and find the fulness of love in You. Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Commentary
Our First Reading for this Sixth Sunday of Ordinary Time leads us right to the point of this three-part series. TRUST! In whom do we trust? Do we trust merely in our human endeavors, or do we trust in God? More importantly, do we trust in Jesus?
If we were to examine the virtue of faith alone, we could easily focus on matters of belief. I believe that God is Father Almighty. I believe that Jesus is Lord. I believe that the Holy Spirit was given to us at Pentecost. Wonderful! But, do I believe that God is my Father, Jesus is my Lord, the Holy Spirit is my Advocate?
Sometime in my life, I am expected to take a true leap of faith and trust in God. The Prophet Jeremiah says, “Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose hope is the Lord.” That word hope should get our attention. Like faith, hope is one of the three cardinal virtues. In a prophetic way, Jeremiah bridges the two virtues of faith and hope with the word trust. How are we able to have faith in the Lord unless we hope in Him? Trust gathers these two virtues together beautifully.
On a scale of 1 to 10, where would I place my trust in the Lord?
Commentary
Our Second Reading challenges the Christian to trust in the Lord and a bright promise of a life with God in heaven.
Sadly, there are many who lose sight of this promised reward. They begin to doubt in the power of Jesus and in His Resurrection and this doubt leads many toward despair.
Even those who had spent years at Mass can find themselves on their deathbed requesting assurance from their priests and loved ones that there is a heaven waiting for them. This is true darkness!
St. Paul encourages the Corinthians to trust in the Risen Christ and in eternal life. Death comes to us all. But heaven is ready for those who practice their faith (their trust) in the Lord.
To those who practice such faith, they hope in their own resurrection from the dead, and their hope is not in vain.
When we proclaim our Creed, we say, “I believe in the Resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.” On as scale of 1 to 10, how firmly do I place my trust in this article of faith?
Continued...
Commentary
Practicing our trust in the Lord requires a rule of life (a set of laws and precepts) to guide us on the journey. Our Psalm today says that we must “delight in the law of the Lord.”
Delight is a good word. It moves us from a sense of blind obedience in the Lord to a love for the Lord and His ways. It is a word of faith that is relational. To delight (love) the Lord and His commands is fulfilling the third Cardinal Virtue. In the end, there is faith, hope, and love, and the greatest of these is love!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus offers us a rule of life. Unlike the Ten Commandments given on a remote mountain, Jesus comes down with His Apostles and stands on a “stretch of level ground.” He stands on our level and, on this level playing field, He offers blessings and woes. First, to the poor, the hungry, the weeping, and the hated, He offers blessings.
Then, to the rich, the filled, those who are laughing, and who are spoken well of, Jesus offers woes.
The point, of course, is trust. Do I trust in my wealth and what others think of me? Or, do I trust in the Lord alone?
In what way do I practice my faith and trust in the Lord?
Write down your list of daily spiritual habits (morning prayers, adoration, rosary, feeding the poor, etc). These are elements of your personal rule of life.
In what way are you keeping this rule of life? Do you delight in it?
Has it made you a more faithful, hopeful, and loving person for the Lord?
All recite together these words of St. Alphonsus Liguori:
Response: Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Used with Permission. All rights reserved. Christ in Our Neighborhood © is a Scripture program designed by Bishop John Dolan of the Diocese of Phoenix. Free resources at dphx.org/christ-in-our-neighborhood.
