29th Sunday - Fr. Leo
Faith is believing in the goodness of God in good times and in bad. Much like a marriage relationship that may have rocky moments. Faith is a daily commitment to trust in God. To know that above the clouds on the gloomiest day, the sun is still too bright to look at with the naked eye.
Faith is a challenge. Centuries ago when crops failed, God’s presence was questioned. Today, we read about Russia’s naked aggression and wonder where God is in it all. Many of you may have read the book, “Why do bad things happen to good people?”
Bad things do happen and they are going to happen. To help us maintain our faith in these times, it may be good to consider the following thoughts. One, who determines what is bad? Many things are bad by moral and ethical standards, but some bad things may be a gift. Death is ‘bad’ we think, but it is also the door to eternal life. Health issues aren’t good, but we are human and that is part of the cross we bear with Christ. Suffering can become redemptive. Is it bad, yes, no denying it, but there are many who die in peace, young and old, whose deaths became gifts to all, as Jesus’ is to us.
Secondly, God isn’t a miracle worker at our service. God isn’t going to instantly stop the war in the Ukraine. We have free will and if our greed, or the greed of a few is permitted, we will see grave destruction as the result of false human egos and pride. God is not to blame. Sadly, the killing of the Holy Innocents goes on.
On a more positive note, we can look at Moses in our first reading. When his strength failed, he was helped by the men around him. When our faith starts to falter, we have each other. This is what Church is all about. We are a community of believers who encourage each other to believe in good times and bad.
We see this in our community when we gather to anoint those of us who are sick as we journey with them in our prayers. That sense of a loving community sustains faith. We are not meant to go it alone. Faith is sustained by real care in real time that we give to each other. It is this gift that will maintain our faith as our arms remained raised in praise of God. It is this faith that we pray the Lord will find when he returns.