Do not be afraid to obey God’s Words.
Our Scriptural readings today invite us to place our trust
in God because He is mighty to save. Our first reading from the Book of Wisdom
is a hymn of praise. The writer praises God and the people.
1. God
is praised as a God who saves His people in the darkest hour of their lives: A
God who is loving, faithful and mighty to save.
2. The
people of Israel are praised for putting their trust in the words of a God they
did not know. They did not know him personally. Unlike Moses they did not see
God face-to-face. However, they placed their total trust in what he had done in
the past and in his promises that his plan for their lives is good. They
experienced the Passover (salvation)
because they did exactly as this God asked them to do: “for in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice
and putting into effect the divine institution” (Wis. 18:). That is why the
writer also praises the people for their role in their own salvation, their
obedience to God’s words.
In our second reading, the writer of the letter to the
Hebrews tells us that all the fathers of our faith, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob experienced
God’s salvation because they put their faith in God’s words and obeyed God. Take a moment to put yourself in the shoes
of Abram and imagine being asked by God to leave your people and go to a place
you do not know. Think about the story when Abraham is asked to go and offer
Isaac.
Yes, we are like Abraham, we do not see God face to face but
we hear his words; and when we obey God’s words, only one thing happens:
Salvation.
In our gospel, Jesus addresses one of the main obstacles
that prevent us form putting our total trust in God: Fear. Many times, we fail to live our faith not because we do not
care about it, or not even because we do not believe, but because we are afraid
of what obedience to God’s Word might bring us. We are afraid that obeying God
might destroy our lives or take our joy in life away. Jesus teaches us how to
overcome that fear. He tells us to do 3 things:
1. Remember that our God loves us and cannot destroy us. God cannot
destroy. He can only love and make things better.… “your Father is pleased to
give you the kingdom” Therefore obedience to God’s word can only bring us good
not evil.
2. Gird your loins: Be courageous and throw
yourself into the arms of God.
3. Light your lamps: This is a symbol of waiting and welcoming a
quest. In effect, Jesus is telling us to welcome God into our situations and allow
God to be part of our problems and our joys. Is God asking you to trust him in
a special way right now and obey his words? Do not be afraid to obey His Words!
He only comes to make things better.
I would like to suggest two questions for your reflection
this week. Ask yourself: In which part of my life am I afraid to obey God’s
words? And why am I afraid?
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