(Rom 4: 13, 16-18; Ps 105: 6-9, 42-43; Lk 12: 8-12)
Catholics sometimes think there is no point in reading the old testament, because it just doesn’t seem to be relevant to our modern lives. Their reasoning is that the birth of Jesus Christ changed everything, because he established a new covenant with God’s people through his death and resurrection. But, today’s first reading from the old testament is a good example that shows there is still much to learn from these ancient texts.
In the first reading for mass today, Saint Paul explained that:
“It was not through the law that the promise was made to Abraham and his descendants that he would inherit the world, but through the righteousness that comes from faith. For this reason it depends on faith…and the promise may be guaranteed to all his descendants, not to those who only adhere to the law but to those who follow the faith of Abraham.”
Catholics sometimes get caught up in all the rules and technicalities of our faith, and believe that by following the rules perfectly they will be considered good Christians and will inherit eternal life by these efforts to grow in holiness. The old testament reading today though, emphasizes that faith is the criteria that makes a person holy. That doesn’t mean we are free to commit all the sins we want, it’s just that faith in God is more important than just avoiding sin. Studying the Catechism alone will not earn us the right to enter heaven, however much we may try. Our faith in Jesus Christ will though.
It takes faith to clearly state what you believe and why you believe it, especially when you are questioned by people who are not very open to our Catholic beliefs. Young people are often caught up in a crowd of friends who do not share the same faith or belief in God that they do and it is difficult for them to go against whatever their group of friends believe. It may come as a shock sometimes, that your closest friends or family members reject the most basic elements of our Catholic faith, such a belief in the one, true God and in His son Jesus Christ.
Jesus said in today’s gospel though, “I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.”
Sometimes even those we know who were raised Catholic or profess to believe in God, will still look at you strange if you want to pray for a seriously ill or dying person at their bedside. To mention Jesus at all, outside of mass on Sundays seems out of place to them.
To attend the funeral of an atheist is a very sad thing. No one prays or reads the scriptures or acknowledges Jesus Christ in any way. It is such a feeling of emptiness to attend the funeral of an atheist. It is even harder if it is a member of your own family. But, even in these circumstances, the best thing to do is to pray for the person that died anyway. Only the good Lord knows if they turned to him in their last moments of life and if they did, then they surely need our prayers.
Jesus said that “Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.”
The first thing all of us need to realize is just how very difficult it would be for us to actually commit the sin of blasphemy if we love Jesus. The devil sometimes harasses people though and does his best to get them to commit this sin. Even priests have heard the voices of the demons assault them when they elevate the host at mass. It is a rare event when this occurs but the demons are real. They do exist and we should be on our guard against them. As a general rule of thumb though, if the voices come from outside yourself and you did not speak them, or will that the words be said, then you have not committed this sin. It is only a sin if you willed it and verbalized it.
On the opposite side of this is when Christ told his disciples:
“When they take you before synagogues and before rulers and authorities, do not worry about how or what your defense will be or about what you are to say. For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you should say.”
Have you ever received a light of understanding unexpectedly, without conscious thought just when you needed it the most? Sometimes the solution to a complicated problem will be revealed to you in a single instant. And, it is a much better solution than anything you could have come up with on your own, even with a lot of effort. This is how the Holy Spirit works though. He comes when you least expect Him.
The thing we might glean from the daily readings for Mass today is to trust your instincts. People have gut feelings about things and should trust them. We instinctively know good from evil. Trust what is good, resist what is evil and always proclaim Jesus Christ as the savior of the world. Remember the hymn that we sometimes sing at mass that says, “we walk by faith and not by sight?” That hymn sums up today’s readings for mass most beautifully.
Rom 4: 13, 16-18 / Ps 105: 6-9, 42-43 / Lk 12: 8-12
