Introduction:
Trust in God is a key theme in the Bible. Christ asks the same of us today: “do not be afraid trust in God, trust in me”. No matter our trials in life let’s never lose that trust. and lets confess if we fail in this.
Homily
“I feel awful, I wish someone would shoot me, I can’t go on living”; that’s what someone said to me recently. It shocked me to the core. I can’t conceive of anyone ever giving up on life, its so precious. But maybe I shouldn’t be so shocked. Despite so-called progress, many in society are in despair. Look at the numbers ringing The Samaritans and Help-line. We all go through rough patches in our lives but these seem to be more accentuated nowadays. Problems and difficulties pile up and we’re tempted to lose hope. In that situation we should listen to Jesus: “Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God still, trust in me”.
Indeed that’s what the gospels about, Christ’s care for us. He will heal us if we let him. Indeed he alone can lift us up in our darkest hours and lighten our burdens. Scripture says: “cast your care on the Lord for he has care of you” and Jesus in today’s Gospel says that by trusting in him, the way the truth and the life, we can endure all trials and sufferings, and to avail of his healing love all we have to do is to call on his name.
The late John Paul 11 is good example of someone who did just that. His motto was Christ’s words “Be not afraid for I am with you”. That’s how he endured Communist and Fascist oppression, a bullet in the stomach and a terrible last illness. Through it all he smiled at the world. At one time young people were putting his motto on wrist-bands. We should wear it on our hearts so that we’ll be wise. Trust in God will carry us past all obstacles. For God is not a luxury but necessary to us as the air we breathe.
Without Him life’s empty and meaningless and its easy to give up. But with him we get past troubles easier. This is a proven fact. A psychological study in hospitals have shown that those with faith are more likely to recover from illness and recover quicker. And a new scientific study shows evolution favors those with faith. The story of Pierce Brosnan, the James Bond star, is an example of this. He went through a deep crisis recently, and he wrote that only for his Catholic faith he’d never have survived. And the poet Sheamus Heaney asked these words to be read out at his funeral, “noli me temere”.
What makes us, God’s people, so strong in adversity is the certainty that we’re not alone. God is with us and lifts us up from every abyss of pain. Indeed if we trust and pray, he turns all our weaknesses into strengths. Christ spent most of his time caring for those in society who were sick or scorned by society. He was down there among them because he cared and they were his precious children. He still does that today, and it must hurt Him deeply when people spurn his outstretched arms. He knocks at the door to offer inner healing, but we won’t let Him in. Then when things get rough, we’ve no such sure ground left to stand on. We shouldn’t make that mistake, but accepting God as our hope for this world and the next, we may find deep peace and strength. For all else fades to dust at last but Christ is lord of healing love and grace for this world and forever and ever, amen. So as God’s people putting our trust in God and his Christ in every crisis small or great, and so winning through, lets profess our faith.
Prayers of the faithful:
As God’s own people in Christ lets make our prayers to the Father of all our deepest needs with supreme confidence..
For the church throughout the world that trust in the risen Christ may illumine its life and bring others to God’s arms..
For civil leaders that they may win the trust of the people by wise, honest and all-embracing policies..
For our youth that trust in the Lord and remaining faithful to his church they may come to deeper inner happiness and strength in this life, and to fullness of life forever and ever..
For ourselves in our homes and communities that we may live the words of the psalm: ” I trusted even when I said I am sorely afflicted, when I said in my alarm no man can be trusted”…
“The just man lives by faith”, scripture says. We pray for the sick that they may never lose hope or trust in the Lord, and through our care may they know the loving care of Christ…
For the dead that they may win the reward of their faith and trust by coming safely to the kingdom prepared for them from the beginning of the world…
And we ask all these prayers with confidence from the father, through Christ who constantly intercedes for us and the Holy Spirit who is the Advocate..
Our Father
And so as the people of the heavenly Father, trusting completely in his care for us let us pray in the word our savior gave us..
Reflection;
There’s a story told about Theresa of Avila. An evil man was about to be hanged and she prayed that he would find salvation. Up to the time of his death he cursed and blasphemed but suddenly at the gibbet, to everyone’s astonishment, he kissed the cross. Theresa gave thanks, her prayer and trust brought about his salvation. Its the same with us, if we trust in the lord all will be well. We pray to Mother Mary who believed even as her son died on the cross, that we’ll come to a deep trusting faith..Hail Mary