Saturday of the 6th week in the ordinary time of the year A
Theme: Faith in God
The 1st reading of today from the letter to the Hebrews, points out the fact that if we truly want to serve God in truth and in spirit, then we must be people of faith. It took us down memory lane, pointing out to us different events in the lives of some of our ancestors in faith; when they showed their faith in God, and they were not disappointed. In our relationship with God, faith is a necessity, because there are some teachings that the human mind cannot comprehend, yet they are truth of our faith. In history, we had men and women who showed us practically what it means to have faith in God, even to the point of risking their lives; an example that readily comes to mind for me is the story of Esther and so many other people in the scriptures.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, things have not really changed for us, as followers of Christ in our own time. We must have faith and trust in God in times of trials and tribulations, just like some of our ancestors in faith did during their own time. Remember we are still serving the same God; he has not changed and will come through for all those who have faith in him; just like he did for some of our ancestors in faith. When we allow faith in God to lead us, we take certain decisions and risks that the human mind cannot comprehend; and still have faith that God will come through for us. However, faith in God does not mean that we leave the things that we can do for ourselves and say we have faith that God will do it for us. It simply means that you have done what you can do in that situation, and then you believe that God will provide whatever is left. Sometimes some of us leave what we can do for ourselves and say we have faith that God will do it for us; that is simply an abuse of your faith in God.
Dearly beloved in Christ, in the gospel reading of today, we are presented with the story of the Transfiguration, Jesus took with him Peter, James and John up the mountain and they saw the glory of God. This encounter was beyond the comprehension of the three Apostles that went up the mountain with Jesus, and that is why Peter talked about building tents for them. But with their faith in God, they believed in the voice that came out of the cloud, even though they did not see the owner of the voice. It is said that without faith you cannot please God. May God increase our faith. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.