19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

This Sunday we continue our prayer for peace in the world. The pictures and the stories of starvation coming out of Gaza are a constant reminder of the need for peace of heart, mind and soul. With  the current state of the world we  pray  that  the politicians will come together to work for peace. The readings for 19th Sunday advise us to be prepared for we do not know when our time to move from this world to the next will come. Spiritual readiness is the theme for this Sunday and we should ask ourselves are we prepared for our lives in the world to come.    In the first Reading  from Wisdom the ancestors had foreknowledge of the Passover, giving them courage. The salvation of the just and destruction of foes were awaited. The Responsorial Psalm tells us that the righteous are urged to rejoice in the Lord. The people chosen by God are blessed, and the Lord’s gaze is upon those who respect Him. They await His mercy and protection.   In the  Second Reading   from Hebrews Abraham’s unwavering faith in God’s promise led him to a foreign land, where he and his descendants flourished.

This Gospel reading begins with some of the most beautiful of Jesus’ words: “There is no need to be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. These particular words fear not little flock are so full of meaning especially these days when there is so much fear and distrust around in many different countries and spheres of life. The words of our Lord should make us all sit up and take notice. He has taken us into his household. He has made us his “little flock.” We are invited guests in his house rather than just being mere servants. Jesus also warns us that we must always be busy about our vocation and there are many vocations in life. We also remember the reason why he invited us into his home. We are Christians, we are members of his Church, God, through Christ’s Incarnation, has put us on the road to heaven. He is always there with us helping us along the way.  We don’t know in advance what God may do with us and our own oftentimes selfish plans a friend of mine always said that Man proposes and God disposes in other words the will of God will happen no matter what we might want or do.  To those who have faith, all things are possible there is an  old saying that faith moves mountains but we should keep on climbing  and it certainly is true.

Faith helps us to rely on the infinite power of God, not on our own limited power. We don’t know when personal circumstances will put us to the test. But we do know that our lives will be a success if we set our hearts and minds on values that go beyond all the goods and chattels of this world. Our faith, is leading us onward, always pointing to something still to come, and at the end of our pilgrimage on earth we will find where our true treasure is and that is in heaven with the Father in his house. The gospel words do not fear little flock are a call for us to place our trust in God and he will help us when we come to the trials and tribulations of life especially these days when the world seems to be  in turmoil.  The Holy Year of Hope encourages us to remain hopeful, even in the face of adversity. Again and again, the Gospel assures us: we need not fear the future. Instead, we are called to place our hope and trust in God our refuge, our strength, our help, and our shield. In doing so, we journey together, trusting that God’s love will see us through all of life’s trials and lead us to our eternal home.