Jesus assures us that God trusts in us.  We trust God because he first trusts us.

Better than any prophet, Jesus’ embodies the divine invitation to trust.  That is because the Teacher explains in simple terms that God is the heavenly Father who loves all his children very much.

And Jesus’ works of mercy, as well as his understanding, supportive, attentive and welcoming attitude, confirm besides that God is very good indeed.  Says St. Vincent de Paul in a deposition, “How good you are, O God, my God, how good you are, since indeed in my Lord Francis de Sales, your creature, there is such great gentleness” (SV.EN XIIIa:91).  One can rightly suppose, then, that the people become convinced of the heavenly Father’s goodness as they witness Jesus’ goodness.

For the simple folks, the witness to the Father that Jesus gives is unquestionable.  So, only the legal experts question it.  These are the ones who neglect the weightier things of the law—justice, mercy and fidelity.  They are gatekeepers who lock the kingdom of heaven before people.  They do not enter and do not allow others to enter.   Opposing Jesus who offers his easy yoke and his light burden, they lay heavy burdens on people’s shoulders.  Perhaps they distrust everyone because of their unhealthy distrust of themselves.

In contrast, our heavenly Father trusts in us, his little children.  Otherwise, he would not have given us his kingdom nor would he have revealed to us such an important thing as the way to assure ourselves of heaven.

Trust calls for trust in return.

Jesus affectionately shows to the little flock the importance of trusting God.  Unless we are trusting of him, we will not overcome our fears, since we are faint-hearted and are like children.  Nor will we dare practice generosity and sharing of both blessings and dangers.  And without these virtues, there is no way we can attain the inexhaustible, unlosable and indestructible treasure.

If we do not have trust, we would probably wait grumpily for the one whose coming is delayed.  We could end not waiting at all.

Without trusting God and having no one to wait for, we will run the risk of becoming self-absorbed.  We will turn into narcissists, prone to pleasure-seeking, name-calling and bullying.

On the other hand, to trust in God, in imitation of Jesus, is to assure ourselves of life through communion with him.  He gives his body up and sheds his blood.  Trusting in God’s power to raise the dead to life, he abandons himself to the divine will.

If that is how trusting we are, then we will dully be returning trust for trust.

Lord Jesus, teach us to be trust in God and to foster trust in our communities.

August 7, 2016
19^th Sunday in O.T. (C)
Wis 18, 6-9; Heb 11, 1-2. 8-19; Lk 12, 32-48