NINETEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME C

[cappie]

‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock.” There’s no need to stress yourself over things that won’t last.  You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.  Lean into the voice of the Shepherd—the one who sees beyond what we can, who calls us into a grounded, enduring faith.  ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock.”

What a gift this message is, spoken through Scripture. It is so tempting to spiral into anxiety over the things of this world—things that may not even be worth the energy of our stress. Yet Jesus reminds us: “ it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.” We are invited to wait and watch for glimpses of that kingdom, to seek it in faith. God is a generous parent who delights in drawing us into divine life.

 “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.”

Thus begins the beautiful tribute to our ancestors in faith, found in the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. 

Our Second Reading today includes only a part of that chapter, but it would be worth getting out your Bibles and reading the whole thing! It is not just a tribute to the good deeds of those good men and women of God who have gone before us; what is held up, rather, is the power of the faith that enabled their actions. 

Most of us cannot claim actual, physical descent from Abraham and Sarah, but in a very real sense we may claim them as our spiritual ancestors. Their stories, and the stories of these other Old Testament heroes, are part of our heritage. Week by week they are read in our churches, and continue to inspire us. The Epistles and the Gospels, likewise, provide us with many uplifting examples of faith in action. Our faithfulness in hearing and reading the Word of God is essential to the strengthening of our faith; for as St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the words of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

As we hear and read the stories of God’s dealing with God’s people, and their response, they shape our own response to God. They help us to understand what our being Christians in the world involves, what the truths are by which we must live. They provide a framework for all that we do.

Today’s passage from the Letter to the Hebrews is from the eleventh chapter. Summing up the paean of praise to our ancestors in the faith, the author writes feelingly at the beginning of the twelfth chapter of the “great cloud of witnesses” by which we are surrounded. Certainly, the biblical heroes are part of this great cloud; and down through the centuries there have been men and women of faith who have added to their number. And have there not been in our own lives, in our own congregations, those whose examples of faith have been used by God to encourage us, to strengthen our own faith?

The Church Calendar commemorates the lives of some of these witnesses. This week, we remember a Mary   Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, St Maximilian Kolbe  .

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is, of course, a well-known figure. She is one of those biblical saints whose stories have inspired generations of Christians. Her response of faith, recorded by St. Luke, is perhaps best embodied in her words to the angel sent from God: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary’s “yes” to God played a central part in the story of God’s people, and it reverberates down through the centuries. 

If we draw strength from the example of that great cloud of witnesses, even more do we draw it from the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews calls us to follow Jesus, to hold fast to Jesus. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings to us so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

This faith is why we must not worry, we must not panic. It might not make sense to us, but it doesn’t need to. Because of Christ’s assurance, we can open our hands, not clinging tightly to things that fade. Jesus calls us to sell our possessions, to give alms, not out of obligation but out of freedom. 

 

[MARKbragin]

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‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock.” There’s no need to stress yourself over things that won’t last.  You don’t have to figure it all out on your own.  Lean into the voice of the Shepherd—the one who sees beyond what we can, who calls us into a grounded, enduring faith.  ‘There is no need to be afraid, little flock.”

What a gift this message is, spoken through Scripture. It is so tempting to spiral into anxiety over the things of this world—things that may not even be worth the energy of our stress. Yet Jesus reminds us: “ it has pleased your Father to give you the kingdom.” We are invited to wait and watch for glimpses of that kingdom, to seek it in faith. God is a generous parent who delights in drawing us into divine life.

 “Only faith can guarantee the blessings that we hope for, or prove the existence of the realities that at present remain unseen.”

Thus begins the beautiful tribute to our ancestors in faith, found in the eleventh chapter of the Letter to the Hebrews. 

Our Second Reading today includes only a part of that chapter, but it would be worth getting out your Bibles and reading the whole thing! It is not just a tribute to the good deeds of those good men and women of God who have gone before us; what is held up, rather, is the power of the faith that enabled their actions. 

Most of us cannot claim actual, physical descent from Abraham and Sarah, but in a very real sense we may claim them as our spiritual ancestors. Their stories, and the stories of these other Old Testament heroes, are part of our heritage. Week by week they are read in our churches, and continue to inspire us. The Epistles and the Gospels, likewise, provide us with many uplifting examples of faith in action. Our faithfulness in hearing and reading the Word of God is essential to the strengthening of our faith; for as St. Paul writes in his letter to the Romans, “So faith comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through the words of Christ.” (Romans 10:17)

As we hear and read the stories of God’s dealing with God’s people, and their response, they shape our own response to God. They help us to understand what our being Christians in the world involves, what the truths are by which we must live. They provide a framework for all that we do.

Today’s passage from the Letter to the Hebrews is from the eleventh chapter. Summing up the paean of praise to our ancestors in the faith, the author writes feelingly at the beginning of the twelfth chapter of the “great cloud of witnesses” by which we are surrounded. Certainly, the biblical heroes are part of this great cloud; and down through the centuries there have been men and women of faith who have added to their number. And have there not been in our own lives, in our own congregations, those whose examples of faith have been used by God to encourage us, to strengthen our own faith?

The Church Calendar commemorates the lives of some of these witnesses. This week, we remember a Mary   Mother of Our Lord Jesus Christ, St Maximilian Kolbe  .

Mary, the mother of Jesus, is, of course, a well-known figure. She is one of those biblical saints whose stories have inspired generations of Christians. Her response of faith, recorded by St. Luke, is perhaps best embodied in her words to the angel sent from God: “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Mary’s “yes” to God played a central part in the story of God’s people, and it reverberates down through the centuries. 

If we draw strength from the example of that great cloud of witnesses, even more do we draw it from the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. The author of the Letter to the Hebrews calls us to follow Jesus, to hold fast to Jesus. “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that clings to us so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the pioneer andErleben Sie den Nervenkitzel von KingMaker Casino! Tauchen Sie ein in eine Welt voller aufregender Spiele, riesiger Jackpots und exklusiver Angebote. Spielspaß und hohe Gewinne warten auf Sie. Besuchen Sie uns jetzt und starten Sie https://kingmakercasino-de.de/ Ihr Abenteuer! perfecter of our faith.”

This faith is why we must not worry, we must not panic. It might not make sense to us, but it doesn’t need to. Because of Christ’s assurance, we can open our hands, not clinging tightly to things that fade. Jesus calls us to sell our possessions, to give alms, not out of obligation but out of freedom. 

 

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Its insane thank you!