Reflection for Wednesday, June 22, 2005: 12th week in Ordinary Time.

Abstract

Often, faith is seen as an exotic power. Like singing on key, it is a gift given to the fortunate few, but not to ordinary folks. Maybe I was dealt out. Maybe later things will change.||But waiting for faith is like waiting for my prince to knock at the front door. It's not about waiting.||Abram listened to his dream. He said what was on his mind. He objected: how can I "fear not"? There is so much to regret. My heart is broken. Sarah and I have left no child. At death we will disappear without a remainder.||Abram hearkened to the unseen God. He sacrificed. He entered into a covenant. He trusted. But whom do I trust? Why gaze at the night sky? There is no time for fleeting dreams. I am a person of many cares. When my troubles end, then I will listen. Then I will take comfort in the field of stars.||Pascal urges us to bet on God. But trust does not arise from calculation. So Pascal continues: if your heart is empty, follow in the steps of believers. Gradually doubts recede as God's reality seeps in.||John Kavanaugh, S. J., describes the five moves of faith. Live more simply, so the focus on "more, more, more" eases. Enter into a circle of friends who regularly share their lives as community. Pray daily or seek solitude to emerge from busyness as an intact self. Take action in a cause of justice and persevere through the years. Finally, be present to those persons on the margins; their visible brokenness breaks the spell of perfection. As I remember who I am, I come closer to God.||Somewhere along the way confusion lessens. I hear my name spoken in the darkness. You remember me.