19th Sunday of Ordinary Time
August 7, 2016
Reading I: Wisdom 18:6-9
Responsorial Psalm: 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Reading II: Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19
Gospel: Luke 12:32-48 or 12:35-40
LIVING BY FAITH IS WEIRD
It's a weird experience, for reasons examined in today's readings.
A bit like getting on the gee-gees. You put down your money in the belief your chosen nag will win, and then you experience that strange excitement of waiting. You can't help wondering whether it was the right choice; you go over the horse's form, pedigree, stable, trainer, jockey, putting it all together again and again, and still there's no comfort to be had. It's a gamble. It's always a gamble.
Faith is the subject of today's readings, and we might try to see what believing entails for ourselves. The whole journey of faith is weird. Pity it's so much taken for granted: this is what the church teaches; this is what Catholics believe; this is what you've got to believe if you're a Catholic.
A couple of comments about those statements: The "church" doesn't believe anything. The church as an institution teaches, and formulates credal statements, and explores their meaning. Believing is an individual thing. To believe is a choice you or I might make. There is no "we believe" except in the sense that every individual standing shoulder to shoulder says "I believe".
A consequence of this is that you can't rely on the "faith of the church" to carry you over the threshold. You have to make the choice yourself, and if it's a core issue, the total commitment that believing entails. You've got to put your money on the horse to win the bet.