Cloud of Witness

“Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.”

Hebrews 12:1-2

How often have we heard the phrase “standing on the shoulders of giants” or something similar when referring to those who have gone before us. Where we are today is a direct consequence of those who came before us. The forefathers of our country fought for freedom and independence. Our grandparents and parents who left their homeland to come to this country to start a new life with the hopes of a better life for the generations to come. We are the beneficiaries of the sweat and tears of our ancestors. We are reaping the fruits out the labor of the cloud of witness that surrounds us.

The Prophet Jeremiah is the prophet that most shows the pathos or suffering of God. God’s suffering is seen through Jeremiah’s suffering. When Jeremiah tells the people to return to God and to not resist the Babylonians, they were furious and instead of the listening to him, throws him down a cistern. The reject the word of God and prefer the words of false prophets. They ignore the cloud of witness but instead are clouded by their own self-interest and ambitions. They have forgotten those giants on whose shoulders they are being carried.

As Christians, our eyes must always be fixed on Christ who always leads us to His Father. We must never forget the giants on whose shoulders we are being supported and carried. The martyrs and saints in heaven who bore witness to Christ and His love throughout the centuries spilt their blood so that the faith that was passed onto them might not be lost. It is because of these faithful witnesses that we are here today. And, they are still with us today. The surround us with their prayers and are constantly lifting up ours to Christ. Let us learn from the Israelites and not prefer to listen only to what soothes our ears, but rather listen to that which soothes our hearts, that which brings lasting peace and joy — the truth, the Truth that the cloud of witnesses constantly remind us of, the Truth that is Christ Himself.

Assumed into Heaven

Today the Church celebrates the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. When her earthly life was completed, Mary was taken upon into heaven body and soul. Mary’s entire life was one that followed and did the will of God. From the moment at the Annunciation when she said, “Let it be done to me according to Your Word,” Mary’s life was one of passivity, in that she allowed God to do whatever He needed to do to bring about the salvation of the world and she fully cooperated. Even upon the last moments of her earthly life, Mary was assumed into heaven. Being assumed is also the language of passivity, it was something done to the person. Mary truly allowed herself to be an instrument of God and His will, from being the Ark that carried the New Covenant to the Mother of His Church.

This passivity is not the same as idleness of indifference. The type of passivity that Mary embodied was one that was at the same time active. In allowing God to use her as an instrument, she needed to say “yes” and also needed to carry out all that God asked of her. It is in the passivity that one finds the means to carry out the will of God in one’s life. In other words, it is only through prayer, first and foremost, that we will be able to live out our calling, carrying out the will of God in our lives. May we, like Mary, embrace this spirit of passivity, rooting ourselves in prayer, in our relationship with God, and allow the Lord to use us as His hands and feet here on earth to shows His love and mercy to all.

Faith in God

“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for
and evidence of things not seen.
Because of it the ancients were well attested. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God,
for he has prepared a city for them.”

Hebrews 11:1, 16b

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews defines “faith” and recounts the role of faith in the history of the Jewish People beginning with Abraham, our “Father of Faith.” Faith is not a thing or a feeling or a state and it cannot be understood in isolation. Faith must be understood within the context of relationship because it is in someone that we put out faith. For Christians, faith is our response to God’s unceasing call and unconditional love and mercy. To have faith in God is to know that the relationship that exists between God and His People is something that transcends the time and space, something that is beyond us, and something that comes with love, the love of the Father.

Although Abraham was not always believing at the first instance, but with time and with a deepening of his relationship with God, his slow of heart became a heart that pumped for love of God to the point of being willing to sacrifice his only son, Isaac. Abraham knew that God was faithful and that behind everything God does there is a reason, a reason for his ultimate good.

Brothers and sisters, God too calls us. God is not ashamed of us, even when we fall and fall again. God wants our good, but He will not force anything upon us. How is our faith? How deeply do we trust God? How intimately do we know God? We cannot have faith in someone we do not know. Perhaps sometimes along this journey of faith we trip and stumble because we do not really know who God is. Our God is personal and relational. He wants to know us and He wants to be known by us. Let us spend a few moments today in prayer, asking the Lord to reveal Himself to us and also to give us the courage and confidence to open our hearts to Him, so that we might come to truly and unreservedly place our faith in God.