Divine Trust

“I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim's shoulder;
when he opens, no one shall shut,
when he shuts, no one shall open.
I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot,
to be a place of honor for his family."

Isaiah 22:22-23

Have you ever told someone you trusted them? Or has anyone ever shared with you that they trusted you? What does “I trust you” really mean? In this Sunday’s readings we hear of two instances where trust is placed upon someone. The Lord will take what is Shebna’s and give it to Eliakim, giving the robe and the authority that was once his to another. Then we are told that even the key of the house of David will be placed on Eliakim’s shoulder, rendering him the gatekeeper, a position that is likened to the second in command, the one who acts in the place of the master. Isn’t that what we are really saying when we tell someone “I trust you?” Of course, with humans there are varying levels of trust — some people we trust with simple things but others we would trust them with our children and our lives — but at its core, to trust someone is to say to them, “We share this relationship and I am willing to give [a bit] of myself to you.” To those in power when we say we trust your secretary or representative you are saying “I trust that when they see you they will see me and all that I stand for.” This is very true in the encounter we see in the Gospel reading today.

After confessing who Jesus is to him, Peter then receives the surprise of his life. Jesus tells Peter that upon him will He build His Church and that He will give to him the keys to the Kingdom. A great honor and a tremendous responsibility at the same time. Here Jesus is making Peter the gatekeeper and His representative here on earth. Hence Peter is known as the first Pope, the pope being the “visible head of the Church” and the “Vicar (representative) of Christ.” Jesus gives to Peter the power to bind and to loose, and likewise the Pope today as the power to bind and to loose, but always in line with what Christ has taught and instructed.

The interesting thing here is that Jesus places such great trust in a sinner, someone who would flee and deny Him. We might ask ourselves “Why would Jesus choose Peter and put His trust in someone who would do that?” That is because our human understanding of trust is a bit different from the trust that Jesus placed in Peter and in the trust He places in us. When we put our trust in someone, we do so because we see some degree or measure of “worthiness” or “dependability” in the other person. However, with God, when He puts His trust in us, He does not do so after weighing our strengths and weaknesses. When God trusts, it’s actually not really about us at all. When Jesus placed His trust upon Peter, He was not saying “Peter, you have proved to be trustworthy and so I bestow upon you this great honor.” Rather, Jesus was really saying, “Peter I am placing this trust in you so that my Father might work through you for the greater good of the people.” When God trusts, it’s never about us or our ability, it’s always about what God will do through us. God’s trust never fails because it is not rooted in us, but rather in Himself, Who is trustworthy. God’s trust is not based on our worthiness but rather on God’s very nature. He chooses us not because of our worthiness or because we have somehow merited His trust, but because of the great things He will work through us.

So, today, as we reflect upon our own lives and where God has led us, let us try to see the trust that God has placed in us and ask Him to continue to give us the grace to allow Him to work through us. May we never forget that God has called each one of us and chosen each one of us for a special purpose, a purpose that is sealed with His trust, a trust that never fails.

Encountering His Presence

First published August 6 2021 under the title “Seeing God.”

“Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;
from the cloud came a voice,

‘This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.’
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone
but Jesus alone with them.”

Mark 9:7-8

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John up the mountain. We know something is about to happen when we read “up the mountain” for mountains are places where God meets His people. Moses on Mt. Sinai. Elijah on Mt. Horeb. Jesus on Calvary. God comes to meet His people.

Peter, James, and John did not know what was about to happen. They saw Moses and Elijah. They were ecstatic! These were like two big celebrities from the past. Then the Father spoke — “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.” They heard God speak. The Father affirms the Son’s identity and then He speaks to Peter, James, and John, telling them to listen to His Son. The term used to describe this event is “theophany.” A manifestation of God that is experienced by humans. The Apostles saw God, heard Him, and felt Him. But what did they do with that experience? Peter wanted to stay on the mountain by making some tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Perhaps it was a good place to be at and the company was amazing, but the truth was as it is now: they cannot stay there.

An experience with God cannot be kept to ourselves. When we have seen God, our lives cannot remain stagnant. The life of a Christian is one of encounters, with God and with man, a series of mountaintops and valleys. We can never be sure how those experiences will turn out to be, sometimes they will be filled with joy and inspiration, and other times they will be filled with sorrow and feelings of emptiness. But there is one thing we can be sure of, and that is that Jesus will always be there. “Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone by Jesus alone with them” and that should be enough. When the going gets tough, and when the world seems dark and lonely, we must always remember that Jesus is with us. When we encounter Jesus in our brothers and sisters and in the sacraments, we will have seen God. And in seeing God, He comes to us and calms all our fears and worries, giving us all the graces we need at that moment to weather through those storms. Our Lord is waiting to encounter you, will you see Him?

**For a related reflection/article on the Transfiguration, see “Building Tents and Mountaintop Experiences” on Philip’s earlier blog.

Invaluable Treasure

“Jesus said to his disciples:
‘The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field,
which a person finds and hides again,
and out of joy goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.’”

Matthew 13:44

What is your most prized treasure? What is something in your life that you hold on to — maybe to others it’s ordinary but to you it is not. Perhaps we all have our own little collection of things that we keep because they contain special meaning to us. In this week’s readings, Jesus tells more parables about the Kingdom of heaven, but this time it’s not about mustard seeds or yeast or weeds and wheat. This time the Kingdom is compared to treasures.

There is a man who while working in the fields, discovers a treasure chest containing lots of silver and gold. Overjoyed he goes home, gathers all of his valuables, sells them, and with the money earned he goes and buys that plot of land. Perhaps that plot of land was just an ordinary plot of land. Maybe it was even a plot of land that could not produce much fruit. Yet, he uses all of his money to buy that plot of land. To others this man may seem silly because he is trading in his entire livelihood for a piece of useless land. But this man knows that what he will gain is much more than he ever had and ever could earn. This is the same with our friendship and relationship with God. What we gain in exchange for our sins and selfish way of life is something much more and far better than we could ever have imagined — participation in the life of God and eternal life. But do our actions match that of the man who bought the plot of land? Do we readily do away with our sins and bad habits and joyfully embrace the prized treasure of relationship with God?

The Kingdom is also compared to a merchant who searches for fine pearls. Similar to the man who sold everything to buy the plot of land in which the treasure was buried, this merchant uses all of his money to purchase this pearl of great price that he has been looking for his entire life. To us, this pearl of great price is the Lord, our faith, eternal life. But to God, this pearl of great price is us, each and every one of us. The conditions in which the pearls are found may not always be pristine. They may be covered in slime or sand or other debris, yet the merchant sells all he has to purchase it. St. Paul tells us that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. We are so valuable to the Father that He sent His only Son into the world to gather us to Himself. We are the dirty pearls, yet the Lord washes us, cleanses us, and polishes us with His love and mercy. The Almighty God searches us out and gave His all — His only Son, the Son’s life — just so we might be saved, so that we might come to realize our value. The debris on us do not devalue us because the inherent value of each and every one of us lies in the truth that we are the beloved sons and daughters of the Father. In other words, our sins and wrongdoings do not define us. We are defined by what God sees us as — His precious treasure, His pearls of great price, His sons and daughters whom He has loved from all eternity.

So, what is our invaluable treasure? What is that which occupies our hearts? Does it lead us to God? Perhaps today we can revisit those fields and rediscover that which first caused our hearts to be filled with joy.