Stepping Out in Faith

 Good Afternoon, dear reader. We are half way through yet another week. The promise of things to come keep us moving forward. 

Today we revisit the tale of the three men who refused to worship the golden idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had created. However, we come in at a later part of the story. The men were in the furnace. The fire grew hotter and larger, yet nothing happened to these men! The person in charge of making sure the fire burned hot and that the men did not escape told the king that there were FOUR men in the furnace, one of whom looked like the Son of God. How could this be? This was way before the time of Jesus's birth. It is explained that the king saw this as an angel who was sent down from God to protect the men. After this, the king realized that these men were so sure in their faith that God protected them. He then said that anyone who talked bad about these men would be "cut to pieces and his house destroyed, for there is no other God who can rescue like this" (Dn 3:96, NAB). 

Sometimes it really does take a miracle, an act so surreal that there is no doubt that it was God's doing. And it takes a great deal of courage to stick by your faith, especially when your life is in the balance. The ones past who had given their lives for their belief in God were true martyrs, most of whom went on the become saints. Their defiance and their beliefs spoke of great faith, even if it didn't save their lives. I don't know a great many people who would do that. This is why our behavior, our actions, our lives should reflect our comittment to God. We need to walk the walk and not just talk the talk, as the saying goes. 

We see a similar theme in today's Gospel. Jesus tells the Jews that whoever listens to His word will be His disciples. But the Jews only believe in one God and follow the
prophet Abraham. Much of Jewish law is based in the Old Testament. So for them to believe in Jesus, they were going against God's law set forth in the Ten Commandments (Dt 5:7). Jesus tried explaining that by believing in Him, they also believed in God. No matter how much Jesus tried explaining, they wouldn't believe, they wouldn't listen. 

Have you ever experienced the frustration of trying to explain something to someone but no matter which way you said it, they still wouldn't believe you? It is truly mind numbing. I've often thought I'd have an easier time explaining things to my dog!! lol I imagine Jesus must've felt a similar way. He was trying to say that it was ok for the Jews to believe in Him because He was sent here by His Father, God. After a while, He just sort of gave up. Just go on being sinful. You're not going to listen. Continue to be a slave to what is not of God. As the Jews began to throw stones at Him, He must've thrown up His hands and basically said "I'm outta here." There is nothing more you can do. You can't force people to listen or understand. And, as hard as it might be, sometimes you do need to just walk away. You know what's right and what's true, and as long as you are following what Jesus taught us. And that's all that matters.

So, dear reader, be assured in your faith, stand firm in that belief. Let your actions follow that of your words. Be the example of Jesus. And as always, be a nice human.😇

Father Bill's reflection on today's readings: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZiyblscvIrc

"The Words I Would Say" by Sidewalk Prophets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t9u-LOa3OI