I specifically chose this reading for you first graders to
read [it was very long with some very challenging words!]. Excellent work to our two lectors!
First,
a question. What is faith? “Believing in God.” Yes, belief is a great synonym for
faith. What else? “Trust.” Very good answer, another great word. Anyone else have an idea? “Love.” Well, those are kind of related. “Trusting in God.”
Yep.
One
of the greatest images of faith I have seen was in the Indiana Jones movie The
Last Crusade. In it, Indie was
trying to find the chalice that Jesus used at the last supper. Towards the end of the movie he was in
a cave and had to pass a series of death defying tests. In the last one he found himself
looking down a sheer cliff. He
needed to get to the other side and the chasm was longer than our church. They showed a clip of Indie’s dad (who
had been injured) muttering, “You have to have faith, boy. You have to have faith.” Indiana Jones realized it was a leap of
faith and he stepped over the edge…and landed on a bridge that had blended in
perfectly with the opposite cliff.
As the camera moved, this bridge became easily visible.
Our
readings this morning illustrate people who don’t have faith. David numbered his people, showing a
lack of faith in God’s providence because avid wanted to feel secure in numbers
rather than simply trust God.
In
the Gospel, Jesus didn’t perform many great works due to the peoples’ lack of
faith. Jesus was not a magician
pulling rabbits from a hat. Every
good work he did was for the physical and especially spiritually well being of
someone. And the greatest miracle
that took place was in the souls of new believers.
We
will see a miracle here at Mass.
We may see it so often that it blends in and seems normal—the Eucharist. Yet when we take a leap of faith we
have a greater understanding of just how cool it is that bread and wine changes
into Jesus’ body and blood.
May
we open our eyes of faith at each and every Mass.
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