“I will stay until you return”( Judg 6:18) The call to Gideon (First Reading) is like our own invitation to serve the Lord. Some are called to active service while others are asked to wait. Gideon was hesitant to respond to the call for two reasons. First, he thought the Lord had abandoned his people. He asked the question that torments us too: If God is for us, why does he permit suffering in our lives? Second, Gideon felt inadequate to accept the Lord’s mission. He lacked a strong faith and understanding of God’s ways. We have the same problem while facing suffering. We cannot see the face of God and that he waits for us. In spite of Gideon’s many excuses – just like ours – the Lord promises to wait. He chooses mostly the weak ones and strengthens the ones he chooses. Moses, Jeremiah and later Mary were among these. The promise is for those who, like the apostles, give their all to the Lord, even without understanding God’s ways. Like Gideon, we pass through the same stages in our faith walk; initial disbelief in God’s protection, asking for a sign to confirm his message and, finally, keeping his word. ‘I believe though I do not comprehend, and I hold by faith what I cannot grasp with the mind’ – St Bernard of Calivaux. FRUIT: Do I keep the Lord waiting? Let me serve him even if I do not understand.
Posted on: Tue, 20 Aug 2013 04:26:28 +0000
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