for now I know you fear God In today’s first reading, God tests Abraham by asking Abraham to sacrifice his one and only son, Isaac. Yet God could not bear to see Abraham sacrifice his one and only son for Him. Because he knew how much Abraham loved the boy. Today’s first reading got me thinking about a conversation I had recently with a dear friend. She was sharing with me, over tea, about her journey finding God. A successful professional, she used to spend all her energies on pursuing her career. Even though she was a Catholic, work would always come first and mass was always relegated to a Sunday obligation, as and when she was free. When it came to finding a partner, the stature and finances of a person was always important to her. Then, she met her husband – a man who led her closer into the Catholic faith. Although he was not as financially successful as the men she used to date, he was different substantively. It marked her journey back to God. Despite the challenges that they faced, he never stopped encouraging her to believe in the faithfulness of God. It came to a point when my friend felt that maybe the challenges they had to endure were tests and lessons for her in faith. She cited her pregnancy as an example. They had been trying for a child the past year but to no avail. She was about to lose hope when she discovered by chance about a week ago that she was pregnant! On hindsight, it dawned on her that if God had blessed her with a child about a year ago, when her desire was the strongest, she might not have been ready for it, financially or otherwise. Hearing my friend’s conversion inspired me. What struck me the most was the next thing that she said. “It takes time for God to call us back”, she says. “And He will do it, each in our own time. All the things that happen to us in life are like a test – a test of our faith in God.” I pray that like Abraham and my friend, I may have the grace to enter into a deeper relationship with God through every testing. I also pray for the wisdom to see him in every circumstance of my life and to realize through every test that he is ultimately my source of true joy. (Today’s OXYGEN by Cassandra Cheong) _______________________
Posted on: Wed, 03 Jul 2013 22:25:52 +0000
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