Faith of a life time

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary help us to wrestle with the response of faith to situations in our life and the lives of others. The Prophet Habakkuk is associated with the time prior to the Babylonian exile. Dr Constable writes that he was a prophet of the Southern Kingdom who lived in times of increasing degeneracy and fear. Friar Jude Winkler comments that he addresses questions of wisdom which arise from the apparent failure of God to limit the wrath of the arrogant pagan peoples who threaten Judah. Friar Jude notes that the message of Habakkuk is that we need to take the long view to perceive justice in human events. Today the Church celebrates the life of Edith Stein (Saint Teresia Benedicta of the the Cross) who died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. Maryanne Rouse quotes this Catholic convert of Jewish heritage “Things were in God’s plan which I had not planned at all.  I am coming to the living faith and conviction that—from God’s point of view—there is not chance and that the whole of my life, down to every detail has been mapped out in God’s divine providence and makes complete and perfect sense in God’s all-seeing eyes.” Friar Jude notes that the Book of Job, written after the prophecy of Habakkuk, focuses on surrender to the will of God in a world which does not demonstrate justice as our guide to peace. The Gospel from Matthew takes us to the question of the role of prayer and faith in dealing with the mysteries of life which include healing. Jesus asserts that healing is from God and we need some faith to accomplish even what seems impossible. Our role also is to strive to trust that the outcome for people in relation to God is always the most loving option. Like Edith Stein, this wisdom may be counter to the culture of winning every battle in which our safety and security is threatened. We might benefit from surrender to Love and contemplation of the “long view”.