Work on Trust

‘This is the work of God that you believe in him whom he has sent.’ (John 6:29). This is the last phrase in the text from John in the Roman Catholic Lectionary for today. At first glance it may seem a simple prescription to a righteous life. The story of Stephen from Acts today puts belief in a different context. The author relates that Stephen looks like an angel even though very serious charges, charges that led to the crucifixion of Jesus are being brought against him by the religious authorities. The psalmist proclaims the strength he receives from his meditation on the Law of God. This places the faith of Stephen and the psalmist at more than just intellectual agreement with ideas, but it is at the level of trusting you fate to the Providence. It is relying on the “Bread from Heaven”, the sustenance that comes from the relationship between the Divine and the in dwelling Spirit to be the life giving force.