Great faith and recovery

The texts today from the Roman Catholic Lectionary focus on the practice of constant faith. We are reminded by Friar Jude Winkler that we all experience moments when our faith and trust in Providence wanes. The Book of the Prophet Jeremiah tells of the loss of the observance of the Law and Prophets by the people of Israel and Judah. The destruction of Jerusalem and the exile to Babylon are described by Friar Jude as the punishment which that sin of abandonment of the Covenant carries. The punishment is not the end of the story. The nature of God is call people to return to relationship with Him. The return to God accomplishes His desire to lavish his children with a peaceful home from which praise and joy will be the sign of the restoration of action pleasing to God and the development of leaders who seek direction from their relationship with the Divine. The Gospel of Matthew uses the courageous and impetuous character of the great disciple Peter to point out the universality of doubt and the need as Friar Jude puts it to ‘choose to believe’ rather than let our fear or feelings undermine our resolve to trust in God. The simple faith of the Sick in Gennesaret that touching His cloak would bring healing is a contrast to the difficulty of Peter to walk toward Jesus on the water. The perspective of the psalmist today that God attends to the prayers of the destitute and acts to free the prisoners should be our encouragement to persevere.