February 12, 2025 at 10:25 a.m.
Where is our trust?
“But blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him.” — Jeremiah 17:7
On Sunday, the sacred liturgy presents us with a profound tapestry woven from the words of the prophet Jeremiah, the psalmist, Saint Paul, and the Gospel according to Saint Luke. Each thread speaks of a singular truth: the beatitude of trusting in God.
Jeremiah paints a stark contrast: “Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings. ... Blessed is the one who trusts in the Lord.” This is not a condemnation of human relationships or achievements but a prophetic warning against the idolatry of the self and the ephemeral. Trusting solely in human strength dries up the soul, like a barren bush in the desert.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC 301) reminds us that God sustains every being in existence; to sever our hearts from Him is to disconnect from the very source of life. Saint Thomas Aquinas, in his “Summa Theologiae” (II-II, q. 129), teaches that fortitude — rooted in trust in God — is the virtue that strengthens us against the fear of earthly loss.
The psalm echoes Jeremiah: the blessed one is “like a tree planted by streams of water,” flourishing because it draws from an unending source. This image reflects the life of grace, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1997), nourishing us through prayer, the sacraments and the Word of God.
Pope Francis, in “Evangelii Gaudium” (n. 7), reminds us that “the joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus.” The blessed man delights in the law of the Lord because he has encountered not a set of rules, but the living God.
Saint Paul confronts the denial of the resurrection: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain.” The resurrection is not an abstract doctrine but the very heart of our hope (CCC 655). Without it, our lives are unmoored, subject to despair. Aquinas affirms that the resurrection is the cause of our justification (III, q. 53, a. 1), for in rising, Christ conquered sin and death, opening the way to eternal life.
In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus speaks directly to the crowd, proclaiming blessings and woes. “Blessed are you who are poor ... woe to you who are rich.” This reversal shocks us because it subverts worldly expectations. Yet, these beatitudes are not a mere call to material poverty but an invitation to spiritual poverty — humility that acknowledges our total dependence on God (CCC 2546).
Pope Francis often speaks of this radical Gospel. In “Laudato Si’ ” (n. 222), he says, “Christian spirituality proposes an alternative understanding of the quality of life, and encourages a prophetic and contemplative lifestyle, one capable of deep enjoyment free of the obsession with consumption.”
The Scriptures on Sunday call us to examine: Where is our trust? In fleeting pleasures or in the eternal God? Are we trees planted by living waters or withering shrubs in the desert? Let us anchor our lives in Christ, the Risen Lord, drawing strength from the sacraments, delighting in His Word, and living the paradoxical joy of the Beatitudes. In this, we find the blessedness that the world cannot give, and death cannot take away.
Comments:
You must login to comment.