19th Sunday of the Year – The treasure of faith

Study:  Recall a time when your faith was tested.  How did you respond?

Pray: Are you or a loved one going through a difficult time right now?  Pray for the wisdom and strength that comes from faith.

Serve:  How can you help someone grow in their faith today?  How can you help another grow closer to Jesus Christ?

Mass Readings – 19th Sunday of the Year

The readings focus on different aspects of faith this week:

• 1st Reading – The people put their faith in God at the time of the Passover
• Psalm – “Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.”
• 2nd Reading – The faith of Abraham inspires our faith
• Gospel – Be ready, vigilant and prepared for the treasures of heaven

When we stop and think about it, we are blessed in many, many ways: life, education, family, friendship, health, opportunity, and…faith.  What a gift it is to know God and to be given the sacraments and teaching of the Church to help us encounter the Lord!

But sometimes we can take our gifts for granted.  We start to assume that these blessings will always be there, that life will always be smooth and steady, or that if we do the right things then nothing bad will ever happen to us.

Today we are reminded that the gift of faith requires constant vigilance.  We live each day, each moment, with the conviction that we are pilgrims passing through this world…with our eyes set on the Kingdom of Heaven.  We foster our relationship with the Lord through daily prayer, frequent reception of the Sacraments, hearing the Word of God, and fellowship with one another.

May we foster our faith and be ready today…for the Lord will come, at an hour we do not expect.