All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you…
Are we blessed? Are we blessing?
When, in the Book of Genesis, the Lord tells Abram to go forth from the land of his kinsfolk to a land that the Lord will show him, Abram must abandon all he knows and trust that God will fulfill all his promises: I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, the Lord says to Abram. I will make your name great. I will bless those who bless you. But Abram must then be a witness to all of the blessings of God, for God created us to be blessing to one another. All the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you, God says.
Like Abram, and as Psalm 33 reminds us we must place our trust in the Lord, hoping for his kindness… and for nothing else. Absolute trust in God is our greatest hope, for it is through ongoing trust that our relationship with God develops over time. Timothy, the leader of the Christian community at Ephesus, was similarly called to trust in God’s Word, as Paul tells him, with the strength that comes from God. In spite of any hardship Timothy is experiencing, he knows he has been called to a holy life. God will steer him in the right direction, giving him the strength to give witness to the gospel, so long as Timothy remains open to God’s love and willing to share God’s blessing with all.
In Matthew’s Gospel, Peter, James and John are witnesses to an impossible scene: on a high mountain, Jesus is transfigured before them; his face shines like the sun and his clothes become white as light. Do the three disciples trust enough to accept this revelation as God has chosen to reveal it to them? Do they recognize the blessing they are experiencing? Peter seems confused and proposes making three tents on the site. But the Transfiguration is a profound event out of space and time that cannot be memorialized by tents. If the three concentrate and listen to Jesus, they will know how much they are loved by God and how God wants them to bless their world.
Revelation is not easy, often involving a significant disruption of our comfort zone, challenging us to see things differently. If we look, if we are open, we will see the blessings of God revealed in our lives and trust in his promises. Only then will the communities of the earth find blessing… in us.
This post is based on Fr. Pat’s Scripture Class.
Image source: www.wordclouds.com
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