Monday, March 16

Scripture for the Day:

Jesus said to them, ‘Doubtless you will quote to me this proverb, “Doctor, cure yourself!” And you will say, “Do here also in your home town the things that we have heard you did at Capernaum.” ’ And he said, ‘Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in the prophet’s home town. But the truth is, there were many widows in Israel in the time of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up for three years and six months, and there was a severe famine over all the land; yet Elijah was sent to none of them except to a widow at Zarephath in Sidon. There were also many lepers in Israel in the time of the prophet Elisha, and none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.’ When they heard this, all in the synagogue were filled with rage. They got up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town was built, so that they might hurl him off the cliff. But he passed through the midst of them and went on his way. – Luke 4:23-30

Reflection –    by   Nancy Geary

Why is it that we require proof in order to believe, evidence in order to be convinced, and documentation in order to define what is truth?  In this passage, the people of Nazareth chided Jesus for performing his miracles elsewhere and not showing them what He could do.  That they had heard stories of His healing wasn’t enough.  They needed to see it with their own eyes.  We are no different.  We refuse to let a feeling or a perception alone guide us.  We want more.  We seek what is concrete and tangible: a world record broken to show who is fastest, a name listed in Forbes to show who is the greatest success.

But how much do we miss by this insistence?  Why is a leap of faith – which may well be the best way to leap into faith – such a difficult jump to make?  Embracing a sense of wonder, living contented amidst ambiguity and uncertainty, accepting blessings that we don’t witness, and finding a truth that may never show up on a map or in a history book are what, to me, constitutes faith.

And when we stop requiring proof of others, we will have nothing ourselves to prove.  Then we can simply be.       

To ponder and pray:  What promises of God do you have trouble accepting on faith?  When have you felt your faith to be the strongest? Why?