RENEWsletter for August 8, 2010 - 19th

Dear Friends of Renewal--
The theme this time seems to be one of choices and promises. God has made a choice. He has chosen us. We can respond by choosing him... or not. By faith we can believe that God will keep his promise, or we can choose to doubt. Sometimes it’s a tough choice to keep believing. But it couldn’t be much tougher than it was for Abraham. He’d been promised that his descendents would become a multitude, yet Sarah had reached and passed menopause, and when she did conceive and bear Isaac, God asked Abraham to sacrifice him. Start all over again? At Abraham’s age? That was a very tough choice.

The readings for this coming Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time can be found on the Web at: http://www.usccb.org/nab/080810.shtml, and are in your Bible in:

Wisdom 18.6-9
Psalm 33.1, 12, 18-19, 20-22
Hebrews 11.1-2, 8-19
Luke 12.32-48

The First Reading from the Book of Wisdom speaks of God summoning his people through the Passover (Wis 18.8). They responded by following the instructions for being spared the loss of their firstborn. Even in one captivity after another some continued choosing to follow God's instructions. In secret they were offering sacrifices and keeping the law (v. 9), waiting for the salvation of the just (v. 7).

In spite of the hardships and setbacks those Hebrews faced and endured, the psalmist of the Responsorial Psalm still can sing, "Blessed are the people the Lord has chosen to be his own" (Ps. 33.12). These chosen people of God have put their hope in the LORD (vs. 18, 22). And he delivers them from death and famine (v. 19), helping and shielding them (v. 20).

The Second Reading from Hebrews carries this idea a little deeper. God chose Abraham to make a promise to (Heb 11.9). But Abraham had the choice of obeying God to claim the promise. And to obey, guess what Abraham had to have. Faith (vs. 8, 9, 11, 13, 17)! He had to believe in order to receive God's promise. Does this mean we have to earn our salvation? No, God chose us first. (See John 15.16.) But it means we have to believe. Believe that God will keep his promise, choose to obey his word, have faith.

The Gospel Reading in Luke makes this concept plain. Jesus says, "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (v. 32). There's the promise. What do we have to do? Obediently collect treasures in heaven (v. 33). And how do we do that? By making sure our heart is in the right place (v. 34). In other words, by having faith.

But faith falters, obliterating obedience, precluding promises. What if we're not ready when the "bridegroom" returns, or when the "thief" comes? Well, that's why Jesus came. He was perfectly obedient, had perfect faith, and God kept his promise and raised him from the dead. Because of Jesus' obedience, we are healed of our faithlessness, we are washed of our disobedience, and we become beneficiaries of the promise of eternal life.

A good way to stay close to God and ready for his coming is to talk with him every day. Here's an easily memorizable pattern for prayer based on the first letters of the days of the week. See what you think of this....

Monday: pray for Ministries and Missionaries
Tuesday: pray for people in Trouble
Wednesday: just Worship God
Thursday: give Thanks for all your blessings
Friday: pray for Family and Friends
Saturday: pray for the Sick and Sinners
Sunday: pray for yourSelf

Of course, urgent needs get prayer anytime regardless of what letter the day starts with! But remember, God is unbounded by time. He forgave all our sins 2000 years ago, and we hadn't yet committed our first one! He can answer prayers in arrears as easily. So pray, even when it's "too late." If you forget or miss a day, don't worry... what day is it? Pray for the corresponding item. Keep doing it. Pretty soon it'll become habitual.

Randy Jones
Those who cannot believe say the promise is bad!