HOMILIES

Dear Audience,
For better understanding of the spiritual message behind this homily I kindly remind you to first read and contemplate the biblical texts before reading or listening to my preaching - a human reflection on the Word of God!

Nineteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C)

Aug 10, 2025

363

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First Reading

A reading from the Book of Wisdom (18:6-9)

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage. Your people awaited the salvation of the just and the destruction of their foes. For when you punished our adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned. For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalms of David (33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22)

(R) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Exult, you just, in the Lord; praise from the upright is fitting. Blessed the nation whose God is the Lord, the people he has chosen for his own inheritance. (R)

See, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, to deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. (R)

Our soul waits for the Lord, who is our help and our shield. May your kindness, O Lord, be upon us who have put our hope in you. (R)

Second Reading

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Hebrews (11:1-2, 8-19)

Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age - and Sarah herself was sterile - for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.

All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, "Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name." He reasoned the God was able to raise even form the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

(P) The word of the Lord.
(R) Thanks be to God.

Gospel

A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke (12:32-48)

Jesus said to his disciples: "Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.

"Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master's return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival. Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come."

Then Peter said, "Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?" And the Lord replied, "Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, "My master is delayed in coming," and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant's master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master's will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master's will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more."

(P) The Gospel of the Lord.
(R) Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

One of the influential Anglican pastors and co-founders of the Methodist Church in the 18th century was John Wesley. One day, Wesley was walking down the street with a very troubled and anxious man who had doubts as to the goodness of God. He said to Wesley, "I don't know what I should do with all my worry and trouble." Wesley remained silent and said nothing in reply. As they continued walking, Wesley saw a cow looking over a brick wall and asked the man, "Do you know why the cow is looking over the wall?" "No," said the man. Wesley said, "The cow is looking over the wall because she cannot see through it. That is what you must do with your wall of trouble - look over it and avoid it."

The author of the Letter to the Hebrews, whom some people speculate as Saint Paul, or someone closely associated with him, offered similar advice to early Christians, primarily persecuted Jewish Christians. He begins the letter by asserting that Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God to humanity and is superior to all Old Testament figures and institutions, including prophets, angels, and even Moses, and concludes it by emphasizing the crucial role of faith in Christian life, especially during hardships, persecution, and adversity and he explains that by way of illustration, particularly in chapter 11, often referred to as the "Hall of Faith" or "Faith Chapter." Today, we hear a part of this illustration, Hebrews (11:1-2, 8-19).

The author first defines faith. He says, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen", Hebrews (11:1). It means that faith is not simply believing what is visible or already confirmed but rather trusting in future realities and accepting the realities of things that are not yet physically apparent or tangible. Then he acknowledges and affirms that the people of ancient times won God's approval because of their faith, Hebrews (11:2). Then he lists several individuals from the Old Testament who demonstrated extraordinary faith in God, including Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rehab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, and Samuel.

Today's second reading focuses only on the faith of Abraham and that too only some key moments in his life as examples of faith. The first act of Abraham's faith was when God called him out of his birthplace Ur, what is now southern Iraq and told to go to a strange, far distant land where he would find an inheritance for himself and his descendants. He set out, not really knowing where he was going or what was ahead of him, Hebrews (11:8).

The second act of Abraham's faith was when he finally arrived and began living as a foreigner and an outsider in the land of Canaan, which would become the Promised Land. Abraham, his son Isaac, and grandson, Jacob, all lived in tents as nomads taking care of their flocks of sheep and cattle. However, Abrahaham was looking forward to "a city with lasting foundations, designed and constructed by God", Hebrews (11:9-10). Now, this certainly does not mean that he hoped for an earthly city that would appear about 400 years later in Jerusalem during David's time, but rather a heavenly city or God's eternal dwelling place.

The third act of Abraham's faith was when he and his wife Sarah were enabled to have a child. For many years, Sarah, despite God's promise that she would bear a child, remained childless. Abraham did have a son, Ishmael, by his servant Hagar, but he did not count this child as part of God's promise. Both Abraham and Sarah never lost faith in God's promise of a son. After 25 years of waiting, despite their advanced age and Sarah's infertility, they did finally have a child, named Isaac, Hebrews (11:11-12).

The fourth act of Abraham's faith was when he was commanded by God to make a human sacrifice of his only legitimate son, Isaac. In human terms, this did not make any sense at all. Abraham had been promised descendants as numerous as "the stars in the sky or the sand on the seashore" but that could only happen by Isaac having children of his own. With the death of Isaac, the promise had no way of being realized.

Yet Abraham, in a supreme act of faith and trust in God keeping His promise, proceeded to carry out God's command. However, we know that as Abraham raised the knife to kill his son who was already bound on an altar, an angel of the Lord stopped him and offered a ram as a substitute sacrifice. Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac stemmed from his deep faith in God's power and faithfulness, specifically his belief that even if Isaac were to die, God could, and would, bring him back from the dead. Eventually, Abraham was indeed rewarded with Isaac, who was both a son and a symbol, Hebrews (11:17-19). Some see Isaac's return from virtual death as a symbol of Christ's resurrection in the New Testament.

In between the great examples of Abraham's faith, the author stated that all these people, including Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, lived and died in faith, even though they did not see the full realization of God's promises during their lifetime. They only "saw them from afar" and welcomed them, acknowledging their temporary status as strangers and aliens on earth, Hebrews (11:13). They were not longing to return to the homeland they had left behind, but rather, they were seeking a better homeland, a heavenly one, Hebrews (11:14-15). In other words, the people who lived by faith, did not primarily focus on their earthly origins, but rather, were longing for a heavenly place prepared for them by God. Their longing and faith pleased God so much that He was not ashamed to be called their God, Hebrews (11:16).

What is the message for us?

Abraham's faith was characterized by total trust in God's promises, willingness to surrender to God's will, and consistent obedience to God's commands, even when they were difficult or seemingly impossible or the outcome was unclear. This is evident in his willingness to leave his familiar home and journey to an unknown land, despite not knowing the destination, his willingness to live in tents even while dwelling in the Promised Land, his willingness to wait for God's promise of a son, even for 25 years, and his willingness to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac. Thus, by simply taking God at His Word, trusting in Him, and obeying Him, Abraham became the model for all believers, including the early Christians and us. The author recalled Abraham's story in his letter to the Jewish Christians to strengthen and encourage them to emulate Abraham's example and endure their own trials of faith.
Two thousand years later, the same message challenges us to ask ourselves whether our faith is like Abraham's faith, particularly in trusting God's promises completely, obeying His commands willingly, and believing in Him consistently. As Christians we all have faith in God, no doubt about that. However, it is beneficial to periodically pause and assess the depth of our faith. Because our faith is tested in various ways throughout life, both as individuals and as a community of believers. Tests of faith can stem from various sources, including personal struggles, temptations, insults, imprisonment, persecution, difficult circumstances, unanswered prayers, and even delayed blessings. These experiences may challenge our beliefs, values, and commitment to faith, potentially leading to doubt, questioning, or even a crisis of faith.

But we don't have to abandon our faith. We don't have to turn away. We don't have to retreat. We don't have to become discouraged and give up. We don't have to grow weary and fainthearted. We don't have to fear or give way to panic. Instead, during those challenging times, we should hold fast and endure. We should continue to walk by faith or really live by faith, by emulating Abraham's faith and trust in God. Just as Abraham obeyed God's commands despite uncertainty, we should find reassurance in God's promises and guidance even when facing difficult circumstances. We should do what Abraham did. We should firmly believe that God can do what seems impossible. We should go forward in faith and trust that God will keep His promises.
Faith is more than just wishful thinking or mental assent. It's a living, breathing and dynamic force that shapes our actions and relationships, and flourishes in environments that foster growth, support, and active engagement. Therefore, let us actively apply our religious beliefs to daily life, trust in God's plan, acknowledge that His ways and thoughts are higher than our own, surrender our own desires and agendas to His will, live in accordance with faith's principles, even when the path ahead is uncertain and we don't understand where it is leading, or when we are faced with challenges and hardships and wait patiently for divine promises to be realized, not only in this life but also in the afterlife.

Therefore let us always be alert, ready and prepared.

(P) Amen.

God Bless You!

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