Word to the Wise
Thursday, January 29, 2015 - Thursday in the 3rd Week in Ordinary Time
[Heb 10:19-25 and Mark 4:21-25,944]Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope, for he who made the promise is trustworthy. We must consider how to rouse one another to love and good works. [Hebrews]
I have found in my pastoral experience that one of the most important things I can do is to encourage people. This was especially true in campus ministry, but true also in other ministries. The Letter to the Hebrews tries to offer encouragement to the community. And it urges the community to offer encouragement to one another. "He who made the promise is trustworthy."
It is that question of trust that makes things difficult. Many will say to me, "I wish I could trust in God more." My response is to ask if they can name anyone else they trust more than God, and why? I believe it is the process of encouraging one another in our faith that we learn to trust God. This is probably due to learning to trust other people as well. Rousing one another to love and good works is what Hebrews urges along with encouragement. But it all starts with that encouragement which arouses trust and hope. AMEN