June 14, 2015 — Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Ez 17: 22-24; Ps 92: 2-3, 13-16; 2 Cor 5: 6-10; Mk 4: 26-34
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Those words of great insight are in today’s second reading from St. Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians. Hymns have been written with that theme at the focal point. It is often quoted and used as a reference point for how we view our faith and the many mysteries of the Church.
We could also parallel Paul’s statement by saying “We walk by hope, and not by sight.” Through Christ’s Crucifixion we believe, we know, that Jesus offered us the possibility and the hope of life everlasting. We live in a world that puts great credibility to what the eye can see. That is why the visual and social media seem to have such a huge impact on people’s lives.
However, as Christians, we also know that the conclusions of the heart are as valid as those of the mind. Yet, this is one of the most difficult aspects of our relationship to God and to one another. Faith implies trust. Without that sense of trust, that feeling of hope, that awareness that there is more to truth than what seems obvious, we cannot pursue discipleship and stewardship the way Jesus has invited us to live. Our faith — our commitment to living as Christians — must pervade everything in our lives, everything we do every day.
