There are a great many wonderful things whose workings I don’t understand, but I trust them to operate as promised. I’ve just turned on this computer and letters are appearing on this screen when I push buttons just like they are supposed to.
In a few minutes, I’ll push more buttons which will send this piece to another computer at Creighton which, in turn, will send it into cyberspace so people at other computers can access it.
I don’t understand how it happens but it does.
That’s the way that I approach today’s readings. Both God’s covenant with Abraham and Jesus’ promise that if we are true to his words, we will never see death, are beyond my understanding. But in faith, I trust that they are true.
However even if I trust many things that I don’t fully understand, I’m not totally gullible. I look for evidence that supports the truth of my beliefs. For example, I know that the Internet is real and worldwide because almost every time I write a reflection, I get at least one response from somewhere thousands of miles from Omaha – India, Africa, Hong Kong, the Philippines etc.
We don’t have such tangible evidence in the case of the promises of today’s readings, but life is full of hints that death will not have the final word if we believe. I see such evidence in the way believers help other people overcome the “deaths” of daily life.
I’m thinking of people like:
A priest whose extra efforts to personalize a funeral homily for an elderly parishioner brought great comfort to her daughter, my close friend.
My friend Tom who is helping a former co-worker cope with the loss of his longtime corporate job.
My daughter’s school counselor, Kathy, whose wisdom and compassion gets so many teenage girls and their mothers through the various “deaths” of adolescence.
If people like these can bring life out of “death,” why should we even wonder what God can do for us? And can’t we all try to be part of the evidence that the promises of Jesus are true??? Happy Lent!
Eileen Wirth
I’m a retired Creighton journalism professor, active in St. John’s parish and a CLC member. In retirement, I write books about state and local history, including a history of the parish, and do volunteer PR consulting for groups like Habitat for Humanities, refugees etc. I love to read, work out, spend time with family and friends including those who can no longer get out much.
Writing reflections has deepened my faith by requiring me to engage deeply with Jesus through the Scriptures. In the many years I have been doing this, I’ve also formed friendships with regular readers nationally, most of whom I have never met. Hearing from readers and what I learn by writing make the hours I spend on each reflection well worth the effort.
