testing

Just as in today's first reading, God put Abraham to the test by asking Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac (but stopping him before he did so), each of us is daily undergoing some sort of test.  He gives us free will to decide how we will rise to the challenge.  God being all-knowing, the outcome will be no surprise to him. 

In his homily today, the pastor of our parish made an insight I hadn't thought of but can apply to many situations.  He posited that God didn't test Abraham in order for Abraham to prove his faith in God to God, as the Lord already knew the depth of Abraham's faith.  Rather, the test was for Abraham to see how strong his faith in God was for himself. 

There come to mind heart-breaking situations of families losing loved ones -- babies, parents, siblings, and friends.  I will not presume to think I understand the depth of their sorrow.  I do hope and pray that, in spite of that sorrow, they are able to draw peace and strength from their faith in God that their loved ones are at rest in the perpetual light of heaven and will someday greet those still living when they arrive at the end of their own earthly lives.

The testing of one's faith doesn't come only by way of losing loved ones.  In our fallen world we each are confronted with things that challenge and even shake our faith in the one true God who loves and wants each of us to spend eternity with him.

Each of us has a different hand to play, so to speak.  We can not know the internal struggles the people in our midst are battling.  I pray that by the grace of God, we will each realize ourselves to be stronger than we think we are in the faith we have in him.