Monday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
The pairing today’s readings between the selections from the Letter to the Hebrews (11:32–40) and from Psalm 31 (vv. 20–24) encourages us to an attitude of confident trust in the Lord, even in the face of difficulties and persecutions.
As the author of Hebrews tells us, the ancients—men such as Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David and Samuel and the prophets, to whom we might add Deborah, Ruth, Hannah, and many other faithful women—were those who by faith conquered kingdoms, did what was righteous… out of weakness they were made powerful, became strong in battle, and turned back foreign invaders. And though their faith was great, they did not receive what had been promised within their lifetime, since Christ was yet to come.
And yet: though these faithful ones of the Old Covenant did not receive the fullness of the promise, they were still able to sing and praise the Lord in the words of the psalm: How great is the goodness, O LORD, which you have in store for those who fear you… you heard the sound of my pleading when I cried out to you.
This example of the ancient men and women, together with the witness of Christian saints and martyrs through the ages, gives us encouragement in our own faith and material for examination. In our own journey of faith, do we praise God’s faithfulness as these holy ones did, even before they tasted the fullness of the promise? Let us do as they do and sing the Lord’s praises today, no matter what may come.