9 October 2020
Memorial of St. Denis, Bishop and Martyr
“Those who have faith are blessed along with Abraham who had faith.” (Gal 3:9)
Abraham would not be Abraham without his faith. Literally, his name would have still been Abram if he had decided to sit cozy in his hometown rather than rely on following the call and promises of God. (Gen 12) It is through this radical reliance on the Lord who calls him that Abraham, hoping against hope, becomes the father of many nations. It is that reliance on the Lord that opens Abraham’s life to receive the blessings the Lord had in store for him. And as St. Paul emphasizes, the blessings promised to Abraham were not only for Abraham, and were a sign of greater blessings to come. Christ dies that nothing may be in the way of people of every tribe and tongue and nation receiving God’s blessing, the gift of the Spirit breathed forth from the Cross, breathed forth upon the apostles by the risen Lord, sent in power on Pentecost, alive and at work through the ages, here to sanctify and guide us now.
In the Gospel proclaimed today, we hear about what opposes faith and closes the heart: division. “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste and house will fall against house.” (Lk 11:17) It is easy to fall into needless and harmful opposition to others in the pursuit of the goods which we and society-at-large need. Even when we have done much interior work of ridding ourselves of many evils, if we do not radically rely on the Lord and let him fill our hearts with His charity, then our hearts remain swept clean but empty and waiting for a state worse than before. (Lk 11:25-26) Lest pride in critiquing others blind us from the good God promises, we must beg for the grace to be radically united with Him, cared for by the Lord, filled with His grace. Let us seek that filling presence of God, especially in the sacraments of confession and Holy Communion. May these powerful means make our faith a powerful source of unity in charity amidst so many suffering from division.