Living by Faith

Reflection on Today's Readings and Memorial of St. Dominic, Saturday, 18th Week in Ordinary Time Year II, 8th August, 2020
Texts: Hab. 1:12-2:4; Ps.9:8-13; Matt. 17:14-20
just like Prophet Habakkuku in today's  first reading, we sometimes find it difficult to reconcile our faith with our experience. Prophet Habakkuku could not understand how God who is holy allows evil. He said, "Are you not from everlasting, O Lord my God, my Holy one? ..... You who are of purer eyes than to behold evil and cannot look on wrong, why do you look on faithless men, and be silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he?" This will continue to bother us in our journey of faith. When we think of the state of our nation and the world at this time, we cannot but question the goodness of God, the creator. How could he have created people such as terrorists, armrobbers, kidnappers, bandits, the corrupted politicians etc. This remains a mystery to us. In the midst of this confusion, God says, "The righteous shall live by faith".
What does it mean to live by faith. We may say, 'to have trust in God'. It simply means to hold firmly and live according to the revealed truths about God: his holiness, his goodness, his almightiness, his eternal love etc. We are to hold on to the truth that he does not forsake those who seek him. We are to live by the truth that everything works for the good of those who love God. He who lives by faith knows that the righteous who are dead live on; they are with God. Hence, evil does not triumph over the righteous. This brings meaning to our today's celebration: the memorial of St. Dominic. We believe that he is with God, interceding for us. It is said of St. Dominic thus: "His conversation was always either with God or about God; rarely did he speak on other matters, and this practice he commended to his disciples". We are to make the revealed truth, which is the word of God, our thoughts, concerns and ways of life. St. Dominic refused the office of Bishop several times because he wanted to live in poverty with his brothers. This teaches us to be poor in spirit.
Today's gospel also centres on faith. Jesus says, "For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you". Faith transforms our lives and grant us access into a spiritual world.

Lord God, grant us your help that we may always live by faith so as to be pleasing to you. Amen.

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke