Disbelief is dangerous

 

Disbelief is dangerous; it deprives us of God’s grace

Reflection on Today’s Readings, Monday of 22nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year I, September 4th, 2023
Texts: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Psalm 96:1,3-5,11-13; Luke 4:16-30 

Disbelief is dangerous; it deprives us of God’s grace. The people in today’s gospel reading acknowledge the power of God in Jesus. The problem is that they could not understand how such power could be present in an ordinary man like Jesus. It was a scandal for them and as such they did not believe it. We read, “And all spoke well of him, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth; and they said, ‘Is not this Joseph's son?’"  We still have such problem today. Today some people still doubt the presence of God in the Blessed Sacrament. 

Jesus Christ reminds us today how disbelief deprived the people of God’s favour. He says, “But in truth, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when there came a great famine over all the land; and Elijah was sent to none of them but only to Zarephath”. The lesson here is that we should learn to accept the truth wherever we find it. We should also learn to look beyond sign to embrace the reality. The people could not look beyond the ordinary man they knew to see the reality in Him. 

Let us seek knowledge so as to establish our hope

St. Paul, in today’s first reading, exhorts us to live and behave like people of hope. He shows the importance of knowledge in living life of hope. In his words: “We would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.” Let us seek knowledge so as to establish our hope. Hence, he speaks to us about how the resurrection of Jesus Christ has given us hope. He says, “For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.”  

We are people of hope and as such we should not be downcast. We should not grieve over the dead as if they have no hope. Our hope should always dispel our grief; where there is hope, grief has no place. Hope is source of joy and consolation in trying times. Hope helps us to forge ahead in spite of difficulties and dismisses sorrow. Hence, St. Paul admonishes us to always comfort one another with words of hope. He says, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 

Prayer 

God our Father, heal us of disbelief that we may accept the truth wherever we see it. May we know the hope we have in you, that we may live life of hope. Amen  

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke