REFLECTION ON TODAY'S GOSPEL
He believed against all hope, and was encouraged by hope.
St. Paul makes it clear that the promise made to Abraham and his descendants, that of inheriting the world, was not by virtue of the observance of the law but by the righteousness of faith. Always with a broad outlook, he tells them that it was not attachment to and observance of the law that gave Abraham and his descendants the inner certainty of the promise to inherit the world, but faith. Abraham's key was faith in the promise. Everything depends on faith; without it, nothing makes sense. Enjoying the grace of faith makes everything grace. That faith is what gave Abraham the title of father of many peoples: because he believed, he waited. He knew how to move between waiting and hope, and in the middle, faith. The three, in their right measure, are assembled in the Christian spiritual life. Without the support of hope, the rest... falters. From this inner impulse, life would sprout, life made alliance/friendship with Yahweh, service, love, understanding... so many attitudes with which to shape the believing life. On this day we rely on faith and hope to ask God to give us a clear, serene vision, to fix our eyes on the one who alone deserves to be seen, contemplated: Jesus Christ.
The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment what you have to say
Today, the Lord awakens our faith and hope in Him. Jesus anticipates that we will have to appear before the heavenly host to be examined. And he who has declared himself in favor of Jesus by adhering to his mission, "the Son of Man will also declare himself for him" (Lk 12:8). This public confession is made in words, in deeds and throughout life.
This call to confession is even more necessary and urgent in our times, when there are people who do not want to listen to the voice of God or follow his way of life. However, the confession of our faith will have a strong follow-up. Therefore, let us not be confessors either for fear of punishment - which will be more severe for apostates - or for the abundant reward reserved for the faithful. Our witness is necessary and urgent for the life of the world, and God himself asks it of us, as St. John Chrysostom said: "God is not satisfied with interior faith; he asks for exterior and public confession, and thus moves us to greater trust and love.
Our confession is sustained by the strength and guarantee of his Spirit who is active within us and who defends us. The recognition of Jesus Christ before his angels is of vital importance since this fact will allow us to see him face to face, to live with him and to be flooded with his light. At the same time, the opposite will be nothing other than to suffer and lose one's life, to be deprived of the light and deprived of all good things. Let us ask, then, for the grace to avoid all denial, whether it be for fear of torture or out of ignorance, because of heresies, sterile faith and lack of responsibility, or because we want to avoid martyrdom. Let us be strong; the Holy Spirit is with us. The victory is ours...do not worry about how or with what you will defend yourselves, or what you will say, because the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very moment what you should say.
