GROW: There’s a well-known story about an actor who was asked by an elderly priest to recite Psalm 23. The actor agreed only if the priest also recited the psalm. While the actor’s delivery was met with esteem and applause, the priest’s was met with raw emotion, stunned silence, and tears. The actor, smiling, said, “I may know the psalm, but the priest, he knows the Shepherd.”

GROW: Have you ever felt as though God is punishing you? Throughout the course of our lives, we experience what might seem like a barrage of hardships. This battering down of our interior and exterior fortresses over time can test our faith and weaken our resolve. If you find yourself in this position, read today’s passage from Hebrews again: “Do not disdain the discipline of the Lord,” St. Paul reminds us, “for whom the Lord loves, he disciplines.”

GROW: Today’s readings acknowledge the real challenges of living our faith. Following Christ will sometimes put us at odds with others – an uncomfortable reality that many will face in our broken and divided world. Yet we can find strength knowing that Jesus understands the constant opposition (both inward and outward) that we face. The second reading says, “Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners.” Jesus knows what it’s like to face opposition, but he endured it “for the sake of the joy that lay before him.” That is our calling too. We are made to know the joy that awaits us beyond our crosses. We find the strength to persevere through our trials by “keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus.” Keeping Christ as our focus, we will be able to overcome any obstacle we may face and run toward the goal of heaven.

If we’re honest with ourselves, we often want God to give us exactly what we ask for in prayer, or to provide immediate comfort in moments of need. But from the beginning, God revealed that the life of faith would entail trusting in his promises even as we wait for their final fulfilment. The example of Abraham in the second reading can be our model. We are called to emulate Abraham’s obedient trust: “for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy.” Throughout the Scriptures God promised his people that he would prepare a place for them.

A few years ago, I heard this witty but thought-provoking phrase: “You never see a U-Haul attached to a hearse” – a reminder that we don’t get to take our physical belongings with us when we die. This phrase came to mind as I read today’s Gospel. Jesus offers us a parable about the perils of placing our ultimate hope in amassing possessions. In our own lives, we might be challenged or inspired by the quiet example of people around us who demonstrate that material things aren’t what matter most.