Have Courage to Follow

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Second Sunday after Pentecost

Today's Readings:
[ Gen 12:1-9; Ps 33:1-12; Rom 4:13-25; Mt 9:9-13, 18-26 ]

Today's readings weave together two themes that lie at the heart of the Christian life: trust and mercy.

In Genesis, Abram hears God's astonishing call: "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you". God offers no map, no detailed itinerary, and no guarantees beyond a promise. Yet Abram goes. His faith is not certainty; it is trust. He steps forward because he believes the One who calls him is faithful.

St. Paul returns to this story in Romans, reminding us that God's promises are received not through human achievement but through faith. Abraham "hoped against hope", trusting God's word even when circumstances seemed impossible. Faith, then, is not merely believing certain facts about God. It is entrusting ourselves to God when we cannot see the whole path ahead.

The Gospel shows us what this trust looks like in practice. Matthew leaves his tax booth and follows Jesus. A synagogue leader comes to Jesus believing that even death is not beyond his power. A woman reaches out in faith to touch the fringe of Christ's cloak. Again and again, people place themselves into Jesus' hands despite uncertainty, social barriers, or apparent hopelessness.

From a Franciscan perspective, these readings remind us that discipleship begins with holy poverty. St. Francis sought to hold loosely to possessions, status, and even his own plans so that he could cling more fully to Christ. Abraham leaves home. Matthew leaves his livelihood. The woman risks public shame. Each lets go of something in order to receive something greater.

God's call may not require us to travel to a distant land or abandon our occupations. Yet every day Christ invites us to leave behind fear, self-reliance, and the illusion of control. He calls us to trust his mercy and to follow where he leads.

The good news is that the One who calls us is also the One who heals, restores, and keeps his promises. Like Abraham, may we go where God leads. Like Matthew, may we rise and follow. And like the woman in the crowd, may we reach out in faith and discover that Christ has already reached toward us.

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