Since childhood, my older daughter was unwavering. She was going to be a physician. I was anxious and worried, thinking it was impossible to afford medical school expenses. When she was about to complete her undergraduate degree, my daughter sat the MCAT, the assessment test for medical school, and submitted applications to four schools. We prayed intensely throughout the process. Every evening we headed to Barnes and Noble (before the days of Google) to review manuals that described medical school scholarships and grant opportunities. We completed application forms and waited. My daughter received her first invitation for a medical school interview from Michigan State University. We continued in prayer as she received other invitations. My daughter went off to Michigan and right after her interview, she called and told me she was immediately accepted. Should she sign the agreement and forego the other interviews? We both prayed, felt the calm of God’s presence, and decided that she should accept the offer. She signed the forms not knowing how college fees or accommodation costs would be met. We continued in prayer, until, to our amazement, my daughter received a letter in the mail congratulating her for being a National Health Service scholarship recipient. Other letters followed. She received other grants and small scholarships. Additionally, she was offered a generously paid fellowship at the university, that would last the months between the end of her undergraduate studies and the beginning of the medical school semester. Our gracious God provided abundantly more than we could ask or imagine!
I share this story as a personal testimony of God’s powerful action that convicted my heart of His caring presence, and moved me forward in my journey from anxiety and worry into faith. In Sunday’s gospel (Luke 12:32-40), Jesus, speaks about the futility of anxiety and worry about worldly treasures and assures His listeners, “do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give alms.” As the God of incomprehensible love, Christ refers to Him as Father. The Father who, like a faithful parent, knows what we truly need, and it is His good pleasure, the intent of His heart of love to willingly bring us into His kingdom and into all good things.
We are like a “little flock” in comparison to the greatness of Christ the Good Shepherd who leads us into God’s kingdom for He is One with God the Supreme Being. Because of God’s loving care, Jesus assures us that in place of fear and anxiety we may anchor our souls in the hope and certainty of His promises. Living by faith, we hold lightly, detach ourselves from earthly, transitory treasures, and are empowered to share with others and make God’s kingdom values of compassion, mercy, love, and peace our priorities. To live by faith is to live watchfully and expectantly, mindful that we reside in the between times of our journey and our unknown arrival time in the kingdom as “the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour”.
May our lives bear witness of our faith in you, O God.
