Today’s reading from Hebrews contains the only explicit definition of faith in the Bible. “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” Note that faith is defined in terms of hope. People of the Old Testament lived by faith… Abraham left his homeland, accepted God’s promise that he and his descendants would become a great nation. He lived his life by faith and with hope (trust) that Yahweh would fulfill his promises. Moses, Samuel, David and many others took a leap of faith to follow Yahweh’s direction to the Promised Land.

This reading from Hebrews invites us to realize the characteristics of faith and hope in our own lives and everyday experiences:  knowledge of unseen realities, generous response to God’s call, faithful endurance in the face of suffering and death, and hopeful trust in God’s promises. We each have our own stories of the journey of our personal, and family or community lives that hinge on faith and trust in the Lord. God carries us through times of chaos and crisis as well as times of joy‐filled dreams and promises. Do we believe that God will lead us to the Kingdom of true happiness and eternal joy?

The Lord comes to us when we least expect… the Gospel reading tells us: be ready to await the Master’s return…  you know not the day or the hour…

Let us be vigilant servants and be prepared for the Lord’s coming….