The primal sin began with a breach of TRUST:
Did God really say you could not eat of
any of the trees in the garden? Since that
fateful day in Eden, humanity has been on a long trek back to
unconditional, unwavering TRUST in God, our Father and
Creator. It is, to be sure, the task of a lifetime. But
restoration of TRUST is the essence of the Gospel: Unless
you change and become as little children, you shall not enter
the kingdom of heaven.
The dictionary defines TRUST as a
resting
of the mind on the integrity, veracity, justice, friendship or
love of another person. The key word here is
resting. TRUST enables us to lay to rest our worries,
fears and anxieties so that we can repose our concerns, hopes
and cares in someone stronger than ourselves. A child has that
kind of TRUST in a parent. A believer needs to have that
kind of TRUST in God.
Logically speaking, we should be able to TRUST God
totally. His integrity, truthfulness, justice and love are
infinite. Yet the breach which sin made in our relationship with
God remains. It is not an uncrossable gulf — the Lord Himself
has provided an array of TRUST-building materials; the
Scriptures, the sacraments, the theological virtues. He has
given us the example of His saints, all of whom excelled in
TRUST.
At first, the success of these holy TRUST-builders
might frighten us, Can we really have the same unbounded
TRUST in God that Francis of Assisi had when he cast
aside even the clothes he was wearing to declare that he had a
Father in heaven? Could our TRUST really equal Francis'
certainty that the Lord would provide for his every need, from
the next meal to safety in the face of wolf or robber or rival?
Can we, often so calculating or cost-counting, fretful or
fearful, meet challenges and sufferings with a TRUST like
that of the Poor Man of Assisi, who sang of God's goodness even
as he carried the cross of pain, disappointment,
misunderstanding and betrayal?
Yes — because the God in whom we TRUST is the same
infinitely loving, merciful, patient God in whom St, Francis
trusted! Often we doubt our ability to achieve the TRUST
which the saints had because we see only the end of their
lifetime striving but miss the effort that went into reaching
it. For TRUST is a virtue which needs to be practiced. As
we grow in faith by believing, so we grow in TRUST by
trusting. Sometimes God asks for "little leaps of faith and
"small" acts of TRUST. Then, as we become accustomed to
walking by faith and living in TRUST, the Divine Teacher
will offer larger, more demanding opportunities to TRUST
in Him.
And if we miss the mark — He is still there, as He was for
St. Francis. When the Seraphic Patriarch wept and wondered about
the future of his religious family, Christ asked;
Why are you worried, O little man? Do
you not know the Order is mine? When Francis,
nearly blind and weary with pain, trembled at the thought of
divine judgment, the Lord with supreme kindness offered him an
assurance of eternal salvation.
It will be the same for us as we apply ourselves to this
task of a lifetime. God will always be there, waiting for us to
trustingly make our little and large leaps of faith into His
open arms. The reward of TRUST is so great. No wonder the
prophet could cry out: TRUST
in the Lord forever!
Part 20
Trust