In Michelangelo’s famous painting, “The Creation of Adam,” there is a small detail worth mentioning. When God, supported by angels in heaven, extends his index finger toward Adam, it is fully extended. Adam, formed from the earth, also reaches out, but his index finger is slightly bent at the last joint. There is a space between God’s finger and man’s finger. Through this small detail, the artist teaches us that God is always there, seeking us, wanting to have a relationship with us. We, humanity, must make the decision to seek God. Until we make that decision, our finger will remain slightly bent leaving empty space. The gap that is created is our doing.
Abraham is considered the father of faith. In this Sunday’s passage from the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told that “by faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance… By faith he lived as a stranger in the promised land… By faith he received the power to be the father of many… because he considered the one who had made the promise to be faithful.” Abraham made the decision to trust God. Abraham decided to give himself completely to God because he believed that God was trustworthy.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus invites us to enter into the dynamic of faith. The invitation is given when he says: “Gird yourselves, light your lamps, and be like servants waiting for their master to return from the wedding, ready to open the door immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds awake when he comes.” This vigilance is faith: it is believing that the master who promised to return is trustworthy.
Today’s readings show us two aspects of faith. The first is that faith is never a “once and done” thing. Faith is a constant decision for all of us. By faith, Abraham set out on his journey. By faith, Abraham sojourned. By faith, Abraham received the power to beget. By faith, Abraham was even willing to enter into the heartbreak of the sacrifice of his son, but God did not require that heartbreak of Abraham even as God accepted it for himself in the death of his son on the cross out of love for us. Faith is a constant decision for each of us.
The second dynamic is found in the strange scene where the master blesses the servants he finds watching for his return, seating them at the table and serving them himself. When we enter into a moment or encounter of faith, whether it is trusting that God is with us or reaching out to another person in charity, we will receive blessings. I am not referring here to the lie known as the “prosperity gospel.” I am not saying that if we have faith, we will win the lottery. When we choose to have faith, we receive true blessings that neither rust nor moth can destroy – friendship with God, true life, peace, and joy.
Jesus continually invites us to faith. The choice to believe and trust, to extend our finger, is ours to make.
The Alternate Path 