Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr

Are you not misled because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God? When they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but they are like the angels in heaven. As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living.

Sometimes we do not entirely understand one of God’s teachings and are misled by our own intellect to believe we know better. We can claim to have more insight into the faith than two thousand years of accumulated knowledge. We can claim that “times have changed” or Jesus was confined by his times. However, if we want to be Christians, then we need to trust not in our wisdom and cleverness, but rather in God’s eternal truth. This is especially necessary for those issues or teachings which we do not understand. In a world which tells us that truth is relative and changeable, it can be hard for us to accept that the Scriptures present an immutable reality, a Divine Truth, which we cannot argue or compromise with. This requires a great deal of trust on our part and a firm belief in Jesus’ gospel message and the power of God.

Do we know the Scriptures and trust their teachings? Do we recognize the power of God? Are we willing to sacrifice our own intellectual doubts and choose instead to believe in spite of our unbelief?

O Lord, we trust in your word and power.

Amen.