In the Gospel this weekend, Jesus refers to his disciples as “little flock”. It is an image that recalls the tender way God cared for Israel as of old. The disciples need not be afraid because the kingdom has been given to them. They are encouraged to seek it for it is a gift from the Father. While it is a great consolation and comfort, it is also a great responsibility, day after day.
There are two ways of approaching life, it has been said: either as a planner or a pilgrim. The planner likes to have total control over his life and to be able to plan each stage, according to pre-set goals. Planners take their cues from what society considers success, and give their time trying to match the lifestyle and values of others. They become bitterly disappointed if they fail to achieve these objectives.
The pilgrim accepts life as a gift that unfolds as it is lived, for however hard we try, we can never have complete control over what happens. The pilgrim is not deterred by failures and disappointments but sees them as opportunities for growth. Unlike the planner, the pilgrim never feels comfortable or at ease with society’s values.
While the planner does not live by faith the pilgrim does, knowing that life is full of risk but still affirming life. That person senses the full insecurity of the human situation and sensing a knowledge of unseen realities, is at peace. This is at the heart of faith, to put oneself in God’s hands and so open oneself to the grace of God’s protection.
Abraham is a great Old Testament model of faith, of a generous response to God’s call. He is the ideal pilgrim. At the Word of God he uprooted himself, leaving his home and his people, and set out for a land God promised to show him, where he would become a father of a great nation. It was a journey into the unknown. The only compass he had was faith in God.
Like Abraham we are journeying into the unknown. We literally don’t know what lies around the next bend on the road of life. Yet in spite of frustrations and failures, we journey on for that place where our hopes will be realized and our true life will begin. Abraham died without seeing God’s promise fulfilled. Like Abraham, we travel in faith and die in hope.
We’d like to build a secure future, yet there may not be a tomorrow. At death we leave everything behind, and set out for a new homeland, relying only on God’s promise. But if we have lived by faith, the last step of the journey will not be harder than any of the ones that preceded it.
To be prepared we need to be true to our responsibilities in the present and pray for the grace to live well for the rest of our life each day God gives us. We should know we are not alone on the pilgrimage of life. No one believes purely on his or her own. We always believe in and with the Church. We make the pilgrimage as members of a believing community who support us when our faith does not measure up.