Let us trust God

“Trust, I am, do not be afraid” (Mt 6:50).

a) Christ the Lord calls the apostles to trust in danger – in a storm at sea. The Psalmist, in great danger, trusts firmly in the merciful God: “But I trust in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation” (Ps. 12: 6). Every person in some danger of soul or body, in order not to break down, should trust God. The basis of this trust is God’s infinite Mercy, His Omnipotence and His Omniscience.

Trust is the expectation of promised or understanding help; It is not a separate virtue, but a necessary condition for the virtue of hope and an integral part of the virtue of bravery and generosity, therefore it becomes the link of these virtues and the basis of the strength of the true character of man.

Trust is a great lever in our lives, even when we only expect help from people, as numerous examples from history show. But their help is unreliable, their promise is uncertain, and the covenant is often treacherous. However, trust in God never fails. “For trusting God, His Mercy extends from everywhere” (Ps. 31:10), says the prophet on the basis of revelation and personal experience, pointing to God’s Mercy as the main basis of trust.

The poor shepherd David stands up to fight the armed giant of Canaan and defeats him because he trusted in God’s help: “You come to me with sword and spear and buckler, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts” (1 Kings 17, 45). The same David reproaches himself in other cases too much fear and lack of trust in God: “Why are you sad, my soul, and why do you worry me? Trust in God ”(Ps. 41: 6). “Therefore I will not be afraid when the earth moves and the mountains are moved into the heart of the sea” (Ps. 45: 3). “And I will come to the altar of God, to God who makes my youth rejoice” (Ps. 42: 4). Yes, youth is a period of confidence. In this relationship to God, the soul does not age, but continues to rejuvenate as its trust grows.

b) The Old Testament was just a cover and figure of the New Law. How much more than the Psalmist should we reproach ourselves of our lack of trust in the Savior! Jesus, in the most vivid words and pictures, invites the soul to follow him on the path of childlike simplicity and trust. “I am – he says – the good Shepherd” and this title should inspire in everyone’s heart unlimited trust. Regarding the heavenly Father, the Lord Jesus presents himself as the Lamb, sacrificed for the sins of the world, and regarding us he is the Good Shepherd: He knows and loves his sheep, feeds them with His teaching and grace, and even gives His Body and Blood for food.

At other times, Christ descends to the most confidential images and expressions. He is for us like a hen cuddling chickens under his wings. The sight of sinners’ willful infidelities and mistakes brings tears from His eyes and evokes the most persistent lamentation of His merciful Heart: “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone those sent to you …” (Mt 29:37).

Why does the Savior put these bitter images before our eyes, if not for the purpose of inspiring us to trust? How could Jesus, so pitying Jerusalem, so tender to the prodigal son, Magdalena’s open sinner, Peter, and the thief on the cross, be harsh on a soul that believes in him and strives to keep His commandments? Throughout the Gospel, Christ breathes with the most tender Mercy, and His attitude towards us has not changed in the slightest even today. He revealed this relationship in a famous painting depicting the rays of merciful grace gushing out from His Most Compassionate Heart. Could God, in his infinite wisdom, invent something more effective to encourage us to become familiar with Himself and to trust without limits? Could the Savior encourage us so strongly to trust in Himself, if He did not want to give Mercy for this trust? And yet He cannot be wrong and does not want to mislead us.

Jesus, I trust you. I trust that you will forgive my sins, that you have prepared heaven, I trust that you will provide the necessary, temporal and eternal help. “Son, Redeemer of the world, God, have mercy on us.”

 

The author of the discussion is Bl. Fr. Michał Sopoćko, from 1933 he was confessor and spiritual director of St. Faustyna Kowalska – the author of the Diary, where she wrote the words of Jesus Christ about him:

“As a result of his effort, a new light will shine in the Church of God for the consolation of souls” (Diary