Fr. Robert J. Carr, Parochial Vicar at St. Benedict’s Parish in Somerville, MA  tells:  “Jesus' is constantly teaching us to trust Him. Stop living in fear, stop worrying.  Fear and worry are of this world, not of His Kingdom.  Trust in Him at all times.  Yet, trust from the eternal perspective, trust that His mission is to bring us salvation, not riches.  Trust that His mission is to bring us into His kingdom, not make us kings in this world.  Trust, trust, trust.”

Once  we surrender ourselves to Him, He promises to send the third person of the Trinity to live within each of us, to fortify us, to warn us when we stray, to advise and remind us of the teachings He made clear to us.  In John 14:26 Jesus tells us, "But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you."  And again John 16:13, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth.  He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come.

Pope Benedict XVI said in his Sunday Angelus address on August 14, 2011:  “Dear friends, we too are called to grow in faith, to reach out and to receive freely the gift of God, to trust in Jesus and cry out, ‘Give us the faith, help us find our way’,” the Pope told pilgrims gathered at his summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, 15 miles south of Rome.  This trust in Christ is personified in a Gospel reading in which a pagan Canaanite woman, despite not being Jewish, beseeched Jesus to cure her daughter who was possessed by a demon." (Matthew15: 22-27)
 
"God responds to such a faithful cry “not as some faceless and nameless abstract” but as “a person who wants to enter into a relationship of deep love with us,” with that person being Jesus Christ himself.  Faith lets us know and accept the true identity of Jesus, its novelty and uniqueness, His Word as a source of life, to live a personal relationship with Him.”

When we trust in Christ, we no longer rely on self but depend on His goodness, the source of our strength.  Because we place ourselves in His Hands through that trust, He blesses us with the gift of eternal life.  Are we worthy?  No, not a single one of us is worthy but through His love He erased our transgressions with His blood for all who believe and have trust in Him as Lord.  "Therefore if anyone who is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come!” (2Corinthians 5:15) 

Consider this challenge: A man strung a tight rope across the Niagara Falls and advertised in the local paper that he would walk across the falls with a wheel barrel full of rocks. The day came and the crowd was big and excited about the event. The man came out with his new wheel barrel and asked, “How many of you believe that I can make it across the tight rope and back?”  The crowd cheered loudly and said, “We believe you can do it.” The man went on his way with the patience of steel, made it to the other side and back with the wheel barrel full of rocks. The crowd thundered with cheers. The man said, “How many of you believe I can push a man or woman in my wheel barrel across and back?”  The crowd got even more excited and cheered to see him take a person across Niagara Falls and back. The man was excited about doing his last event and said, “If you believe, raise your hands.” The cheering crowd lifted their hands high and cheered. He started asking for volunteers among them who believed to sit in His wheel barrel and leave the safety and security of dry ground. Not surprisingly, no one volunteered.  Although many believed he could do it, no one volunteered. All the ones that believed and had raised their hands now said, “You are crazy. I am not getting in that wheel barrel.” Many say they believe in Christ but few choose to get into His wheel barrel. When Christ asks you to “Trust me. Rely on me. Submit and Depend on Me; will you surrender your life to Him? (story taken from wikihow.com )

Father Jerome Magat reminds us, "We do well to ask ourselves if it would take something as dramatic as Peter’s experience to teach us to trust Jesus.  Can we be more fervent believers with lesser manifestations of Our Lord’s omnipotence and love?  Can we 'set out to the other side' on Jesus’ command even when our paltry human calculations tell us not to trust Him? Jesus desires deep faith — a necessary component of being saved."

God does not lie and His Word is eternal.  His love for us is unconditional and will never change.  He has proven it by sending His Son Jesus Christ to die on a cross to cleanse us of sin so we can stand stainless when He comes to claim us for His Father.  Will you place your trust in Him?

Father Amaro Saumell began his religious education at Holy Apostles College and Seminary, later attending St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, California for his graduate work. In July of 1992, Father Amaro was ordained.  A late vocation priest, he brings to the priesthood his love of life and a wealth of creativity.  He is blessed with a beautiful singing voice and has a talent for uniquely producing his own religious videos.  Father Amaro is currently the pastor at St. Ann's Catholic Church in Needles, California.  He has volunteered his time to CatholicView's "Ask a Priest" and has contributed guest articles for many years.  See his video which follows below:

TRUST IN HIM - Father Amaro Saumell