Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our readings this Thursday speak deeply to the heart of our human struggle: the challenge of trusting in the Lord when His plans seem hidden, when His promises seem delayed, and when we do not understand why things unfold the way they do. We see this so vividly in the story of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar, and in the words of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew.
In our first reading from Genesis, we meet Abram and Sarai at a moment of great trial. God had promised Abram descendants as numerous as the stars, but after years in the land of Canaan, Sarai remains barren. Faced with this painful reality, Sarai takes matters into her own hands, offering her maidservant Hagar to Abram in hopes of building up a family through her. It seems like a solution that makes sense from a human point of view. But what happens? Instead of peace, this choice brings strife: Hagar looks upon Sarai with contempt, Sarai responds with harshness, and Abram stands by passively as the situation spirals into misery.
How easy it is for us, like Abram and Sarai, to become impatient with God’s timing! How tempting it is to take control, to try to force God’s promises into fulfillment according to our own plans! Yet whenever we step away from trusting God and instead lean only on our own understanding, we often end up causing harm—to ourselves and to others.
And yet, even in the midst of this human mess, God shows His mercy. He sees Hagar in her distress and offers her a promise: that her son Ishmael will be blessed and will have descendants beyond counting. God hears the cry of the afflicted. Even when we falter, even when our choices bring trouble, God remains faithful and compassionate.
In the Gospel, Jesus teaches us the path of wisdom that Abram and Sarai failed to follow at that moment. He says, “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.” The storms of life—delays, sufferings, uncertainties—will surely come. But if our trust is rooted in God, if we act on His word and not on our own impulses, we will endure. Our lives will stand firm, unshaken by the winds and floods of adversity.
On the other hand, those who hear the Lord’s word but do not live it out are like the foolish man who built his house on sand. The same storms will come, but the foundation will not hold, and great will be the ruin. This is what we see with Abram and Sarai: they heard God’s promises, but they faltered in doing His will when it seemed too hard or too slow. And the result was division and sorrow.
Brothers and sisters, the invitation today is to trust. To trust even when God’s ways are mysterious. To trust even when His answers seem delayed. To trust that His word is sure, His promises true, and His plan greater than anything we could devise. When we build our lives on this rock of trust—by listening to His word, obeying His commands, and surrendering to His will—we find the strength to endure every storm.
So let us pray for the grace to be patient in trials, to remain faithful in uncertainty, and to trust always that the Lord hears us, sees us, and walks with us. And may our lives be houses built on the rock of His love, firm and steadfast, to the glory of His name.
Our Lady, Shelter through the Storm, pray for us. Amen.
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