Posted on by tshultz

Return to Him and Trust Him

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The readings from Sirach and the Gospel are both clear and timeless.

Go read them… if you haven’t.

I’m confident that they will convey to you deeper and more vital truths than a reflection by yours truly.

Did you read it then?!

Ok, here are my thoughts: February 22nd-24th of this year, I traveled with my band to Kalamazoo, MI for the Presence retreat; it was actually on this same retreat in 2014 that I first met Tommy Shultz (the organizer of this blog series).

A “Steubenville”-style of retreat, the weekend goes from Friday night to Sunday morning. Saturday night is the epic 2-hour long Adoration. Before I was committed to shaking the shaker and crashing the cymbals for the service, I wanted to receive confession.

I was fortunate enough to receive the grace of the sacrament through the gentle and insightful Fr. Derda.

In our conversation, we discerned that I fell victim to my sin of lust because I was first slothful (willfully). But, why was I slothful? Pure laziness wasn’t an adequate explanation.

I was afraid. Really, I needed to confess that I didn’t trust God’s plan to “prosper [me] and not harm [me]” Jer. 29:11.

 The sleeping beast in my life, ever lurking and harming my will, is the belief that failure in a new venture will crush me beyond repair. Bleak, I know. But it’s my demon. And I’m happy to share that it is losing.

A couple of years ago, Tommy shared this Monsignor Lorenzo Albacete quote,

“The only temptation we face is the temptation to believe that God does not want to fill the deepest desires of our hearts.”

Ain’t that the truth!

Should we steal scraps from the waste bin because we’re too afraid to accept our invitation to the feast?!

I think it not too bold to suggest that the rich man in the Gospel did not trust that God would fulfill the deepest desires of his heart and he did not trust that God would indeed care for him; why else would he be sad?

It is written in Sirach 17:21

“Return to Him and give up sin”.

It could also be read:

“Return to him and grow in trust.” Turn to Him. Trust Him. Even if He asks you to sell all that you have.

During the week, Matthew Juliano works as a Direct Support Professional with individuals who have intellectual and developmental disabilities. Visit his Patreon page to learn more about his job; there you can also find more reflections on life and faith. On weekends, he travels as the drummer for Full Armor Band to play retreats and conferences.  Most importantly, Matthew is planning and preparing to wed his fiancé this July.
© Diocesan, 2024