Trust a reward in itself

Bulletin Article 7/31
If I were to ask you, “What is trust?” How would you respond? Trust, like love, is a word that is understood, but hard to describe. Trust can be paired with faith or belief in something. These words cannot be confused as synonyms. My trust in God is solidified because of my faith in Him. I believe that He is the creator of the universe; I believe that His son Jesus was born of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and that He suffered, died, and rose again. Due to the face that I believe this, I trust that God is who He says He is and He will do what He says He will do. These words are relatable, but not interchangeable.

The first instance of trust in our lives is when we are little babies. We are completely reliant on our parents. All a baby knows is “I cry and mommy or daddy brings me what I need.” As a baby, we have no inclination of the outside world or responsibility. Babies completely trust their parents. That trust develops as we grow. When we take our first steps or learn to ride a bike, we trust that our parents will be there if we fall down. As we get older, we learn that trust is something special because it can be broken.


The readings this week and next week are completely about trust. This week we hear about God being the ultimate provider. He asks that we give all that we have in order to feed His flock. How apprehensive are we when He asks us that? Look at the disciples. They are asked to give all the food they had to this large crowd. If I were Peter, James, or another disciple I would think, “No way. It’s been such a long day. I am hungry. If I give away my food I will have nothing.” But look at how Jesus rewards their trust. So many times we look at this passage as God providing for the crowd. However, what does He provide for His disciples who gave all they had? “they picked up the fragments left over—twelve wicker baskets full.”

Jesus rewards our trust beyond our wildest dreams. The Disciples went from having to share 5 loaves and two fish between the 12 of them. Now they each had an entire basket full of food. The Lord knows the longings of our hearts. He knows the simple desires we have—the small and the big. He asks us to trust Him with what He has given us. All we need to do is give it back to him and allow Him to multiply it.