“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord; the Lord will be their trust.
They are like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream:
It does not fear heat when it comes, its leaves stay green;
In the year of drought it shows no distress, but still produces fruit.”
~ Jeremiah 17:7-8
Jeremiah, who witnesses the consequences of unfaithfulness to God, paints a beautiful picture for those who do trust in the Lord. Despite our trials, we are at ease with the confidence that God will provide. God will give us the strength to endure our struggles, and He will turn our disappointments into triumphs.
From a broad perspective, trust is a firm belief or confidence in the truth and reliability of something. It is the foundation of all healthy relationships and interactions, because it allows us to depend on others and know them more intimately. Trust allows us to collaborate with others toward common goals and to delegate tasks to others knowing that they will be completed. Trust is also crucial in maintaining a sense of safety and security, as it enables us to rely on each other for support and protection. When we trust more, we worry less.
The same concept applies to our relationship with God. Faith enlightens us to believe in God and all He reveals to us. It directs our human intellect toward God. When we accept God’s invitation for this bond of trust, we consent to becoming instruments to carry out His good works. Trust elicits the grace that provides the resiliency necessary to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of this world. It brings peace, purpose, and fulfillment to our lives.
The first violation of this trust took place in the Garden of Eden. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God’s command. This is what man’s first sin consisted of. All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness” (CCC 397).
That passage alludes to several important points for our reflection. Through Original Sin, mankind breaks our initial trust with God. Rehabilitating that trust is critical for us to grow in holiness. Our efforts are constantly challenged by the devil, who attempts to lead us toward temptation and to instill doubt regarding God’s love for us. All good comes from God. We cannot achieve goodness without God’s grace. We can, however, choose our own path, noting that both trust and distrust are acts of our free will.
Fully trusting in God surpasses our intellectual ascent to the truth. Complete trust in God leads us beyond our passive state of belief to an active state of faith. It is a lifelong journey of total surrender to God. When we abandon ourselves to Him, we are able to perceive Him in every part of and every moment of our existence. We allow our souls to be transformed as we conform to His will. Saint Alphonsus Liguori states: “He who trusts in himself is lost. He who trusts in God can do all things.”
God never forces us to trust Him. When we choose to trust freely, we cooperate with His grace and consent to following His plans for us. We do not always know what is expected of us or what the outcome will be. Yet, we trust that out of love for us, the results will bring about good. Pope Francis explains: “Trusting in God means to enter into his designs without demanding anything, even accepting that his salvation and his help should come to us in a different way from our expectations.”
Use this Holy Week and Easter Season to renew your trust in God. If you have any question at all if He deserves our trust, simply look to the cross. One powerful message from the Passion is that Christ never betrays us–even when we betray him, even through torture, and even if he has to sacrifice his earthly life for us. He shows us how to trust by demonstrating his ultimate trust in God the Father. His love and mercy endure for us in all circumstances for all time. “He will provide the way and the means, such as you could never have imagined,” assures Saint Catherine of Siena. “Leave it all to Him, let go of yourself, lose yourself on the Cross, and you will find yourself entirely.”
Saint Augustine encourages us to “Trust the past to the mercy of God, the present to His love, and the future to His providence.” Please join our “Weekly Challenge” section this month, where we will study a selection of topics that warrant our trust and discuss ways to nurture that trust. And be sure to post a comment regarding your experiences with trust.
