Reflection From

Fr. Davis

June 21, 2026

One of the foundational spiritual dispositions required of Jesus’ disciples is the virtue of trust. We would all do well to embrace a more reliant, trusting, posture regarding the providence and action of God in our lives and in our world.

As the mission of Jesus unfolds in the Gospel narrative, last week we heard how the selection of specific personal collaborators, the Apostles, were chosen for a special relationship with Christ and summoned for a specific mission. In today’s Gospel we learn of the virtue that should characterize their discipleship and what should undergird their ministry on behalf of the Kingdom. Today’s Gospel passage tells us that fear has no place in the soul of the one who lives in and for the Kingdom of God. At the core of their being, therefore, the Apostles are to trust that God is in charge, that he will take care of his people, and that the Lord himself will see things through to their proper conclusion. After all, "if God is for us, who can be against us?"

As the Apostles evidence a growing confidence in Jesus as the Son of God, the Anointed One, the Messiah, who came to restore and heal Israel, ushering in the Kingdom of Heaven, the Apostles are now asked to trust and believe in the efficacious action of God in their regard. Trust connotes confidence. Trust point to reassurance. In the life of faith, trust underscores a life that is confidently reliant on God’s Word and promises. There is no place for fear in the life of an authentic disciple. Jesus will later tell his followers, "be not afraid!"

Unfortunately, our contemporary culture fosters in us a disposition of suspicion, of doubt, of worry, of fear, and of a whole host of neuroses. We so easily conclude that there is nothing trustworthy, nothing reliable. We are told to not believe our eyes and intellect. As such, we often find ourselves in a reactionary posture, one that is frequently characterized by fear and insecurity, especially in spiritual matters.

Yet, the challenge for all of us followers of the Risen Lord Jesus, our Good Shepherd, is to be trustingly confident in his words, guidance, promises, and abiding presence. Fear is useless. What is needed is trust. May we grow in our trust that he is in charge and will see things through to its proper end, for our salvation and for the redemption of the world. O Lord, thy Kingdom come!

Father Davis

Read More