19C22.    Wisdom 18:6-9.    The Hebrews in slavery in Egypt put their faith in their God who was to deliver them.  They waited for salvation to come because they knew that the Lord was their God and they were his people.

Luke 12:32-48.  Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.”  However our God will only give the kingdom to those who treasure God as their God and not to those who instead of treasuring God are in love with the things of this world.  Look with great desire for the day when the Lord will call us to be with him forever.  Live and wait in expectation for him to call us to be completely his in heaven.  Always live ready to be called to judgment at any moment.  Make certain you do not get caught up in the pleasures of this world.  If you do, you will not be ready to enter the next.  To whatever degree we are lost in the things and ways of this world we will be purged or cleansed in Purgatory to make us ready to enter into our Father’s kingdom.  God does not waste his time and energy pouring his grace into us to help us to become his true sons and daughters without demanding results in our spiritual growth. Jesus said in Matthew 5:48: “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”  For the love he has poured into us he demands that we become loving.  “Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19.   “Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.”  Faith is that by believing in God I already have what is hoped for even though I do not have it physically in hand.  Faith is trusting that God is true to being our Father whose love cannot fail.  Faith means that we are willing to wait on God’s good pleasure confident that we will never be denied God’s goodness.