A Leap of Faith

There is a reason for the coinage of the term “a leap of faith”. Faith can often find itself paired with uncertainty and doubtfulness. For me, I faced such struggles when deciding what to do after graduating from college last May. I had a loose blueprint of what I wanted my future to include, but there were fuzzy spots in the logistics. There was one opportunity I felt strangely called towards: the Alumni Service Corps. Many of my friends (and some of my family) did not understand the appeal. Why wait a year before law school? How will this help you career-wise? In the face of this doubt and uncertainty, my decision was a firm one. I wanted to spend the year here, at Jesuit, where I had faith that I would learn and grow in so many ways that are absent from the lists of law school curriculums.

In today’s gospel reading, the story of Gabriel announcing the birth of John the Baptist to Zechariah, the archangel asked the father-to-be to have faith and trust in The Lord’s plans. However, Zechariah found this news too good to be true, and he doubted the words of Gabriel. "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years” replied Zechariah. In response to Zechariah’s doubt, Gabriel said, “now you will be speechless and unable to talk until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words”.

Taking a leap of faith and trusting in God’s greater plans can be a challenge for even the most devout among us. It is worth noting that Zechariah was not just an ordinary man of God; he was a priest, burning incense in the sanctuary as Gabriel appeared to him. My greatest takeaway from this scripture passage is that in order to properly receive God’s great works in our lives, we must trust in Him. It is so important to remain open and attentive to His voice in our hearts and in our lives. I believe that joining the ASC program was God’s most recent act of guidance in my life, and I am thankful everyday that I listened to His calling.

I imagine how difficult it must have been for Zechariah, so desperate to exclaim the good news of the Lord. However, one of my favorite aspects of this passage is that God did not take away Zechariah and Elizabeth’s blessing. Instead, he simply removed a father’s ability to brag about having a son. Don’t we all love a dose of humor during the holiday season?

Author: Austin Hatton, Alumni Service Corps