The Eucharist and Reconciliation heal our past, so we can find and strengthen our faith through service to others.
Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time – August 25, 2024
“Faith is never certainty. Can we prove that God exists? In theory, no; in life, yes.” (Fr Ron Rolheiser OMI, Can We Prove That God Exists? 26-7-2021).
For many of us growing up in a Christian and Church going family we, often, don’t think about our Faith. But, as we grow older, we start arguing about the need to do certain religious “duties”, and what type of “duties” make sense.
As Rolheiser says, “The real difficulty of Christianity is two-fold. It demands an act of surrender to Christ, an acceptance of him as the final authority; and it demands a moral standard of the highest level.” Let me apologise for my faults and poor example for others.
Our Gospel comes after a two week dialogue about Jesus Christ the Bread of Life. As it was for the Pharisees 2,000 years ago, God, Christianity and Church are not easy to accept today. Most people can readily accept the idea of a higher power: but often struggle to accept religious teachings on moral behaviour.
Believing in God requires more than intellectual assent: it calls us to transform our actions. eg. instead of clinging to grudges, we’re invited to forgive; instead of seeking only our comfort, we’re called to help others. Though challenging, these small changes allow true faith to grow.
Today, after the last few weeks of listening to Jesus, we too need to affirm our faith. Can we, like St Peter, say: where else will we go? Many seek comfort in materialism, drugs and alcohol, or the pursuit of sex. What recipe can I give, today, to strengthen your faith? Let us listen to the legend about St. Christopher: he was gifted in every way, except faith.
He was physically strong, powerful, goodhearted, mellow and well liked. He was generous: using his physical strength to help others; but he found it hard to believe in God, even though he wanted to. For him, the physical was what was real and everything else seemed unreal. So he lived his life in a certain honest agnosticism, only believing in what he could see/ feel/ touch.
His refuge was generosity and service: he chose to use his gifts, especially his physical strength, to serve others. He became a ferryboat operator, spending his life helping people across a dangerous river. One night, during a storm, the ferryboat capsized and Christopher dived into the dark waters to rescue a young child. Looking into the face of the child he was carrying, he saw the face of Christ. After that he believed, for he had seen the face of Christ.
St. Christopher’s story shows us that faith can be found in the most unexpected places—like in the face of a child. Similarly, when we approach the Eucharist and Reconciliation with openness, we too will find Christ in surprising ways: helping to heal our past and strengthening our resolve to serve others.
If this seems difficult, try focusing on loving your family to a greater extent. The love you receive back from your partner, children, parents and siblings will show it is the way to find joy, meaning and peace in our lives. After loving our family, it should be easier to love others.
The First Reading reveals the desire of the Israelites to believe in God, and be faithful to God, because they had just experienced God’s power and goodness in their lives. But, as we know, the following generations stopped following God (shown by their behaviour), because all the good things they had, seemed to be normal and not the providence of God.
How are we today? Do we take the good things in life as the result of our human skills, and community? As my rights? Or do we see what we have as a gift? And a gift from whom?
Happiness in life is maintained when we are faithful to our commitments. In family life (faithful to my partner and children) or, as children, faithful to our parents and siblings. Then, also, faithfulness to our local community whom we always turn to when in desperate need.
The need to be faithful, in order to maintain our happiness, should make us prepare seriously before committing to marriage or religious life. Maintaining regular community contributions is also vital, as a way of ensuring we receive support in the future when we are in need.
At the same time, we know that most of us have been bruised and wounded along the path of life: through some form of abuse, neglect, or betrayal. Our first instinct is to remain isolated to protect ourselves from the future. But this can lead to more pain and isolation.
What can we do? In the Eucharist, we receive strength as God gives himself to us as a sign of love so we can, through Reconciliation, face our past and find healing. Reconciliation is that secret place where Christ heals the pain caused to us by others.
After Holy Communion, let’s carry this grace into our daily lives, using our gifts to serve others. As we do, God will reveal Himself in our actions, transforming us and those we encounter. Let us go forth, confident that in serving others, we will truly find Christ.
By Gerard Conlan, OMI
