Happy summertime. The days are long, sun-showers are in season, and the first Atlantic storms are on the charts.
In June, some schools host alumni reunions. I read about a couple leaving for their twenty-fifth reunion. The husband looked in the mirror and said, “Honey, I weigh too much, and I have a double chin, a wrinkled face, and I don’t feel good. I need you to pay me a compliment.” The wife replied, “your eyesight is perfect. Well, that’s a back-handed compliment.
So, what does the word of God say to us today?
A lament by the prophet Jeremiah quickly becomes a message of hope.
Jeremiah complains: God, I'm trying to do what you want me to do, and yet people are slandering me.
That happens sometimes, right? Some people make life difficult. But Jeremiah doesn't let problems stop him. He will always confide in God and trust in God. Jeremiah exemplifies courage, perseverance, seeking to do good despite obstacles.
Jeremiah may be asking us: do we trust God, even when what is happening is the opposite of what we want to happen.
Paul in his letter to the Christian community at Rome reflects upon the human condition. He sees violence, death, injustice. Who can save us, Paul asks.
Jesus Christ, of course. Jesus righted our relationship with God and one another. Paul may be asking: are we growing in that relationship?
In the Gospel, Jesus says three times: “do not be afraid.” Yes, do the right thing, no worries. God is with us. Have faith in God.
One of my favorite books in college was Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl. He had a family, a good profession as a psychiatrist, a comfortable home. But in the Nazi death camps of WW II he lost these, every earthly thing he treasured.
These losses brought him face-to-face with the fundamental questions of human life: How should I live now? What on earth am I here for?
Frankl discovered that people could put up with incredible sufferings, without losing their will to live and their respect for others, if they saw that the hardships had some greater meaning.
In their hearts, people yearn for something or someone beyond themselves. Family, a profession, a passion for the greater common good, a righteous cause, etc. When a person finds transcendent meaning to his or her life, that awakens new energies to see more, live better and, in short, become men and women of faith.
We are by nature believers. Think of all the things we presume will work without really checking. For example, do we test the church pew before sitting down. Do we test that a microphone works before leading prayer.
Our Christian faith of course is radically different. It is a gift from God through baptism that empowers us to relate to the triune God as our creator, redeemer and sanctifier.
Faith is richer and deeper than belief. Our faith calls us to commit ourselves to Jesus, to follow Him who is our way to eternal life, our truth who sets us free from falsehoods and our light who illuminates the darkness as we journey toward our heavenly home. Faith is about connectedness to Jesus. It’s relational.
Belief is a profession of the essential truths of our faith, as in the 4th century Nicene Creed that we proclaim every Sunday. We say: “I believe in one God” despite many who question the existence of God.
We say: our God is almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. Yes, there is One who sustains and guides everything that is to an ultimate purpose.
And yes, we believe in one lord, Jesus Christ. He came down from heaven for us. He heals our brokenness. He invites us into His triune life forever.
Jesus who for our sake was crucified, died, was buried and rose again is our reconciler; and his resurrection anticipates our own life beyond this earthly life.
We believe in the Holy Spirit, the lord, the giver of life. The Spirit empowers us to pursue our true destiny—while doing good for others today.
We believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic community of disciples, and we look toward the resurrection and the life to come.
What we believe matters. Our faith is the “binoculars” through which we see what lies beyond immediate appearances: the reality and presence of God all around us, within us, and in one another, a presence that sustains and guides the universe.
Pope St. John Paul II wrote:
“It is no accident that we are here. Each and every human person has been created in the ‘image and likeness’ of the One who is the origin of all that is. We have within us the capacity for wisdom and virtue. With these gifts, and with the help of God’s grace, we, a faith-filled people, can build a civilization worthy of the human person.”
And so let us continue to live lives worthy of our status as sons and daughters of God our Father. Amen.
