11th Sunday after Pentecost 25.8.19 The necessity
of faith
The people that walked in darkness has seen a great light
(Is 9,2), a verse used at Christmas
time. And today, the deaf discover hearing (Gospel).
Our sense experience is limited enough for spiritual
matters, even when all five senses are operating well.
We see but not perceive, hear but not understand (Mk
4,12). We do not see or hear what is really happening as we are too much
immersed in the world.
It needs a special work of grace to enable comprehension on
the part of each person.
Some do not hear the word often enough (or ever).
Others hear it time after time, but familiarity with the
message can sometimes dull the comprehension. This could be a problem for the
loyal Catholics who have been turning up at Mass for decades.
Breakthroughs can be achieved, however. It could be the
atheist, the lapsed Catholic, someone holding to a false religion; and
sometimes even the practising Catholic.
A moment of realization is reached; Christ is the Saviour of
the whole world; and He has come among us. And risen.
Once reached, never let go. It has to become part of our
lives, ingrained in our world view, something that we can recall at any time or
place. This is what St Paul is urging in the Epistle reading: hold fast to what
I have preached to you.
If we had to believe our faith only for a short time, say a
week or a month, we would sail through easily.
But having to hold firm over a lifetime means that we have
to face a lot of temptations and distractions.
We can forget that this earthly life is only the way, not
the destination. It is too easy to try to make this life the endpoint of all
our hopes and plans.
Many do exactly that, and relegate their faith life to
something that belongs to long ago and far away – a childhood memory, a time
when life was simpler. They ‘outgrow’ their faith, thinking they have made a
mature decision.
But the faith is still true! As when the angels appeared to
the shepherds, as when you received your first Holy Communion, as when the
Apostles were filled with the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Others again will talk of the faith as though it is just
another subject that might or might not be pursued – like learning the guitar,
or French – a matter of taste or inclination.
No, Jesus Christ cannot be reduced to an option. He is all
there is; the whole universe is under His authority.
Yes, He can be ignored (for a time) but that is never a good
idea. It is to negate the whole basis of our existence.
We believe in Him because our lives depend on it (eternal
lives). We need Him for eternal life; and we need Him for this life. If we give
Him the prominence He deserves from us we will be assured of reaching Heaven on
the one hand, and making the best of this life on the other.
It is tragic that on both counts – final salvation and
living in the present – so many do not find Him. They have eyes but do not see;
ears but do not hear.
We pray ceaselessly for the grace of God to penetrate the
fog that lies over the current world.
God is never asleep, never away. He can always be reached.
And He wants, more than we do, that people will grasp His
presence.
May He not give up on us, and may He keep pouring forth His
grace and mercy to penetrate even the deepest fog.
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