“My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord….You are my God, whom I seek…My soul clings fast to you; your right hand upholds me.”
I think of the theme of our psalm today, of a soul that is thirsting for the Lord, of seeking God in all facets of our life, of our souls clinging to the Lord, of the Lord’s hand upholding us. What Christian would not want such a relationship with the Lord? We all want to find joy in our relationship with God, a joy that surpasses everything else. We want to feel God’s love and mercy in deep recesses of our hearts. Yet, there are times in life when these sentiments feel distant, when we wonder where God is. When we struggle, when we don’t have the answers to our questions, when we are searching and seem to find nothing, then we have to trust in our faith and in the call we receive from God.
One of my favorite saints is Jean de Brebeuf, a Jesuit priest from France who was one of the first Catholic missionaries to the native people of Canada in the 17th century. It is difficult to imagine the hardship, isolation, and struggle that many missionaries experience on their journey. Brebeuf was content and even grateful to endure any hardship or sacrifice, if only God would allow him to bring the Gospel to others, to be an instrument of God’s grace in their lives. For 25 years, Jean de Brebeuf lived with the Huron people of Canada. He embraced their customs and mastered their language, even writing a catechism for them in their language. Even though most of his early missionary efforts brought few converts to the faith, he persevered and even kept a sense of humor. He wrote this in a letter inviting other Jesuits to his mission: “When you reach the Hurons, you will find us with hearts full of love. We shall receive you in a hut, (a hut) so mean that I have scarcely found in France one wretched enough to compare it with. Fatigued as you will be, we shall be able to give you nothing but a poor mat for a bed. Besides, …the fleas will keep you awake most of the night.” Jean de Brebeuf found joy in his missionary work and in his calling, even with his many challenges. He eventually found success in converting the Hurons to Christianity. His life ended when he was tortured to death after being captured by the Huron’s enemy tribe. When I was a missionary, and now as a priest, Jean de Brebeuf’s faith and courage inspire me in my ministry and on my journey.
The call of faith cried out to Jean de Brebeuf; it cried out to the prophet Jeremiah as well. Jeremiah was called to be God’s prophet at a time when Israel strayed from its covenant with God by getting into ill-advised alliances with other nations. This ended with the destruction of Temple in Jerusalem and with the exile of many of its citizens to Babylon. From the beginning, Jeremiah did not want to be a prophet. He finally agreed to go where God called him, but then saw the people and their leaders turn against him when he delivered God’s harsh prophecies in this turbulent era. Jeremiah’s messages were hard for the people to hear because he spoke the truth. Jeremiah cries out to God in the midst of his pain and anger: You tricked me, Lord, you seduced me! You lured me into a situation where I’m despised by everyone, even my family and friends! Jeremiah blamed God for his misery, even wishing that he had not been born. Yet, no matter who we are, we’re going to have our ups and downs, our joys and struggles. Even though Jeremiah lashed out at God, later on, just few verses after today’s reading ends, he is able to say to God: You know, God, you are at my side like a mighty hero. With you beside me, my opponents will stumble and be vanquished; they will be confounded with their failure. Jeremiah is able to say: Lord, I sing praises to you, for you have delivered the soul of one in need from the clutches of the evil doers.
Our human spirit is resilient if we put our trust in the Lord, if we let the Lord lead us in our words and our actions. On the internet, I saw a photo that was taken by a Sister of St Joseph when she was visiting South Africa in 1987. It was in the middle of the Apartheid era; Nelson Mandela was still in prison; the South African government had declared a state of emergency and military troops patrolled the street. The photo showed large black printing scrawled on a cement wall. It said: HANG MANDELA. But in another handwriting, you could see another word inserted between the two. It now read – HANG ON, MANDELA. The original message of hatred and intolerance was turned into a message of love and encouragement; the original message of anger and violence was completely subverted. In the context of our faith, we can turn a curse into a blessing, we can turn an insult into an act of encouragement. Like the prophet Jeremiah, let us hear God calling out to us today. Let us hear God encouraging us, comforting us, and calling us to be his servant.
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