A deacon in my parish is going to preach the homilies this weekend. This homily is going to be preached at the prison this weekend.
I have mentioned to you all before that unlike most of the Protestant Churches, the Catholic Church assigns readings each week for our Masses. The priest does not get to pick out the readings himself, just like the priest does not get to pick out the prayers for each Mass. And actually in the instructions to the Mass, it says that the priest is not supposed to change even one word of those prayers in the Mass. While a Protestant pastor can preach any message in his sermon that he wants, about anything in the world, Catholic priests have to in some way focus the homily on the readings. So, you can imagine, when the readings are very challenging, it is likewise challenging for the priest to focus his homily.
Today, our first reading comes from the 55th chapter of Isaiah. It is important to know the exact chapter in Isaiah to know the context, because Biblical scholars believe that Isaiah was written in three different historical periods. This chapter focuses on the time when the nation of Israel was in exile in Babylon, six centuries before Christ lived. Isaiah offered the people messages of comfort, foretelling the fall of Babylon and the expected return of those in exile back to the city of Jerusalem.
You have heard me use the term Doctor of the Church before in homilies or when talking about certain saints. What would I mean when I say Doctor of the Church? There are a told of 34 men and 4 women who have been designated by the Church as Doctors of the Church. A Doctor of the Church is a canonized saint who has lived a life of profound holiness and who has produced profound spiritual or theological teachings that have had a profound impact on Catholic doctrine or spirituality.
One important document that we have in the Catholic Church is the Catechism. The first text that functioned as a Catechism was called the Didache that was written in the first century, around the year 60 AD, which dates from around the time of the first texts included in the Bible. It includes the teachings of the original apostles and their companions. Church Fathers such as St Cyril of Jerusalem and St Augustine of Hippo also wrote texts that served as Catechisms. The Archbishop of York in England issued a Catechism in the 14th century with instructions in English and in Latin. The Roman Catechism came out of the Council of Trent in the 16th century. The current Catechism that came out of the Vatican in 1992, issued by Pope John Paul II, was proposed by Cardinal Bernard Law of Boston, who started his priesthood here in the Diocese of Jackson. He served as Vicar General at one point, the current position that I hold. We in the Catholic Church are blessed with this Catechism that is transparent and direct about what we Catholics officially believe.
I bring up both the Doctors of the Church and the Catechism in reference to St Augustine, the Bishop of Hippo in North Africa and a Doctor of the Church who died in 430, who is quoted in the Catechism as saying: “If you understood God, then it would not be God,” meaning, even when God reveals himself to us, God still remains a mystery beyond words and a mystery beyond our complete human understanding of things.
This reflects what we hear in Isaiah, about trying to understand God and approaching God. Isaiah states: “Seek the Lord while he may be found.” God invites us to a relationship with him, but God is not like a light switch that we turn off and on at our control. No matter how we encounter God, we cannot constrain him through our human constructs or thoughts. Isaiah tells us that God’s thoughts are not our human thoughts, nor are our human ways God’s ways. We should not expect God to follow our human agenda nor our human rules. We are to open ourselves to his law, his will, his commands. Think of the many people in our modern world who deny God’s existence based on their own set of circumstances or their own perception of God.
Yet, God wishes us to seek him in our lives. St Augustine said: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in you, O Lord.” This reflects how God created our human souls for a relationship with him. Thus, we will feel inner spiritual emptiness and will search for meaning and happiness in life until we find peace in God. St Augustine also said: “Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand.”
I love this prayer from St Anselm of Canterbury from the 11th century, who prays to God for his divine assistance in his search for him in his life: “Grant me, O Lord my God, a mind to know you, a heart to seek you, wisdom to find you, conduct pleasing to you, faithful perseverance in waiting for you, and a confidence in finally embracing you."
Why do you think I have been coming out to CMCF for the last 18 years in ministry to all of you, when most of the time the administration here would have been happy if I had just given up and stayed away. I am here as a priest out of love for you and to help you on your journey. I come here to bring you Christ’s message of love and mercy and the presence of his body and blood in the Eucharist to nourish us and to encourage us on our journey. I wish nothing but blessing to all of you as we search for God and as we journey in faith.
