18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Aug. 5, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
(Full sermon text) In today’s first reading we are presented with the figure of the Prophet Elijah. Elijah is the last faithful prophet left in Israel. All the rest of the prophets have either begun worshipping foreign gods or they have been hunted down and killed. Elijah is faithful to the true God and this is causing him to be persecuted and threatened. He is distraught and with good reason!! He goes up to Mt. Horeb and finds rest in a cave. Now this was thousands of years ago, but some things never change. We too have many struggles as faithful Christians in today’s society. If we are really going to live our baptism then we are called to witness to the authentic faith as “priest, prophet, and kings.”
The emperor’s sunken boats, a volcanic lake, and a famous sanctuaryA man full of life and of the Lord’s love, Fr. Tony Fortunato, O. de M. explains the significance of the famous Sanctuary of the Holy Crucifix in Nemi, Italy, and the history of the Mercedarian friary there. View it on our YouTube channel.
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For example, today we are going to have to stand up for traditional marriage. The scripture and tradition of the Church are clear that the sacrament of marriage is between a man and women. When we courageously take a stand for what is right we will be persecuted by some. Jesus told us that we would go through persecutions and be “hated because of His Name.” If as Christians we walk with the Crucified Lord we will also experience the gift of a profound hope in the Resurrection and the eternal happiness of heaven.
Go away to find God
We too need to at times go away to a place to find God. The Mountain in sacred scripture is traditionally the symbol for a meeting place between God and man. Both Jesus and Elijah spend time in prayer on a mountain in today’s readings. But imagine for a moment if the Prophet Elijah was living today and goes off to a place to pray. He would head off to the mountain, but of course as a modern man he would need to bring several “necessities”: A cell phone to keep in contact with friends and family. Internet access to be able to update his Facebook and check the latest news in the Middle East. Also, Elijah would, of course, need to send a text out to his online casinos family and friends saying, “Goin up the Mt.” Of course this is an exaggeration, but we could see how difficult it would be to hear the “tiny whisper” with so many distractions of the modern world.
Elijah could “multi-task” and hear the “strong heavy wind,” the “earthquake,” and see the “fire.” However, the scriptures tell us that the Lord was not in any of these natural wonders. The Lord came to Elijah in the “tiny whispering sound.” Many in Elijah’s time would have mistaken the Lord’s voice for the great and powerful signs. Today we would be even more likely to mistake the voice of God, because of all our modern distractions. We have so many things that are suppose to make our lives easier, but can actually make life more complex and stressful. Modern forms of communication and technological advances allow us to do many things at once, but deprive man of precious opportunities to listen. We are created in the Image of God for communion with others.
Not the world’s peace
The human person no matter how many gadgets they have to keep them occupied still need healthy relationships. We must be able to listen completely to the other and respond to them fully. This is especially true of our relationship to God, which must be primary in our lives. To hear God’s voice we must grow accustomed to who He is and how He speaks, otherwise we will not recognize His presence. God is the source of peace in the mist of all of life’s storms. Jesus tells us, “my peace I give to you…not as the world gives do I give.”
To grow in a relationship we must put away all the distractions. Going away may not be possible, but listening to the quiet can be refreshing. God is always here!! But often we are too busy to hear Him. However, if we put away the cell, the computer, and the other things, then we can hear anew the voice of God. Maybe we could take one hour of silence on Sunday. How great it would be to strengthen the relationship with the One who hold all things in being. When we prioritize our lives, stop and listen, we find that in fact God was always present in the silence.
Find Him in the silence
As the saying goes, the more things change the more they stay the same. This is especially true of the human person. We, who are called to be prophets, need to stay connected to the source of our strength, the Lord. The true God is always present and attentive to us. We must learn to find him in the silence. When we learn to listen we discover that it is here in the silence that God speaks to us his words of consolation and peace. We, like Elijah, gain perspective on our lives and strength to endure whatever may come.