Sunday, August 10, 2014
19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
With the beginning of training camp, many football fans are excited and hopeful that their beloved Eagles can make a run at the championship. Last year, this was not at all the case. Chip Kelly was just taking over as head coach after two very disappointing seasons. Chip was a confident guy coming from the University of Oregon where he was able to do some amazing things with a fast-paced spread offense. These innovations can be very successful in college, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will work in the pros. Just ask Tim Tebow!!
This new video, produced by the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, is the first of its kind produced in English.
There were so many unanswered questions entering last season. The players were put through an unprecedentedly grueling training camp which tested their stamina and commitment. There were questions in everybody’s mind. The only way this was going to work is if the players and coaches truly buy-in with their whole being. They must understand the reasoning for each decision and believe that it can work. Basically, the team had to see Chip Kelly as trustworthy and give their assent to the process. The end result was very positive. There were many growing pains but in the end the team went 10-6 and made the playoffs.
Giving full assent
This example from the world of sports can help us understand the assent of faith that each Christian must give. In the Gospel today, we see disciples who are still getting to know Jesus. They have come to know him as a man with supernatural authority through his miracles, powerful preaching, and true compassion. Yet, they still lack sufficient faith. The disciples have not given a full assent to Jesus as the Son of God. Then in the midst of a stormy sea, Jesus comes walking on the water toward his disciples. They say, “It is a ghost!” The immediate reaction is one of disbelief and fear. Once they realize it is truly Jesus, Peter asks to walk out on the water with Him. To everyone’s amazement soon Peter also is walking on the water. But, then the doubts creep in…Peter “saw how strong the wind was.” He was overcome with fear and begins to sink.
What the disciples and so many of us lack is true faith. First, we must realize that faith is a supernatural virtue. It is a “gift” from God. Faith does not come from us and it cannot be earned. Therefore, we must pray constantly, “Lord increase my faith.” Also, it is based on something firm; real evidence which is reasonable. For the Eagles team, this evidence was Chip Kelly’s past success and the confidence with which he proposed his plan for success. The beliefs of Christians is based on the Revelation given through Christ to the Church.
Why have fear?
This tells us that Jesus fulfilled God’s message to us in His Passion, Death, and Resurrection. For the Christian, it is fact that God is all-present, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, and all-loving. He created us in His image to be united with the Trinity for all eternity. If we really believed this then we would never be afraid. God, who loves us intensely, is in control of everything, and is everywhere. What do we have to fear?
It is not so easy though since we cannot see the Lord or feel His presence. God veils Himself
so that we might freely choose to follow Him. As we grow in relationship with Jesus, we come to see who God really is. Through prayer and acts of faith we grow in the habit of trusting the Lord. As we grow in faith, amazing things happen. We begin to see God in all things both big and small. We have a sense of supernatural peace and joy that can only come from the Lord. Being no longer worried about the future, we are able to live for Jesus in the present.
Seeing anew
This is what happens to Elijah in the first reading. On Mt. Horeb, the prophet hears all kinds of powerful noises: wind and earthquakes. A person with less knowledge of God would mistakenly think that this is the Lord. But Elijah has an intimate relationship with God. He knows the voice and ways of the Lord. God speaks not through the great and powerful, but through the “tiny whisper”. Elijah immediately “hid his face in his cloak” out of reverence for the Lord. Faith reveals profound truths to the prophet. The person of faith sees the world in a new and glorious way. God is always present in the great and the small.
May we too buy into the plan which God has established for us in Revelation. We must give ourselves totally to belief. God is who He says He is. Faith is our choice to see beyond the limits of this world. When we engage the journey, we decide whether to do it half-way or fully. The evidence is there for those who seek. It is an opening to a new vision, but only for those who are willing to believe.