Feast of the Ascension - homily
“They worshiped, but they doubted”. Why is it that we doubt the things of God more than other things in life? We make acts of faith every day; they are small acts and its faith with a small ‘f’. For example, when we buy a can of Coke, we make an act of faith. We can’t see if it’s Coke or not inside the can, and yet we buy it because we believe it’s Coke. When we drive down a two-lane road, we can’t see what’s going to happen, but we believe that the oncoming car will not veer across the yellow line into our lane. Each night, when we got to sleep, we believe that we will wake up the next morning even though we can’t see what will happen.
Why do we do this? Why do we believe in things every day that we can’t see? Because there are reasons to believe…there is evidence…there is proof. We believe that the can is filled with Coca-Cola because every time we have bought a can of soda with Coco-Cola written on the outside of the can there has been Coke on the inside. We believe that the other cars on the road will obey the traffic laws because that has been our overwhelming experience on the road. We believe that we will wake up from sleep because it has happened every time so far.
God knows that we need to see Him in order to believe. Today’s first reading says that Jesus “presented…many proofs” to the Apostles in the forty days between the Resurrection and the Ascension. The most obvious proof of his divinity was the Resurrection. They saw him die, and then they saw him alive again. They ate meals with him and talked with him after his death. Today’s event, the Ascension, is another proof. What a vision it must have been for them to see – Christ being taken up to Heaven…to glory.
But, with God knowing that the disciples need to see him to believe in Him, something happens: He leaves them. He left them! What would happen to their faith in Him if they couldn’t see Him? Two things: one, He sent the Holy Spirit ten days after the Ascension at Pentecost to help them. The Spirit of Christ would give them great faith and courage. Two, He said to them, “I will be with you always until the end of the age”. He is referring primarily to the Eucharist. He is saying, “I will still be with you; I’ll just look a little different’.
Now, they’re many people who doubt when it comes to the things of God, especially the Eucharist. The point about the Apostles is that they continued to worship even though they doubted. Many people stop worshiping -they stop coming to Mass - because they doubt. Jesus knows we need to see to believe in Him in the Eucharist. He has presented many proofs for us that the Eucharist is really His Body and Blood. He taught about the Eucharist in John 6, instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, and then said in this Gospel that He will be with us until the end of the world.
If, after seeing these reasons to believe, we still doubt, we can look at the proof He offers in the miracles of the Eucharist. In the past 1300 years, our Lord has worked at least four miracles that the Church, His Body, has approved. And, when the Church approves something as a miracle, we can be sure it’s a miracle! He has worked these miracles to give those who need to see almost scientific proof for the same reason He worked miracles 2000 years ago: to help people in their faith…to help people believe in Him.
The main reason why some people doubt the things of God is because they don’t see Him in their lives. At all. They see no reason, no evidence, no proof to believe. We are the ones who need to show them God. We are called to show them that He is real. May the grace of the Eucharist help us to show them God. May they believe as we believe that He is with us always until the end of the world.
posted by Fr Greg @ 1:19 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Today's gospel verse, reflection, and prayer, from "Every Day is A Gift."
"If only you recognized God's gift and who it is that is asking you." -Jn 4:10
"Oh, if only the Eucharist were better understood by Christians and more worthily and frequently received.
How copious would be the fruits of harmony, peace, and spiritual decorum that would flow therefrom for the Church and the whole world!" - Pope John XXIII
"Lord Jesus, help me to have a better appreciation of the Eucharist. Let me receive it with understanding, love, and thanksgiving so that it may bear abundant fruits in me."
And...
Yesterday after mass, on the ride home, my daughter said, "Only Fr. Greg could take something random like a can of Coke and connect it with the Eucharist." Following a school-wide mass, sometime ago, I aksed her what the homily was about. She said, "The Eucharist. You know how Fr. Greg loves that Eucharist!" The children are listening.
I don’t view the problem with belief as one of proof, reason and evidence. I also don’t view it as one of doubt. Doubt can be good; it kept the Apostles listening, thinking, watching before they made a decision, made a choice. Doubt is what keeps us moving forward as a society. If we believed everything we heard, saw and read, and never questioned anything, never doubted anything, how would we advance physically, mentally and spiritually? Doubt is the very thing that keeps society yearning for learning. Yet, as your homily pointed out, doubt is often the very thing that pulls people away from something, in this case, the church.
So, what do I think the problem is? I summarize it in one word, “choices”. I believe Christian life today is in a "choice crisis". Choice is one of our biggest gifts and it is one of our biggest challenges. Choices are difficult to make, they can be life long, and they can be amazing and very unforgiving. To attempt to live a Christian life, I must discern who I think God wants me to be from who I think I am, a daunting task, one that will probably be filled with doubts. What choice will I make with my doubts?
“Now, they’re many people who doubt when it comes to the things of God, especially the Eucharist. The point about the Apostles is that they continued to worship even though they doubted. Many people stop worshiping -they stop coming to Mass - because they doubt.”
Not all people stop coming to Mass because they doubt things of God. As strange as it sounds, sometimes, it can be quite the opposite. I’m someone who has an absolute belief that everything that happens in my life is part of God’s plan for me. I can hear Fr. Greg asking me, “Do you believe that all that comes from God is good?” And, yes I do, but within that belief, so much is hard to understand. After reading, and then reading some more (and even attending lectures) I get that we aren’t meant to understand all things- okay, fine. But, I have found it really hard to walk into church when things are happening in my life that are really troubling, knowing that it is all part of some plan (freewill and all). I can’t help but think there are others who too believe in things of God but are so challenged by them (and challenged by the process of separating things of God and things of man) that they can’t figure out which way is up and also chose to stay away.
Some people stop going to Mass because their beliefs become commingled with other things and people. I think of my relationship with God as I’d look at other relationships in my life. My relationship with God is primary, but other relationships stem from that. It’s like having a spouse, and that relationship is the prime focus in all the other relationships one may have. However, that relationship doesn’t, it can’t, exist in a bubble- just as one’s relationship with God cannot. So, when those primary relationships are exposed to/shared with others, the relationship often changes, sometime for the better, sometime not. For instance, how many of us have had relationship with our spouses significantly impacted by our in-laws, friends and/or children? The challenge for me is to stay focused on my relationship with God and not allow any other relationships to affect me adversely.
“The main reason why some people doubt the things of God is because they don’t see Him in their lives. At all. They see no reason, no evidence, no proof to believe. We are the ones who need to show them God. We are called to show them that He is real. May the grace of the Eucharist help us to show them God. May they believe as we believe that He is with us always until the end of the world.”
Again- I think there are many who see God at work in their lives; I just think they’re troubled by the why’s, how’s and what’s of it all. If we are called to show them that He is good, and they do need Him and should want Him in their lives, then we are called to treat each other with much more kindness and consideration than I think we often think about. If we believe the Eucharist is Jesus, and we accept Him into ourselves, those final words the priest says at Mass, “Go in peace to love and serve the Lord” need to really be heard and taken to heart.
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