Acts 3:13-15, 17-19; Ps. 4:2, 4, 7-9; 1 Jn. 2:1-5a; Lk. 24:35-48
Lord, open our minds! Today we see how the disciples were incredulous, amazed and joyful but still doubtful thinking that Jesus was a ghost. Not only does he say “touch and see” but he eats a piece of baked fish for their benefit and for ours that we may believe in the resurrection of the dead. Recall that Jesus before his death had already told them that he would suffer, die, and rise again but left to their own human reasoning their minds were closed to the reality in front of them. Lesson learned is if we are left to our own human thinking we cannot advance in faith unless we believe in the work of the spirit asking our Lord to open our minds. Faith is a revelation just as love is a process.
Today we are his disciples, today we have Jesus before us in the Eucharist and yet left to our own human reasoning surveys report that only one-third of Catholics believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. Faith is not blind, nor is it only at act of the mind, nor is it simply an act of the will. Faith comes from uniting our will to the will of the Father when we pray for the Lord to open our mind to his revelation.
For example, in today’s world the trend is to claim sexual identity by an act of the mind thus a person is male or female because they will to be one or the other. I recall the story of Padre Pio who was told he willed to have the stigmata to which he responded to try to will growing horns and see if you can. Our identity comes from God, made in his image ordained for God’s purpose. During a Quincianera, I will ask the girl “who is (name)?” Often, I get a blank look. No wonder we are losing our youth to a disordered identity? In order to know thy true self we must come to know the true God who created us.
Today we have many Catholics who don’t read scripture and the primary reason is they don’t understand what they are reading. They don’t understand the context, the history, when to take it literal or allegorical or poetic so they read a little and soon give up. Others may read it and come up with their own ideas and interpretations, sincere but sincerely wrong. Thanks be to God that he gave us a Church that has already struggled through centuries guided by the Holy Spirit to open the minds of his appointed apostles and discern all that Jesus has revealed to his people. Last week in the gospel we heard how Jesus appears to the disciple, breathes on them and gives them authority to build up the kingdom of God as his church.
Thus, faith is a revelation coming from God when we seek him. He will reveal to us with the same understanding he gave his disciples the spirit of truth. The purpose of faith is not simply to believe but to act in faith. Faith is not a treasure we hide but a call to love in faith. Our act of faith is to love and love is a process. The first act of love is repentance followed by faith that our sins “may be wiped away”. The work of love for the disciples as priests is to forgive the sins of the repentant soul.
When a couple gets married the vows taken are an act of faith and a promise to love each other in good times and in bad. This promise of love is the start of the process of loving each other that each must work at for the rest of their lives. It is not a feeling but a process of growing together, knowing each other, supporting each other and forgiving each other for the times we have failed to act in love. For married couples the work of the Lord begins in the marriage and the Lord will often use one spouse to open the eyes of the other to God’s will but that is not an excuse to say “well God told me to tell you…”; that is not from God. Just as parents have a responsibility to be instruments of God’s will to help open the eyes of their children to God’s truth. God gives the domestic church at home its own authority to serve him in the process of loving each other.
Some may say “I pray but I feel that the Lord does not hear me or does not answer me.” When we pray, we are not to wait for a feeling or for things to turn out the way according to our will. Prayer is about God’s will who knows best for our salvation. Recall many decades ago the television series “Father knows best” with Robert Young in the 1950s. In the middle of some conflict there was the voice of reason and authority that in the end was for the good of the whole not just the one. Our God knows what is best even when we suffer our losses and are burdened by our cross.
Recently a young woman of 32 died after several months of a terminal illness. The small community where she was from rallied behind her and many prayers, sacrifices and masses and acts of charity we done for her. There was great hope for a miracle yet in the end the disease ended her mortal life. In times like these it is easy to question God and wonder why God did not answer all the prayers, did he hear them. God heard every one of their prayers and her suffering brought many closer to God, and her witness of faith and courage as she made public her journey was evident by all who came to her funeral. This is our faith, this is the work of the Lord to lay down our lives for each other, this is being a true witness in the image of Christ on the cross.
Before the funeral mass started her husband got up and shared a brief testimony. He stated that at the end the only thing keeping her alive was the continuous blood she was receiving. At that point while still very much alert and understanding her circumstances she told him it was time to stop the blood transfusion and give the blood to someone else who could be helped. Asking her if she understood that it would end her life, she simply acknowledged she was ready to “bring it on”. The Lord had opened her eyes to something greater than this life, something her faith had grown even further by the love she gave and received in those last months of this life. She opened herself to love and the love of God poured in through many and from God and all became one. Let us open our minds and hearts to the love of God this day and in every way to follow the will of our Father who knows best.
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