Homily

Pope Emeritus Benedict wrote a book "Truth and Tolerance—Christian Belief and World Religions." The first part of the book is about the nature of the religions of mankind, and he writes that there are three basic types of belief systems that govern people’s lives.

The first category he calls "mysticism"—that is, a form of religion which relies on some kind of personal, mystical experience which reveals truth to the believer. It's not mysticism as Christians would use that term. It's a radical form of personal experience, which leads a person to see the unity of all things. It denies the reality of a personal God or gods. We ourselves are a part of the godliness of all things. Which is why we can decide, for ourselves, what is true and what is false. The atheist astronomer, Carl Sagan, used say “We are made of star dust.” (Which is, I suppose, why we have to vacuum.)

Benedict calls the second category of belief, "enlightenment," and this belief system got its start in ancient Greece. Enlightenment is not really a category of religious belief in the usual sense of that term, because it declares that there is no supernatural truth, or any reality beyond the physical world. The absolute value is rational, scientific knowledge and nothing else. Religion and religious values are meaningless. The only value religion might have would be to help form public or political ceremonial functions, such as we saw in the Soviet Union where the state created civil ceremonies that imitated the sacraments.

The third category of religious belief is "monotheism," the belief in one God. But it is not just about a belief in one God, it is also belief in a God Who intervenes in human history in a definite, decisive way, revealing Himself to mankind through a prophet or prophets. Man has nothing to do with it except to answer God with a yes or a no, for it is God alone Who can make Himself known to us.

Do we find these categories in our present culture? I think the easiest to see because most people embrace it to one degree or another is “enlightenment.” What really matters in life is what science can tell us and what technology can do for us. Most Americans still believe in God, in some fashion or another, but except for emergencies, this belief has no real place in their everyday thinking or living. Some people insist this is the only way for sophisticated and educated people to live life. There is no supernatural reality. Life is all about the here and now, not some God that may or may not even exist. And even if He does exist, what does that have to do with me? How many people, no matter what they say, actually live, day after day, as though this material world is all that there is. There is no daily prayer, no worship, no Scripture, no spiritual reference to guide through the day. Isn't it strange that in Communist cultures the public schools taught that God did not exist and that He was the product of human imagination, but in our public schools today there can be no mention of God at all because we believe in religious freedom? I think it's strange. But then again, we are an enlightened people.

The next category that is also plain to see in our society is the one Benedict calls "mysticism." This type of belief is all about the person and the personal truth. The beliefs these people hold are not based on any outside revelation, teaching or authority, and certainly not on the authority of God. They are beliefs that each individual has decided are true and important for themselves. These people may, in fact, hold to certain Christian beliefs but not because they see them as true in themselves, not because they believe they are taught by Christ, but because the individual person has decided to validate them as their own truth. These self-proclaimed truths need not be spiritual in nature. But they are beliefs which drive and inform and motivate the people who hold them. It’s not hard to find this way of thinking in our country today. Think of some of the slogans you have heard repeated many times these recent past years, by groups and people dedicated to their personal truths. And, once again, strangely enough, despite the fact that their truths are based only on their personal point of view, they often try to force them on everyone else!

We are not materialists, nor are we the people who trust only in our own personal authority. We believe in God the Father, as He is revealed to us by God the Son, and we believe in Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, True God. We believe in the truth that has been given to us, and we believe it in faith. But let's not fail to see that we are often tempted. We're tempted to think and to act as though this world is all there is, and to live as though that is true and pursue this life as our only hope. And we're also tempted to trust in our own authority sometimes when it comes to matters of truth, tempted to believe that we have to decide for ourselves rather than accepting the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ which has been handed down to us from the apostles. After all, who is smarter and more capable to judge such things than me? (It surely can’t be you!) We are tempted.

I suggest that we might be a lot like Peter stepping out of the boat onto the waters. We see Jesus, we want to go to Him, we believe in Him, we want to be His disciples, to grow closer to Him. But we look to the left and we see all the cares and concerns and temptations of this physical life in this material world calling out to us. When we turn to the right, we hear the voices of other people urging us to follow our own path, decide for ourselves what's right and what's wrong because nobody else can tell us there is an absolute truth to live by. We all have our own truth. It's hard not to look to the left, and it's hard not to turn to the right, and if we spend much time in either direction, we will certainly end up afraid, in danger of drowning. We can see the fear and the anger and the frustration these temptations are bringing to our neighbors, especially these past few decades.

It's only if we keep our focus on Jesus, ever moving closer to Him, focusing on His voice, because He is calling to us, submitting ourselves to His teaching, placing our wills under His guidance and protection, trusting our very lives into His loving care—it’s only then that we need not be afraid. If He is our goal, then we shall be safe. If He is our Master, then we can serve Him with joy and in peace. If He is our life, then truly we shall live, both now and forever. Amen.