Homily

If you could be granted one wish, one thing that you really desired, what would you ask for? I know that out of the blue that’s a rather difficult question to answer, but please just think about it for a few seconds. One thing. What would you ask for? (I hope it’s not a pony unless you are 10 years old.)

For me it seems to be an interesting question in that it shows where we are at this moment in time, what our priorities are, where we see ourselves in life. Granted, whatever we thought of it might be something different if I asked you this afternoon or tomorrow. But tell me this: do you think you might give a different answer to this question after you received Holy Communion today? Is it possible that, having received Christ in the Holy Eucharist, there might be a difference within you that might influence you to choose something different as your greatest desire at this time? That touches upon how we see the spiritual and the natural aspects of our lives.

What is the true relationship between the graces we receive and the virtues that have been given to us, what is the relationship between those and what I would call our regular, normal selves? Do we see the invisible life of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit moving in our lives? (And please notice that I asked do we “see” what is invisible, because I think that points out some of the difficulty involved when asking such a question.) We received the virtues of faith, hope and love at our baptisms but most of us were tiny tots at the time. How much more do we live in those virtues than we did at the time of our baptisms? There’s no way to measure—not like our age, or weight, or our I.Q. or our blood pressure. And I think, because of that, we may not always think very much about them, even though as Christians, these virtues are the very foundation of our life in Christ. Probably none of you have woken up recently and thought “Wow! I feel a whole lot more faithful today!” Or “Today is a great day to put more hope in God! I’m going to do that right after breakfast.” Probably not. But yet these three virtues are a part of your lives and mine, or we would not be Christians. How we live, what we choose, how we act, and what we desire can allow these virtues to grow and become stronger, by the grace of God, or we can squeeze them out so that they grow smaller and less important. Actually, if we choose, we can chuck them out altogether. Faith, Hope and Love—these can grow within us when we are open to them and live according to the Gospel. Then they can grow and flourish and guide our lives on the path to holiness.

We think of our physical well-being on a fairly regular basis. We think about it when we’re tired, or hungry, or have aches and pains or when we’re uncomfortable because it’s too hot or too cold. But how often do we think about our spiritual well-being? How are we deliberately trying to nourish our faith? I have no doubt that there are certain things we are trying to accomplish in our lives, but are we deliberately trying to grow in faith, hope and love?

It’s not surprising that we spend a lot more time thinking and acting on our natural lives, so to speak. But I think we are not helping ourselves if we do not regularly think about our spiritual lives and how we are living with and using the gifts God has given us. How do we think? “I won’t miss work because I need that paycheck, but I might miss Divine Liturgy because ________?” You fill in the blank. “I talk a fair amount during the day, but I don’t talk much with the Lord because ________?” You fill in the blank. “I spend a lot of time on the internet every week, and the portion of that time I spend trying to grow in faith through the internet is ________?” You fill that in.

It’s true we only have one life, not two lives, but just as we spend a reasonable, or even unreasonable, amount of time caring for and paying attention to the natural side of our lives, how much time and effort should we put toward the supernatural life we carry within us? Because the one part, dear friends, has an expiration date and a limited shelf-life. But the other is what we will carry into eternity.

The Pharisees refused to believe that Jesus could be the Messiah and that He could be the source of living waters that would satisfy thirsty souls, because they were not interested in that. They were too busy working out how to follow the law of Moses than they were in trying to live lives of holiness and faith. It’s easy to focus on what we can try to control, rather than opening ourselves to what the Lord wants to do for us and with us.

I trust and believe that the Holy Spirit will prompt you today to look at paying better attention to His presence and the gifts He wishes to share with us. His only interest is in the health and wholeness of our lives, not on the fringes of who we are, but at the very core of who we are as persons. It is likely that we have neglected the gift of our life in Christ, to one degree or another. Let’s not go on the same way, but on a better way for ourselves, and let’s commit to that this morning, especially by paying attention to our worship here at Liturgy. And especially when we receive Him in the Holy Eucharist.

May He strengthen our faith, enlarge our hope and deepen our love in the very best of ways.