This weekend, the gathering of the faithful in the town of Temagami was numerous, despite the extreme temperatures - but no one is complaining because soon enough, the heat will be replaced with the chill of winter, and at least in this part of the country, we don't have to contend with flooding; the same cannot be said for other parts of this fair land.
Today, although there were forecasts of thunder showers, we have been blessed with marvellous sunshine and a continuation of the heat and humitidy from yesterday. As it happens, the scripture passages for this weekend's Mass prompted a reflection on joy and on gratitude, for wonderful summer weather and for all good gifts received.
On Friday of this past week, Pope Francis published his first Encyclical Letter, entitled Lumen fidei: The Light of Faith. Encyclicals are one of the ways that the Popes teach us; they are letters addressed to all the baptised and they usually focus on one aspect of our Church’s teaching. This most recent addition to the Magisterial documents is a combined effort because work on its words was begun by Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis has added his own touch in order to continue the work of his predecessor.
Today, although there were forecasts of thunder showers, we have been blessed with marvellous sunshine and a continuation of the heat and humitidy from yesterday. As it happens, the scripture passages for this weekend's Mass prompted a reflection on joy and on gratitude, for wonderful summer weather and for all good gifts received.
Guided by faith
On Friday of this past week, Pope Francis published his first Encyclical Letter, entitled Lumen fidei: The Light of Faith. Encyclicals are one of the ways that the Popes teach us; they are letters addressed to all the baptised and they usually focus on one aspect of our Church’s teaching. This most recent addition to the Magisterial documents is a combined effort because work on its words was begun by Benedict XVI, and Pope Francis has added his own touch in order to continue the work of his predecessor.
This is the kind of document
that needs a bit of time in order to be read, pondered and properly understood,
but in the light of the scripture passages we have heard today, we can already
begin to understand the gift of our faith as a lamp that guides our feet (LF, 57). This lamp not only guides us, it also teaches
us to be joyful as we come to
recognize the gift that has been entrusted to us, and it compels us to be generous in sharing the good news for
the sake of those who are guided by the light of faith.
The Prophet Isaiah knew that
the Jewish community of his time was living in an age of difficulty and
trial. Yet, he encouraged them to
rejoice because of the promise spoken throughout the ages by the God of their
ancestors. The God of Abraham, the God
of Isaac, the God in whom Isaiah trusted, has also promised us that He will extend prosperity to us, like a river
that flows continuously. When God speaks
of prosperity, he’s not thinking about material possessions – the wealth that
passes away, but rather the true prosperity, the true joy that comes from
knowing that we are deeply loved. God
loves us, each of us, with a love that is beyond anything that we can
imagine. He invites us to enter into
this love, but he never forces us to accept his invitation.
The Apostle Paul, like all of
us, had to come to an understanding of this invitation. While he persecuted the early Christians, God
waited patiently. Only when he
encountered the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus, did he begin to understand
the power of Christ’s love, and in the light of this love, he discovered the
joy that inhabits the hearts of all the disciples. Each of us, once we have encountered the
risen Jesus, is filled with this overpowering joy which is the gift of the
Spirit. This joy is contagious; it was
the reason why Paul wrote to the Christian community at Galacia: May I never boast of anything except the
Cross of Jesus Christ. When we have
experienced a personal encounter with Jesus, we come to understand that the
love which he has for us is sweeter, more constant, more reliable than any
other love that we might experience. Jesus
was even willing to endure even death in order to show us how much we are
loved, and having come to know this depth of love, we are filled also with his
joy.
Once we have tasted this joy, we
gradually come to understand the depth at which it grabs hold of us, and as though
in response, we are filled with a desire to tell others about Jesus, about the
joy of knowing him. In fact, his joy
radiates from the faces and hearts of those who know him, so words are only
needed on occasion. Sharing the good news of faith begins with generosity. Saint Luke tells us that Jesus sent his
apostles ahead of him. These apostles
had spent time with him, they had gotten to know him, they were inspired by his
words, and they had begun to experience the truth of his wisdom in their own
lives. When he recognized their
willingness to witness to the joy that they had come to know, he sent them to
other places so that they could share this good news with others. It’s the same with disciples today. Jesus sends us out, and our task Is to tell
others about the joy we have come to know, first and foremost by witnessing to
His joy through the generosity with which we serve. Generosity on the part of one person captures
the heart of another, and once a heart has been ensnared by generosity, it is
compelled to respond in generosity.
So here we have it: our
homework for this week is to pray for one another, and to allow ourselves to
experience the joy of knowing Jesus. Has
he invited you to encounter him? Have you
allowed yourself to experience such a meeting?
How has it changed you? How is
his joy evident in your life? Be
generous in sharing the good news that you have come to know.
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