Here is the text of the reflection I shared with those who came to pray with us this weekend, words of encouragement for a people who long to believe.
In the summer of 1963, Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and delivered his famous I have a dream speech. That day, he inspired his listeners to believe that life could be better, that things could change, that the struggles of the present age could give way to the possibility of a better tomorrow.
In some ways, the gospel we have heard today might be referred to as Jesus’ I have a dream speech. Many centuries before the March on Washington, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus inspired those who gathered around him to believe that life could change, that things could indeed get better, that they too could dream of a better future. This truth also holds firm for us today, if we dare to believe that everything we need to build a better tomorrow is already right before us, but we have to have the eyes of faith to see what is placed before us, and to believe that the promise it holds can indeed come true. Otherwise, we will always continue to see and not perceive, to hear and not listen, … and we will never be able to understand.
There are many in our world whose hearts have grown dull, and whose ears have become hard of hearing because they have become complacent, satisfied with the way things are. The problem is that if we allow the world around us to lull us into this level of comfort, then the word that Jesus speaks looses its freshness, and we can be tempted to ignore it. The beauty of the gospel though is that Jesus’ words are always fresh, they always call out to us with the promise of a better world, a world that can be if we choose to believe. In fact, even if we choose to ignore Him, He will always wait for us, until we grow tired of our own listlessness and look to him for inspiration. This is the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy, spoken in today’s first reading: … my word shall not return to me empty, but … it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Jesus’ word of hope is always with us, but sometimes, it falls on the path … we don’t understand it, either because we don’t have anyone to explain it to us, or because we aren’t ready to understand it’s wisdom, and … the evil one snatches away what is sown in the heart. Sometimes, Jesus’ words fall on rocky ground: we hear the word and it makes sense to us; we want to believe it but we have no roots, no experience of the consolation that such words can bring, no ability to integrate it in our own lived reality, so it endures for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises, we forget about the good news we have heard. At times, the words we hear are sown among thorns; we hear the words, but there are so many other cares and concerns preoccupying our minds and hearts, that we are caught up with the sufferings of this present time, and there is little or no time for us to truly allow Jesus’ words to find a home within our hearts. The good news is that Jesus never gives up, and sometimes, the word of faith manages to find good soil: we hear it, it resonates with our lived experience and we come to appreciate its wisdom. This word waters our parched and weary souls; it revives our wilted spirits and fills us with joy. Don’t give up hope. God has a dream for us, a dream for a better tomorrow.
I have a dream
In the summer of 1963, Martin Luther King stood in front of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and delivered his famous I have a dream speech. That day, he inspired his listeners to believe that life could be better, that things could change, that the struggles of the present age could give way to the possibility of a better tomorrow.
In some ways, the gospel we have heard today might be referred to as Jesus’ I have a dream speech. Many centuries before the March on Washington, on the banks of the Sea of Galilee, Jesus inspired those who gathered around him to believe that life could change, that things could indeed get better, that they too could dream of a better future. This truth also holds firm for us today, if we dare to believe that everything we need to build a better tomorrow is already right before us, but we have to have the eyes of faith to see what is placed before us, and to believe that the promise it holds can indeed come true. Otherwise, we will always continue to see and not perceive, to hear and not listen, … and we will never be able to understand.
There are many in our world whose hearts have grown dull, and whose ears have become hard of hearing because they have become complacent, satisfied with the way things are. The problem is that if we allow the world around us to lull us into this level of comfort, then the word that Jesus speaks looses its freshness, and we can be tempted to ignore it. The beauty of the gospel though is that Jesus’ words are always fresh, they always call out to us with the promise of a better world, a world that can be if we choose to believe. In fact, even if we choose to ignore Him, He will always wait for us, until we grow tired of our own listlessness and look to him for inspiration. This is the meaning of Isaiah’s prophecy, spoken in today’s first reading: … my word shall not return to me empty, but … it shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Jesus’ word of hope is always with us, but sometimes, it falls on the path … we don’t understand it, either because we don’t have anyone to explain it to us, or because we aren’t ready to understand it’s wisdom, and … the evil one snatches away what is sown in the heart. Sometimes, Jesus’ words fall on rocky ground: we hear the word and it makes sense to us; we want to believe it but we have no roots, no experience of the consolation that such words can bring, no ability to integrate it in our own lived reality, so it endures for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises, we forget about the good news we have heard. At times, the words we hear are sown among thorns; we hear the words, but there are so many other cares and concerns preoccupying our minds and hearts, that we are caught up with the sufferings of this present time, and there is little or no time for us to truly allow Jesus’ words to find a home within our hearts. The good news is that Jesus never gives up, and sometimes, the word of faith manages to find good soil: we hear it, it resonates with our lived experience and we come to appreciate its wisdom. This word waters our parched and weary souls; it revives our wilted spirits and fills us with joy. Don’t give up hope. God has a dream for us, a dream for a better tomorrow.
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