This weekend I had the opportunity to cover at the parish in Douglas and its missions. I was there as a seminarian in 2005 and always enjoy returning to Saint Paul in Douglas, Holy Family in Willacoochee and Saint William in Fitzgerald. Here is this weekend’s homily.
Where do you find God? Where in your daily or weekly routine do you encounter the presence of God?
Some people say they encounter God in the beauty of nature, when they see a beautiful sunset or majestic mountains. Others experience God’s presence when they stand in awe at the mystery of life. Hopefully we all encounter God each Sunday when we gather to hear God’s Word and receive His Body and Blood at Mass.
We each encounter God in different ways, and much of it depends on our disposition and preparedness. God certainly wants to be found by us, it’s up to us to seek Him. God isn’t playing hide-and-go-seek, He is always in our midst, but we have to tune into Him. This process is much like listening to the radio. Radio waves are invisible, we cannot see them, but they’re there. We need a radio tuned to the right station for us to hear the sound. In the same manner, we must tune our minds and hearts to God (who is already present) to hear His voice.
Sometimes we think God only reveals Himself with the parting of clouds, rolling thunder and a mighty strong voice. Grant it, we hear accounts throughout Scripture where this happens like at Mount Sinai, the Transfiguration and the Baptism of Jesus.
Sometimes we think of saints who received apparitions of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and wonder if it’s possible for us to have such a real and tangible experience of God.
The fact is that 99.99% of the times, God does not reveal Himself with rolling thunder and in special visions. God manifests Himself in the same way He manifested himself to Elijah.
In today’s first reading we hear how Elijah looked for God in the mighty wind, but did not find him there. He then looked in an earthquake, but did not find him there. He then looked in the fire, but did not find him there. Elijah finally found God in a tiny whispering sound.
God speaks in whispers and we must find the time to listen. This means we have to turn off the noise. We have to turn off the radio, we have to turn off the TV, we have to turn off all these new gadgets that beep constantly for the sake of keeping us connected. Turn off the cell phone and find some quiet time alone. Find time to quiet your heart, to let your mind rest from all the stimulation that surrounds you and allow God to take over your thoughts. Prayer is but a conversation with God, spending time with God in meditation.
Use this quiet time to read Scripture, to read a spiritual book, to find a bit of silence in your daily routine, even if it’s just five minutes. Go for quality, not quantity.
Through this very simple and ordinary practice, a bit of silence, you will tune in better to God. God will speak in whispers and you will recognize His gentle nudges and sweet voice.
The Gospel passage narrates a scene opposite from the peace and quiet I’ve been describing. We hear of turbulence, fear and noise in the Sea of Galilee when a storm shakes up the boat of the disciples. This scene of Jesus walking towards his disciples in the storm reflects the storms of our own life: the noise, the busyness, the anxiety, the worries of daily life. In the midst of the storm of our daily life it is easy to lose sight of Jesus and drown in the same way Peter began to drown. We can easily get swept up by the storm when we lose sight of Jesus Christ.
When a storm comes into our life, we often tend to move away from God, and we do this at our own peril. I often hear people say, “life got so busy, so we stopped going to Church.” “Taking care of my elderly father consumed all my time, I was so tired; I had no time to pray.” “After my husband died, I stopped going to Church all together.”
When the storm comes, we should be like Peter, look at Jesus and beg, “Jesus, save me!” and Jesus will save us. Jesus is there to help us through the storm, He does not want the storm to sweep us away. When the storm is at full blast, that is the moment to hold on firmer to Christ, not the moment to let go.
We know that Jesus often went up to a mountain to pray, to spend time alone. Many times I’ve thought, “If Jesus, the Son of God, needed time to pray and be alone in the presence of God, then I certainly need it too!”
It is good then to take time each day, even if it’s only five minutes, to find God, to touch basis with Him. This will strengthen your faith and will strengthen you so that when the storm comes, you will be prepared to persevere by God’s grace. May this Eucharist, where God manifests Himself without any fireworks, thunder or lightning, but in the ordinary and silent bread and wine, be for us a moment of silence and prayer. May it be a moment for us to find Our Lord and a moment to be strengthened by His grace, so we may always persevere in our faith.
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