Praise to be Jesus and Mary. When we look at the readings that the church gives us
today, it may leave us shaking our heads a little bit just because there are a whole
series of seeming contradictions. You know, in the first reading, the Jewish people had
stirred up a violent protest, a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and they just shake
the dust from their feet and walk away rejoicing.
You know, one could ask, on a natural level, how many of us would do that if all the people
at work or in our neighborhood would rise up against us and started accusing us of horrible
things and treating us badly? You know, how many of us would be rejoicing?
Then, we look at the second reading and hear about a whole multitude of people who have
washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. Now, you know, any
of you who have ever done laundry know fully well that blood doesn't make things white.
Yet, in the blood of the Lamb, the robes of these people had been made white. And there
are still more contradictions, even, you know, we hear that the Lamb will be the shepherd.
You know, usually it's the Lamb that needs the shepherd. And then our Lord in the gospel
tells us that the Father…
and I are one.
We think about the many mysteries that Catholics believe, beginning with the Trinity.
There are so many mysteries that leaves people shaking their heads.
It seems again like a contradiction, but we know that none of the doctrines of the Church
are contradictory.
The question really has to do not with reason, but with faith.
We could go on and on with apparent contradictions.
We could look at the crucifix.
Do we believe that a man who died is going to give us life?
We could look at the nativity scene and say God, who is the creator of all and is almighty,
became a helpless little baby.
God, who created his mother becomes created in her womb.
Yet we can look at all these mysteries and say, yes, absolutely these are the truth.
These are things that require faith.
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By reason alone, they just don't seem to make a whole lot of sense.
But without faith, one is still going to walk away saying,
you know, it just doesn't seem to follow, therefore I will not believe.
When we look at all these apparent contradictions,
we struggle with the attempt to believe and understand.
God asks that we make the ascent of faith because he is God,
and he is the one who has revealed them,
the one who can neither deceive nor be deceived.
And only after we make the ascent of faith
does the fullness of understanding begin to filter in.
God will never give the understanding to someone, you know,
before they make that ascent of faith.
Because, you know, it requires no faith
if we have full understanding.
But yet, faith itself is a free gift from God.
There's nothing we can do to merit it or earn it.
We don't deserve it.
So, you know, anyone who wants to understand the faith
completely
before they ascent
will never become Catholic.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
There are some people who are not.
who have gone through our CIA,
they may know the catechism forward and backward.
But without the light of faith,
they will not believe.
But even for those of us
who've been granted that free gift of faith,
St. Gregory the Great assures us
in this morning's second reading
from the Office of Readings
that it is not by faith
that we will come to know the Lord,
but by love.
Not by mere conviction,
but by action.
Today is the world day of prayer
for vocations
to the Lord.
To the priesthood.
To the religious life.
So, you know, we
make this into faith
that the Lamb
will be our shepherd.
We pray
that he sends
holy men and women,
holy pastors
to lead his church
and his sheep
to everlasting life.
We believe
that he knows us
and that he is one
with the Father.
You know, he doesn't
ask us
to grasp with our mind
the meaning
of all these mysteries.
He simply asks
for an act of faith.
You know, not a
10-minute prayer.
You know, not a 10-minute prayer.
You know, not a 10-minute prayer.
He doesn't ask for
a timid
act of faith
either.
He asks for
a wholehearted
act of faith
flowing from
a loving heart
which says yes
to Jesus Christ,
the Lamb who was slain
and that as
his sheep
we will
follow the Lamb
wherever he leads us.
We will follow the Lamb
wherever he leads us.