Weekly HOMILY for August 10, 2008: God's Whisperings

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A
Our Lady of Grace
August 10, 2008

Focus: God’s presence is often seen in his “whisperings”
Function: To offer members of the assembly a way of discerning God’s presence in their lives
Format: Establishing theme from the three readings and then developing a method for encountering God more effectively


God’s “Whisperings”
By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


Seeking, Finding and Knowing God’s Presence

Knowing God’s presence forms the theme that weaves together the experiences of Elijah the prophet, Paul the Apostle, and the tempest-tossed disciples of Jesus this evening/morning.

Elijah seeks out the God’s divine presence on a mountain, in the manifestations of nature, but God surprises him by being revealed instead in a tiny whispering sound.

Paul thinks that he has experienced the fullness of God’s presence in his careful observance of the Law, but he too is surprised when the divine presence becomes a person and is revealed to him in Jesus Christ.

On the stormy sea, the disciples think themselves to be on their own, with no defense against the elements, yet God’s power and presence is revealed to them in the person of Jesus, who calms the sea and their fears.

Each of these experiences affirms that God indeed wants to be found and known and experienced. It’s as if God says: “I am ever near. All you need do is open your eyes, your heart, your life to me.”

The issue I would like to address this evening/morning is how can I maximize this encounter with God? What can I do to tie into the divine presence that seems to elude me? What am I doing wrong in my efforts at prayer and meditation?

In short, God has found me, but how can I more effectively find God?


Desire

Some time ago I discovered a three-step process as a good way of getting deeply into prayer and getting there more quickly – a way of contacting the “whispers” of God in my life.

It can be summarized in three words: (1) Desire, (2) Humility, and (3) Openness. Let’s take a look at each briefly.

First, to experience God in the here-and-now I must stir up desire. One thing we all would admit is that we know the feel of desire: we desire food, comfort, rest, intimacy, support, love, and admiration.

Such desires are the motivators that get us their proper objects and thus satisfy us. The desire of hunger gets us food. Gathering with friends and family gets us love and belonging. Reading a good book gets our minds off problems and provides us relaxation.

In much the same way there is a desire in each of us for God, a desire for us to possess the Divine Presence.

In a moment of stillness I can speak words that express this desire as in, “I long for you Oh Lord; with all my heart I search for you.”

By just such a simple statement of desire, a desire that is rooted in our experience of all things we hold dear, God becomes closer to my experience.


Humility

A second factor that makes possible our interaction with God who is already with us, but whom we haven’t fully encountered, is to allow ourselves to feel a bit of humility.

By this I mean that it is important to know who you are before this almighty, all powerful God. We’re the clay; he’s the potter. We’re the portrait; he’s the artist.

The God who created me, the source of all life, the power that has existed for all times sends us a Son who will put a face on God, a Son who will show us how to relate to this loving Father.

Add to that the fact that this loving God plants his own Spirit within me, so that I may know him as he is in himself.

The chasm between God and me would be impossible to breech without the Son and the Holy Spirit.

This reality leaves me spell bound with the statement we speak before we receive Communion at every Mass: “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come to me, but only say the word and I shall be healed.”

If desire gets you hungering for God, humility closes the breech between you and the source of your desire.


Openness

Finally, it is with a simple attitude of openness that you are ready to experience this God who has been present all along.

The incident of Elijah in the first reading tells us that God’s presence for us, as for Elijah, won’t come in a strong and heavy wind, nor in an earthquake, nor as a huge fire, but instead in a tiny whispering sound.

What are those “whisperings” in which we might find God?

He may not be found in getting us out of the financial crisis we find ourselves in, but in bringing us closer together as a family.

He may not be found in curing the cancer of a loved one, but in the renewed dedication of a spouse and children to their mother.

He may not be found in the ending of a long family conflict, but in the stamina to accept people as they are.


Conclusion

Yes, God is in the very “stuff” of our daily lives. God is where we are, including the very weaknesses that vie for our souls.

Knowing God’s presence will take finding some quiet time and a quiet place and (1) Stirring up our desire, 2) Having a sense of humility, and (3) Being open to his presence.