Homily 16th Sunday Ordinary Time, Cycle B, 2012
Fr. Paul D. Williams, Jr., pastor, Saint Joseph's, Dalton, GA
After
their first mission of evangelization, the Apostles returned to Jesus
and he saw that they were tired, so he invited them to “Come away
by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.” What was
Jesus looking for? Rest and peace – physical and spiritual. This
rest and peace echoes the Seventh Day, when God rested from his
labors – the creation of the universe and mankind in his own image
and likeness. So this rest and peace signifies the eternal rest we
all long for in heaven.
What
was the crowd looking for? Also rest and peace. Why were they
lacking in rest and peace? Not only because they were tired from the
long run to beat Jesus and his Apostles where they were going, but
also because they were tired and troubled from the burdens of the
world, a spiritual fatigue. They ran those ten miles because they
were looking for something that the world couldn't give them: an
interior peace, tranquility, and serenity.
This
longing is written on the human heart. All the desires of the human
heart can only be satisfied in heaven, but we don't know how to get
there. He had to teach them because the people could not find peace.
Why couldn't the people reach this peace? Because they were looking
to the world to satisfy this longing. As with the people of Jesus'
time, so also today: we look for the world to satisfy this desire
written in our heart. And concretely, this takes many forms today:
Alcohol and drugs. Gluttony and shopping. Gambling and risk taking.
Fantasy and violence. Sex and porn. These actions take a good and
misuse them or use them inappropriately. All in a search for peace,
which only comes temporarily.
The
devil is right there to encourage us. After we engage in these
things, we find that they do not satisfy, and usually we feel
nauseous, miserable, or disgusted. The devil tells us what to do next
time - increase the quantity and potency - which only leads to
addictions, broken relationships, and self-destruction.
The
devil promises paradise, but he delivers something else: emptiness,
self-loathing, bitterness, alienation from others and from God. By
offering substitutes for true peace, he promises us heaven, but
ultimately separates us from God. That is the definition of hell,
being apart from God.
So,
“When Jesus disembarked and saw the vast crowd, his heart was
moved with pity for them, for they were like sheep without a
shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” In today's
Gospel people come to Jesus hungry and tired. He doesn't offer a
quick fix. Instead, he begins to teach.
What does he teach them? We see it summarized in the Sermon
on the Mount. He begins with the Beatitudes and then gives us a Catechesis on the Ten Commandments.
These teachings shows us the attitudes and manner of living that lead to true fulfillment.
Satan
uses things that are good in themselves - food, drink, sex in the
context of a loving marriage, enjoyment, relaxation, even self-esteem
- and he perverts them by misusing them or using them
disproportionately. All these things are a foretaste of heaven when
used as God intended. But the devil tells us that this is all we
need, not what they signify. He takes our desire for heaven and
twists it to separate us from God.
The
philosopher Josef Pieper puts it this way (Schall, p. 146): “Man as
he is constituted, endowed as he is for a thirst for happiness,
cannot have his thirst quenched in the finite realm; and if he thinks
or behaves as if that were possible, he is misunderstanding himself,
he is acting contrary to his own nature. The whole world would not
suffice this ‘nature’ of man. If the whole world were given to
him, he would have to say, and would say: it is too little.”
Yes,
our desires can only be fulfilled by the transcendent God. But St.
Thomas Aquinas adds something interesting. In heaven, he says, “the
blessed will be given more than they ever wanted or hoped for.”
Basically, he is saying that even though we may see our human desires
as vast and great, in fact, they are not great enough, and indeed
they are nothing when compared to the infinite God. And St. Paul
would anticipate this when he said, “eye has not seen, and ear has
not heard, and it has not entered the human heart, what God has
prepared for those who love him”.
Fr.
James Schall puts it this way, “God exceeds all our other pleasures
not by denying our other pleasures exist, but by maintaining that God
is more delightful than even these.”
Now,
Jesus doesn't only teach. He also equips us to live his teachings.
Through the sacraments, he offers us forgiveness, renewal, and
strength for the journey. He offers us an experience of heaven right
now. And for all the longings of our heart, we find them in Jesus,
who as Saint Paul says, “is our peace”.
