20 Aug 2022

More than familiarity

 I must admit that I have always been disturbed by this weekend's reading. The image of knocking at the door and the voice coming from inside saying I do not know where you are coming from echoes in my mind. This is a reminder that the spiritual journey is not just about our own efforts or accomplishments. We are not called to attend Church just to earn frequent flyer points on our way to heaven. Rather I believe it is to discover who we are and how we are called to live.

Thus in the reading from Isaiah, we discover a God who issues an invitation to enter into a relationship with all people. The voice of God is called to help the person discover that their whole life only finds meaning in this inner voice. So often we believe that meaning is found in what we own, what we do and the knowledge we possess. There is always the temptation to believe that if we are in control, well presented, and up to date, we have substance. Yet it is the deeper discovery that it is the inner voice that speaks of a relationship that sustains us in being. 

Hence our seeking to meet God in our everyday experiences. Our prayer no longer becomes a litany of wants or a soliloquy of sorrows. Rather it is an encounter with a God whose heart invites us to beat in rhythm with the mystery of the Holy Spirit. This allows our life to be formed in the compassionate heart of Jesus who seeks for us to know him and for him to know us. This transforming presence means that we are called just to know about him or even work for him. Rather it allows us to encounter him our whole lives. It is this encounter that shapes us from the inside out. 

No comments:

Post a Comment