Feb. 17, 2018 6th Sunday Ordinary C
Feb. 17, 2018 6th Sunday Ordinary C
It was an ordinary day for a Trappist monk named Thomas Merton, running errands for his cloistered monastery in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. He was in the center of the shopping district, surrounded by hubbub of people going about shopping and work. For years living in a cloistered life behind the walls of his monastery, this monk felt separated from the rest of humanity. Then in the middle of this busy downtown, he had his “revelation” at the corner of Fourth and Walnut Street. He suddenly saw the strangers around him in a completely new light. He wrote, “I was suddenly overwhelmed with the realization that I loved all those people, that they were mine and I theirs…It was as if I suddenly saw the secret beauty of their hearts, the depths of their hearts, where neither sin nor desire nor self-knowledge can reach, the core of their reality, the person that each one is in God’s eyes. If only they could all see themselves as they really are. If only we could see each other that way all the time.” Thomas Merton realized that God wasn’t found away from the world, but in it; God was reflected in every human being.
Based on Merton’s epiphany, do you think we can make the following corollary statement, that is: Happiness in God isn’t found away from the world, but in it; happiness in God is reflected in every human being. This may seem like a contradictory statement, for all of us here can attest that there are shadows of life and unhappiness that come from rubbing shoulders with people and facing trials.
Perhaps what Jesus taught in today’s Gospel is also disconcerting: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven.” Many folks told me how nice it would be if they became a religious monk or a nun, with no children, property, or spouse to worry or get aggravated by. But as Merton realized, happiness in God is right in the middle of our experience of aggravation, frustration, loss, and sadness. How can we train our eyes to see the essential beauty and glory of God in our family, neighbor, and tragedies?
Jesus on the Cross is a reminder of our happiness in God. There in Calvary hanging on the Cross was a man who loved and gave much but was despised and misunderstood. While surrounded by cacophony of the jeering crowd, remaining with him by his side to comfort him were his mother, two loyal friends, and relatives. Steadfast was his belief that all of Heavenly Father’s creation would be redeemed by his sacrificial love. Jesus saw the true worth of each person gathered on that hill of Calvary; whether they were for him or against him, he saw His Father’s beauty in them nevertheless.
In our day to day lives there are times when the ones we love the most can hurt us deeply; yet, we beg God to lend us His Heart to love them despite the pain and suffering. It’s in God’s love that we worship together in this Church even as we have unforgiveness and tensions. By bringing our hurts and misgivings before the altar of Calvary, we hope that our lives will be made new by Our Lord who brought dead to life. One day, happiness in God will be realized when we all meet each other, both friend and foe, together in Heaven, praising and glorifying God for bringing us together.
