A Hope of Embracing God

January 28, 2008

Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, priest and doctor of the Church

By Beth DeCristofaro

David grew steadily more powerful, for the LORD of hosts was with him (2 Samuel 5:10)

My faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him (Psalm 89:25)

But no one can enter a strong man’s house to plunder his property unless he first ties up the strong man. Then he can plunder his house. Amen, I say to you, all sins and all blasphemies that people utter will be forgiven them. (Mark 3:27-28)

Piety

Grant me, O Lord my God,
a mind to know you,
a heart to seek you,
wisdom to find you,
conduct pleasing to you,
faithful perseverance in waiting for you,
and a hope of finally embracing you. Amen.

-- Prayer of St. Thomas Aquinas

( www.Catholic.org )

Study

http://www.usccb.org/nab/012808.shtml

God’s faithfulness and mercy are granted as God wills. We are welcome to accept them as gifts or refuse them. My acceptance is an act of faith in God’s own faithfulness and mercy. A rejection might be because I try to rationally understand or base my answers in worldly virtues. The Chosen People wanted a king even though God did not want them to have a king. They were motivated by the prevailing culture of city states and principalities. Saul was put over them. Saul failed in his God-given mission. God then chose David – a boy – a lowly shepherd - whose faithfulness God rewarded. God’s ways were not then and are not now worldly ways.

Jesus confronts the scribes who lie about him. “By the prince of demons he drives out demons.” (Mark 3:22) They do not understand who or what he is. They instead see him as a threat to their position and power – as indeed he was. What they did not understand is that his promise was far greater than their position and power could ever be. It is eternal and boundless. Jesus’ parable puts himself in the role of thief, stealing into the seat of power, liberating the faithful. From his actions will forgiveness and pardon be available to the faithful.[1]

At the end of his life, Thomas Aquinas, one of the greatest theologians of his time and ours, said as he put aside his Summa Theologica, “I cannot go on.... All that I have written seems to me like so much straw compared to what I have seen and what has been revealed to me.”[2] Am I willing to put all into the awesome gift of God’s faith that surpasses all I understand, see, feel or imagine?

Action

Our faith is based on God’s faithfulness. How is our faith stirring our actions? In what way can we put aside the understandings of our culture and reach out to others in faith? In what ways are we, personally, helping God’s children, those who our society labels misfits, ne’er do wells or dangerous? Or those who are not part of our neighborhood, culture, or religious tradition? In what way at our own parish or place of work, play, or school do we embrace God? Here are two ideas to think about.

1) A recent story posted by Zenit.org told that “Church leaders in the Holy Land are appealing to international leaders to end what they called the siege of Gaza.” They termed this an “illegal collective punishment.” Let government leaders know that the US can, and should, call for peace in the region for all people.

2) Today, Catholics from throughout the Commonwealth will converge on Richmond in response to our Church’s directive that …”responsible citizenship is a virtue; participation in political life is a moral obligation”. If we are not attending the walk-about, are we keeping this effort and our state legislators in prayer?

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[1] Say to the Mountain: Mark’s Story of Discipleship, Ched Myers, Marie Dennis, Joseph Nangle, Cynthia Moe-Lobeda, Stuart Taylor, Orbis Books, 2003, p. 35-36.

[2] http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1274