“See with the Eyes of Your Heart That God Is Present” by Beth DeCristofaro

“See with the Eyes of Your Heart That God Is Present” by Beth DeCristofaro

 

Thursday of the Twenty-fifth Week in Ordinary Time

 

One generation passes and another comes, but the world forever stays.
The sun rises, and the sun goes down; then, it presses on to the place where it rises. Blowing now toward the south, then toward the north, the wind turns, again and again, resuming its rounds. All rivers go to the sea, yet never does the sea become full. To the place where they go, the rivers keep on going. (Ecclesiastes 1:4-7)

 

Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, and he was greatly perplexed … “John I beheaded. Who, then, is this about whom I hear such things?” And he kept trying to see him.  (Luke 9:7, 9)

 

Piety

Lord, I let go of the worries, resentments, and fears that I can sometimes hold on to so tightly.  Let me open my hands and my heart to receive freely all the gifts that I need at this time.

        (sacredspace.ie)

 

Study

A recent TV show conversation came to mind as I wrote this reflection.  The series is about time travel, apocalyptic world-ending, aliens, and sibling rivalries.  The chuckle-producing discussion went something like this:

 

(She) “I’m scared; I’m seeing things.  I’m afraid I’m losing it and don’t understand.”

(He) “Well, we take for granted lots of things we don’t understand.  You like yogurt, right?”

She) Nods, yes

(He) “Well, take yogurt:  How the heck does milk become yogurt?  Huh?  What the heck!  But it’s good for you, and you like it, right?”
(She) Smiles, Comforted, says, “Yes, I do.  Ok!”

 

Did Herod feel he was losing it when confronted with stories about Jesus?  Did he seek to understand? Did he fear a ghost?  Or did Herod have some sense of the mystery he says he sought? The Gospels portray Herod as seeking out John the Baptist, yet he killed him.  He does not honestly want to “understand” and accept.  Not knowing how milk becomes yogurt is a menial and inadequate comparison for our not understanding how God acts, how God calls us to follow, and how to glorify God with our lives. Yet once we make the leap, we can be fruitful in accepting the mystery of God and all God’s gifts.

 

If Herod had a friend who explained, however naively, that mystery must sometimes be accepted rather than explained away, would he have “seen” Jesus?  Did he want to see? After all, he was Herod!  He could have had Jesus brought before him, but he did not.  Perhaps Herod did understand more than he protested.  Perhaps Herod feared the man who would talk to him of God would challenge his life. Maybe he was too entangled within his guilt, desire for adoration, and love of power to see, hear, and accept.

 

 The Entrance Antiphon of today’s Mass says I am the salvation of the people, says the Lord. / Should they cry to me in any distress, / I will hear them, and I will be their Lord forever. Herod was not willing to give up his anguish and his control over what he thought he deserved. Herod was not ready to cry to God in his distress. It is much more than a leap into accepting the health advantages of yogurt.  A jump to God is a leap to the unknowable eternity our faith promises us within God.

 

Action

What keeps us from profoundly leaping into the mystery of God?  Day after day, we are pulled and pushed to the enticements of sin and stagnation.  If we accept the authority of mystery, allowing God to gather our hearts, then our lives can be filled with divine presence and marvels.