Here is a little Homily for Tuesday, January 19th...
No matter what we think we might be looking for, we are always looking for the same thing. Sometimes we think we are looking for the pain to go away, or for to love us. Sometimes we think we are looking for more money or for a better job. And sometimes we just want the Doctor to tell us that everything is going to be alright.
But no matter what we think we may be looking for, we are always looking for the same thing, or more properly, for the same one. We are ever looking for God, waiting for him to put a new song into our mouths and a deep peace into our hearts.
We are like the Psalmist, longing catch a glimpse of God and then crying out: “Here I am Lord! I come to do your will!”
And you know what? At the same time we are desperately seeking the face of God, he is desperately looking for us. Like the Father of the Prodigal Son, looking out at the end of the horizon, day after day longing for his Son to return, so God is desperately seeking us.
For what does God really want? Does he long for our impressive accomplishments or, when we do wrong, our punishment? No. None of that. The Lord desires neither Sacrifice nor oblation, neither Burnt offerings nor sin-offerings. All God wants is our love.
He who is love, desires nothing from his creatures but that they remain in his love: that they “love the Lord [their] God with all [their] heart and with all [their] soul and with all [their] mind and with all your strength…”and that they love their neighbors as themselves.
So the next time, in prayer, you list all the things you want from God, realize there is only one real prayer: to learn to love love the Lord and to serve him in this world and to be happy with him in the next.
For that, in the end, that’s all that God wants, as well.
