Homily, August 10, 2025
From The Pastor
In today’s world, faith has countless faces. Faith is a basic stance in life that builds a foundation of meaning, trust, and purposeful human development. Faith has a strong emotional and psychological component that begins with the physical world. A basic trust in the consistency of scientific facts allows for the development of meaningful and intentional advancement of human society. The rising and the setting of the sun has a consistent rhythm. Water freezes and thaws at a constant temperature. Sun, water, and soil are unchanging elements for planting and growing seeds for a steady food source. Faith in the created world is an essential building block for religious and spiritual faith. Considering the intricacies of the created world, it is not difficult to see the hand of God in the rhythm and movements of all that is.
A common expression of St. Paul leads us to this awareness. Faith is the realization of what is hoped for, giving evidence of things not yet seen. Experience is an essential building block of faith. The confirmed facts of science are one kind of faith that leads to the realization of the God who created all things. Religious-spiritual faith holds the conviction of the eternal goodness of the Divine Creator who created and sustains all living things.
Today we are invited to ponder the faith we hold that will lead to an active participation of fruitful action. Faith demands courage and trust in what we professed in the name of God. In the Old Testament, faith was expressed through Divine Promise. God offered covenants to his people with the promise of land, descendants, freedom from slavery, and redemption from human oppression. God’s covenant culminated in the promise of the Messiah who would save his people from their sin and from every evil. The Divine promise gave expression to the mercy and compassion of God that all persons and things would share union with God through the redemption of Christ.
Given the trials and tragedies of life, faith is often resisted by those who are fearful and worn-down by such hurts and losses. It takes courage and conviction to face the suffering caused by the disorder of human sin which persists and secure faith. God is perfectly aware of the tensions and contradictions of sin and grace. God knows the inclinations of human doubt, loss of hope, and skepticism. This is the nature of faith. If faith were science and all of it could be proven, then there would be no need to believe. We would be left with knowledge alone. If so, something of our human nature would be lost. Faith is part of the fabric that makes us human.
The gospel begins with Jesus encouraging the disciples as he prepares them for the difficulties of ministry. “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the Kingdom.” This theme of courageous faith against the woe of sin makes me think of Julian of Norwich.
Julian lived from 1342-1416. It was a time of the Black Plague and the Peasant revolt across Europe. It was a dark time of the Middle Ages. At the age of thirty, Julian was gravely ill, thought to be on her death bed. In a period of days, Julian was given several visions that began with the face of the Crucified Christ. In her sixteen ‘Showings’ as they are called, Julian was given revelations of God’s compassion and mercy for all humanity in both our suffering and the virtues of our longing faith.
In a dark time of history, Julian was a sought-after voice for the compassion and presence of God even in the darkest realities of human existence. Julian relays God’s delight and pure joy to be our Father, Beloved Creator, and Divine Spouse. Jesus holds immense joy in being our brother, savoring with delight the glory of our Father given through his redemptive Cross. Julian was very clear, despite the wretchedness of human sin, that the gift and promise of God’s redemption is already ours in Christ. Julian worried why God allowed sin if God were so Divinely good. God consoles Julian in the awareness of the necessity of sin in the human-Divine encounter. Redemption is a pure, freely given gift that delights God to offer and accomplish.
Faith is a living relationship tested by our persistence through times of sin and difficulty. Sin is always discouraging, but with a trustful eye on Jesus it can become a source of self-understanding that leads to the joy of conversion. In times of grace, we feel the consolation of God’s presence and peace. This is the message of today’s gospel. Jesus is preparing the disciples, and us, to have a faith we actively put into practice in good times and in bad. We are called to be faithful and steadfast in the trustful promise of God’s salvation already accomplished in the Lord Jesus. Staring at sin and human disorder is a study in futility. Let us keep our eyes on the Lord Jesus. The will and purpose of God cannot and will not be thwarted. As Jesus tells Julian, “All will be well, and all will be well, all manner of things will be well.” That includes you. Feel the joy and hope of heavenly glory promised us in Christ.
Father John Esper
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