Wednesday of the 6th Week of Easter
Acts 17:15, 22-18:1
John 16: 12-15
Scriptures tell us that God made us in his image and likeness. Because he made us we belong to him. We are His handiwork and our resting place is in his hands. We have only to recall these words taken from the Letter to the Hebrews: “It is an awesome thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Heb. 10:31). There is great comfort in finding ourselves the hands of God because that is where God intended us to be. Even though we are a very small part of creation we are made to sing the praises of God. In spite of our sinfulness and blind ignorance, we feel the innate need to seek out a Power Greater than ourselves. This need is expressed in the Confessions of St. Augustine. “You have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they can find rest in you.” Christ knows, what each of us carries within ourselves, He perfectly knows our joys, worries, hopes, fears, and yearnings.
It is this innate desire for the Ineffable One that St. Paul addressed when he spoke at the Areopagus. He acknowledged the longings of these learned men to encounter the One in whom they lived and moved and had their being. Perhaps he recalled the words of the Psalmist, “Deep calls to deep as I hear the tumult of the raging seas. All your waves and breakers wash over me” (Ps. 42:7). From the depths of His heart, God calls to the depths of the human heart. One word from him can calm any storm. One word from him can transform our darkest night into the brightness of day. One word from him can transform our bitterest sorrows into boundless joy. Even as we face our greatest trials, he walks with us. “[God] walked through the sea. [His] path was through the surging waters, but [His] footprints were never seen” (CF. Ps. 77:19).
The hunger of the human heart draws each of us to the Holy One. “It is a relationship of intimacy, it is mystical, and without words: it is not only for the mystics, it is for all of us” (Pope Francis). Our souls long for him because he longs for us. “Though you have not seen him, you [long] for him. Though you do not see him now you have come to believe in him. [Having surrendered to his love and care for you] you are filled with unspeakable joy that has been touched with glory” (CF. 1 Pet. 1:8). The God of our life and the Rock of our Salvation never stops loving us. The Psalmist puts it quite beautifully: “The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer. My God is my rock in whom I take refuge, my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of refuge” (Ps. 18:2).
Because they are God’s handiwork, the heavens and all they contain declare the glory of God. The Creator of the Universe made us a little than the angels and crowned us with glory and honor (CF. Ps. 8:5). He then commanded us to care for and maintain the earth, our common mother (CF. Gen 2:15). As the crown of creation, let us declare the glory of God in word and deed. “Let us seek to pray by entering into this mystery of God’s unending covenant with us. This is the burning heart of every Christian prayer: entrusting ourselves to the loving and merciful arms of our heavenly Father” (Pope Francis).
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