2nd Sunday Ordinary Time - Experiencing Christ

There is this local legend or tale that goes like this. A well known, non-christian figure in our community took diocesan classes to learn about Catholicism. Once the series of classes were over, he then asked to teach kids in parishes.

I think that very seldom do we experience anything on our own. I think there is always someone who guides us to new experiences, new interests, new ways of anything.  Maybe it was the first time we tried a different culture of food. We just didn’t think one day, “Hey, I am going to try Thai, Indian, Midwestern Chicago, Southern, etc…..” Somehow the idea got planted from elsewhere, from someone else. A Friend suggests rock climbing, skiing, etc.

Our faith, our belief in Christ originates from our parents, from friends, and even witnessing strangers who live it out. As they say, we stand on the shoulders of giants.  And the deepest faith is not something that is purely academic learned from a book; it comes through a personal experience. An event, an encounter, a story touches us deeply as a human person and expands us.   Academics can augment it, but academics remain dry or inert without the experience, without the human touch, without the human experience.

Samuel definitely needed that experience. He need someone to help him make sense of what was happening to him. [Eli was a bit slow on the take, but as we read this story and more, we would realize that Eli and his sons had grown distant from God. So it took him time to understand what Samuel had experienced.] Samuel would eventually succeed and exceed Eli, and he would be the one to communicate God to the people, to Saul and then eventually David.

John, in an act of humility, told his own disciples, “THERE! Go with him!” He directed his own followers to someone greater than he so that they could experience a greater reality.  Visualizing this scene, it seems to me kind of comical. Jesus walking and senses someone following him, turns around, “What do you want?”  Andrew begins to follow. Then what does Andrew do...after spending time with Jesus and excited by the person of Jesus and his experiences, Andrew goes and describes the experience to his brother Simon and gets him excited as well.

One of the greatest actions we can take is to share our own experience of Jesus with others. I am not talking about our likes (or dislikes) about the mass or what churches look like; I am talking about something deeper, an experience of Jesus Christ, and how our experience or experiences of Jesus have changed us; given us a new depth; a new wisdom of God and our relationship to God.  That presumes we have had that experience. Or at least aware of it.  If not, then we need to find an Eli, we need a John the Baptist, we need to have someone who has had that experience, has that wisdom and can help us; to point out Christ to us.

We can have an experience of sorts through the Eucharist, but to be honest, this is all one sided. You all listen to me, the priest. There is no conversation going on.  Yet, the celebration of Eucharist itself ideally gives us direction. Celebrating the Mass, with prayers, scripture, and the sacrament ideally open us to different possibilities to different ways of experiencing Christ in our lives. And this community, the parish, ideally affords opportunities for us to gather and share, in smaller groups. 

An exciting activity going on with our Youth and Young Adults is that they share their faith via zoom; they talk about the experience of Mass, Scripture and share with one other their thoughts, their own experiences. RCIA, also uses this.  Parents, Grandparents, do your kids and grandkids know about your life with Jesus?

This is a challenge for us as Catholics. The past decades our practice has been to treat Jesus almost like a class room subject; have a teacher teach about Jesus, and prayers. Yet, there is this hole. We have lost out on Jesus the person. We lose out on the relevance of our own personhood in relation to Christ.  We need to reclaim our history of telling our stories, sharing faith; being more comfortable pointing out Jesus and him working in the lives of our kids, and even for others.  It means we have to listen and it means we have to foster within ourselves that sense of Jesus. Where has he changed me? How has he changed me? What does it mean for me to believe in Jesus?  We have so many platforms from which to do this.

And yet…

As well, there is a lot of confusion in our world, in our community. People are searching for understanding, wisdom; trying to make sense of craziness. I believe Christ gives to us a vision of how we can live with more joy. It is not something we can only get out of a book, but must come through community and us sharing our faith.