Homily: Thursday of the 31st Week in OT - "Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord"

Our readings this morning speak both of man’s desire for God and God’s desire for man.

The Catechism says, "The desire for God is written in the human heart" and only in God will man "find the truth and happiness he never stops searching for" (CCC 27).

Though we live in a world with more people than any other time in history, man often feels alone and isolated.  Though technology has brought unimaginable improvements or changes, many of our interactions with others have become much more impersonal.  Though we are busier than ever before, we derive less meaning and happiness from each of our activities. 

Sometimes, the quest for happiness leads us down very dark and destructive paths: gambling, alcohol, drugs, pornography, violence.  All an attempt to secure happiness, that can only be satisfied by God. 

Our addiction to technology is a symptom of our searching.  Our obsession with entertainment is a symptom of our searching.

When we stray from the practices of our faith and fall into the vices of the world we become like lost sheep, or worse, a lost coin.  A lost coin is an inanimate object, it’s totally incapable of finding its way back on its own.  When we live for the things of earth, rather than the things of heaven, we become lost.

St. Paul, after listing his very impressive Jewish credentials says even these he counts as loss compared to knowing Jesus Christ.  All things are loss which keep us from focusing on the one thing necessary, the most important thing, our relationship with God through Christ.

Our Lord in the Gospel explains the key to finding our way back to God: repentance.  We need to recognize all things as loss which take us away from God, and repent of allowing them to keep us from glorifying God with our lives.

Yet, when we do repent, Jesus tells us there is joy among the angels of heaven when the sinner who is lost in sin is found.  God doesn’t want us lost.  He seeks us out, he calls to us to repent. 

“Let hearts rejoice who search for the Lord” we said in our Psalm this morning.  May we find great joy in turning away from all things which keep us from Him and seeking to live always for the glory of God and salvation of souls.