Fr. William Meninger Homily_August 13, 2016 and  a guided meditation from Cardinal John Newman (Prayer used by Mother Theresa)

Homily

 The readings this morning are complicated and diverse so I would like to focus on just one important line from the epistle to the Hebrews. It is very relevant to the interest right now on the Olympic games. The imagery is that of running a race with your eyes on the goal. The author says, “Run the race that lies before you by keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus”. This, of course, is at the very heart of what it means to be a Christian. to be a follower of Christ. We must keep our eyes fixed on him with the purpose and intensity of an athlete striving for victory. What we sometimes don’t realize however is that we already have the victory, Christ has won it for us, we have simply to reach out and claim it as our own.

 Somebody has said that “the error of the past is the wisdom of the future”. This means that our failures, the times when we have allowed our eyes to drift from the goal, from following Jesus, should be an impetus and actually an encouragement supporting us in returning to that goal which is Jesus.

 We do realize, all of us, that the most basic and fundamental teaching of Jesus is one of love. Not just love of God, but like unto it love of neighbor. This is why Jesus would say that whatever we do unto one of the least of his brethren we do  unto him. And why St. John tells us that we cannot love God whom we do not see unless we love our brother and sister whom we do see. Richard Rohr reminds us that love is our very structural and essential identity. To live in conscious connection with the loving inner presence of God is to find our true self. Plato says, “We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark. The real tragedy is when a man or woman is afraid of the light.”

 I would like to do something now that is a little bit unusual for a homily. I would like to bring us into an experienced connection, another type of communion if you will, with the love of Jesus, of God and of one another. I would like to take you through a brief, guided meditation. This meditation is a prayer written by the English theologian , Cardinal, John Newman. It is a prayer that Mother Theresa tells us she recited every day of her life.

 So I would ask you to sit as comfortably as you can, perhaps close your eyes and just for a brief moment try to be aware of God’s presence within you and about you, as Jesus said, where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them and the kingdom of God is within you. (Brief pause). And now with great sincerity, listen with your hearts and offer this prayer keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Dear Jesus, help me to spread Your fragrance everywhere I go.

Flood my soul with Your spirit and life.

Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly,

That my life may only be a radiance of Yours.

Shine through me, and be so in me

That every soul I come in contact with

May feel Your presence in my soul.

Let them look up and see no longer me, but only Jesus!

Stay with me and then I shall begin to shine as You shine,

So to shine as to be a light to others;

The light, O Jesus will be all from You; none of it will be mine;

It will be you, shining on others through me.

Let me thus praise You the way You love best, by shining on those around me.

Let me preach You without preaching, not by words but by my example,

By the catching force of the sympathetic influence of what I do,

The evident fullness of the love my heart bears to You.

Amen.

—

May you be happy,

May you be free,

May you be loving,

May you be loved.

Father William Meninger