Human Exploration

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Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down

"Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down" (Is 63:19B). This verse from Isaiah 63 is in today's Biblical reading (Sunday November 29, 2020). Six years ago, the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad made reference to this verse in his homily in Advent...Listen here: "Jesus is a revelation. Jesus is a revolution". But what kind of revolution? "Jesus empties heaven and moves the [Divine presence] to be among us: Emmanuel." and continues "Is it possible that God makes such a radical move? I have a response here to our Muslim brothers who think it is impossible. For them God cannot descend from heaven without losing his honor and dignity." Listen carefully because here Henri Boulad summarizes the Christian Mystery in as simple language as possible "If Jesus Christ is an illusion...If Christianity is a sheer mystification...If God did not come to us and did not descend from his heaven...If he did not take the radical and seemingly impossible leap of the incarnation, then he ceases being credible - he ceases being love - he ceases being God." Let us reflect. Here is the message: "The scandal of the Incarnation, which means that we cannot believe that God could debase himself, becomes the key and the supreme proof that this is the truth." "But a God in heaven well served who looks to me and says 'You suffer. Have courage. Perhaps one day you will be with me in my heaven' is not God. A God who says 'Patience. I am fine here but you over there can suffer' is not God. This is the false God that we, often, figure that he sends us prophets from time to time to console us' . NO, NO. NO. This God who looks to me with a telescope is not my God. I do not want him." "If there is a phenomenon of atheism today in the West as well as in Egypt, it is precisely because men say we are in fact better than God. The walk that I walk to help when I see a hungry person or a thirsty one or a person without faith, can't God do it? Has he no choice regarding his honor?" "No. He did it. This is the supreme proof of the Christian Mystery. Do not look somewhere else. 'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' He descended. No more seventh heaven..." "The only God I can believe, love and worship is the God Jesus Christ because he descended to me." "'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' " And the great preacher and Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad finished here his homily. Today, November 29, 2020, the well-known Biblical scholar and pastor of Holy Rosary parish in Toronto, Msgr. Robert Nusca gave a great homily that I found powerful especially about being alert in prayer and helping the needy. He also You mentioned Saint Padre Pio's words on the power of continuous prayer which we need to uphold. True, we must be alert, based on the Gospel, for the coming of the Lord. It is a source of joy that we are able to encounter the Lord in the Eucharistic banquet of Sunday. Yet, due to COVID-19, we are in lock-down and unable to physically participate in the Mass. However, with Cardinal Collins authorized permission, we participate spiritually in the body of Christ. Today also, at the Greek Melkite Catholic parish in Toronto, Msgr. Makarios Wehbe talked in his homily about the Gospel reading in the Byzantine Tradition; that is when a rich scholar asked Jesus " “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”. Msgr. Wehbe noted that, of the ten Commandments of the Law, Jesus mentioned the ones that deal with his neighbor - In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus had said "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matt 5:48). Applying it to the rich man, Jesus asked him to sell his rich material and follow the Master who later died on the cross for our sins. Our attachment to material things could detach us from the true Way i.e. Jesus (John 14:6). In his homily today, (in French here) Fr. Boulad spoke about reinvigorating the spirit of John the Baptist, the forrunner of Christ. He said that increasing exterior possessions and consumerism must be replaced by changing the interior of one's life - We can change the world for the better if we change our inner life which Christ invites us to. He baptizes us with with the Spirit and fire ! In his homily to the newly appointed cardinals, Pope Francis said that becoming a cardinal is a road sign "for us who today are journeying together with Jesus,” underscoring: “For He is our strength, who gives meaning to our lives and our ministry.” Finally, I received a number of responses on the video that I forwarded yesterday from a friend. Probably the most meaningful one is our need to be grateful to God who gave us life.