Anxiety and Faith

Summary of a Fr. Gerry Creedon homily from May 22, 2005

ST. CHARLES HAS A CUSTOM of asking people to greet their neighbors before the entrance rite of the Mass. This is a recognition of the fact that we do not worship as isolated individuals. We hear in the second reading: "Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you. The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you". This view of the church as a fellowship of the Holy Spirit has a Protestant ring to it, yet as Catholics we are slowly coming to realize the essential role of community in our faith-lives and worship.

Theologians recognize that our commitment to life in common is grounded in the nature of God. God is not singular and isolated. God is a dynamic interaction of three persons. Interaction also needs to characterize God's people if we are to reflect divine life. In the words of the opening prayer,

"You reveal yourself in the depths of our being, drawing us to share in your life and your love. One God, three Persons, draw near to the people formed in your image."

This feast also has implications for our personal relationship with God. Perhaps there is no more individual moment than our encounter with our own impending death. A person who agrees to accept hospice care is recognizing, as one parishioner said recently, "I am entering a new phase." For some it is a time of fear and anxiety. What will the next life hold for me? There is a pause before the mystery. A woman from the parish surprised me recently with her response: "I have no fear, because I believe in a God of love and mercy." Her faith enabled her to face the future with all its pain and mystery with an unshaken hope.

In the hearts of all of us dwells a mixture of anxiety and faith. The word of God today proclaims a God "who is slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity." Paul assures; "The God of love and peace will be with you." and John proclaims, "God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but that the world might be saved through him."

As God's people we image his life by our fellowship and at the end we entrust our dying to his saving care.