Homily for Wednesday
of Holy Week
March 31, 2021
Is 50: 4-9
Provincial House, New Rochelle,
N.Y.
Jennie Laeng from
Cleveland is one of those who will complete her Christian initiation this
weekend. She was born Catholic but fell
away along the line. In an interview she
told the National
Catholic Register that “she had learned the logistics of how to pray but
hadn’t ever ‘showed up to prayer and allowed God to speak.’” She added, “He shows up in the quiet,
consistent ‘boring’ space in my life.”[1]
Prophet Isaiah (Kizhi Monastery, Karelia, Russia)
Certainly we learned “the logistics” of prayer from our mothers and our formators. I don’t doubt that now you’re better pray-ers than I am, better as “showing up and allowing God to speak.” When we do so, we’re like Jennie, and also like the Servant of the Lord, whose ear was opened that he might hear—hear a word to rouse the weary” (Is 50:4).
Only when we’ve opened our
ears to the Lord’s speaking can we take his word to the weary—to our weary,
often confused young, to hard-working and overstressed parents. When Christ inspires us, we may comfort and
strengthen them; we may help them to “praise the name of God in song,” to
“glorify him with thanksgiving” (Ps 69:31).
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