28th Sunday of Ordinary Time (What Do You Seek)
As I was reflecting on this reading from Isaiah, as it speaks of a future that God desires for all his people, I considered how he describes it like a banquet or feast that we will all be part of, partaking of rich foods and choice wines. It made me think of our appetites.
Usually, we associate appetite with food or drink. But think also about our bodily appetites, our desires for physical pleasure, including our sexual impulses. But underneath that, what’s driving our desire for food and for physical pleasure is our appetite for happiness. Maybe it’s fair to say, that’s the engine that drives us and our choices.
Aristotle, one of the great pillars of western philosophy, and whose influence on us can’t be overstated, proposed that happiness is the only human pursuit that ultimately satisfies, because it’s the very reason for our existence.
But what do we mean by happiness? It’s more than a trip to Disneyland, the happiest place on earth. Maybe the question of happiness can be asked using other words: What does your heart long for in this life or What do you believe is the goal of this life? That’s a deep and challenging question but further, for each of us there are likely conflicting answers, if we’re being honest. In our pursuit for happiness, or at least for what we believe brings happiness, sometimes we pursue healthy and lifegiving things. Sometimes we pursue and embrace unhealthy and destructive things.
So, what are you seeking in this life? I’m sure that many of us here would likely say it’s deeper life in God or to conform to the image of Jesus. And from that, you likely orient your appetites toward that ultimate end. But for the world around us and our culture, I observe that the desire for what we think will make us happy only gives way to more unhappiness, more being lost and desperate.
What do you seek? On October 26th, a week from this Thursday, I’m asking you to join me and a number of your fellow parishioners, to explore this question and to discuss it with one another. This will be the first of seven times we’ll meet this year. In the successive months we will explore other questions at the core of our existence and human experience: Who are you? Why do we believe in a God and why does it matter? What is our story? Who is Jesus (as opposed to the thousands of other gods)? Am I saved? Why does having a Church matter and why be part of it?
I’m asking you to mark your calendar for seven evenings, one each month through this program year. I’ll tell you a few more things about it.
· This is for those who are high school age and up. Basically, all adults.
· Our seven sessions will generally occur on the Last Thursday of the month and will start at 6:30pm, concluding at 8:00pm. They will involve a resource that we will hear and see together, which will be followed by small-group discussions, an opportunity to hear from each other.
· We are working to provide childcare and will need some folks to help with this.
It’s intended for you to be able to invite people you know: your co-worker, your neighbor, your friend. In whatever way Mass feels like a difficult starting point to invite someone, this is an easier way to let them see what’s beautiful about our faith and what’s beautiful about the St. Joseph community.
· There is a participation fee of $15 per person, with a cap of $40 per family. This will enable us to provide refreshments. This fee covers both you and anyone you’d like to invite. Scholarships are available as needed.
· You can register by scanning the QR code on the TV in the narthex, through our website or by calling the parish office.
Our main session will be one Thursday evening a month, but we also realize that some of you don’t drive at night or can’t make Thursday evenings work. Thus, we will be facilitating a condensed session at Cor Dominicae on the Sunday morning that follows.
Please understand also that while there’s benefit to our individual spiritual growth, there’s also a tremendous value in going through something like this as a Christian community. Make these 7 sessions. You don’t need to purchase a book or resource. You just need to show up.
What do you seek? What’s your appetite driving you toward? Maybe it’s not too much of an overstatement to say that the more that you come to answer that question in a manner that gives way to happiness, it will bear effect on those you love, those God has entrusted to you.
On your way out, we’ll give you a card with the seven dates. Clear your calendar and mark the dates. Respond to the faith God has given you. Be there with us.