Longing for God

CatholicAnchor.org
Deep between the covers of the “Newman Hymnal of the University of Notre Dame,” which we use here in our chapel at Sunday liturgy, there is a song that seems almost divinely inspired. The refrain runs as follows: “There is a longing in our hearts O Lord, for you to reveal yourself to us. There is a longing in our hearts for love, we only find in you, our God.” Then each of the verses lists those specific things we so long for: “for justice, for freedom, for mercy, for wisdom, for courage, for healing and wholeness: Lord hear our prayer.” I sometimes find myself humming that hymn even at the most unlikely times and in the most unlikely places, like when I’m crawling out of bed in the morning.

It has often occurred to me that the longing for God — for the sacred — is one of humankind’s deepest primeval yearnings. We obviously know that we are not our own creation but that a divine power has made this deep mystery possible. Hence the normal response is to find words of gratitude amid an overwhelming sense of powerlessness.

So, then what have we humans done since the dawn of earliest history? We have striven, in the face of eternal divinity, to find a way to respond to the mystery of our being through religion, worship and prayer. It is almost as though we do not know the proper words to acknowledge divinity; hence we fall back upon history, the memory and long-ago insights of our religious ancestors. They were attempting to give voice to the inner longings that had divinity as a common source. True, various religions may have been a unique attempt at this effort, one different from the other. Nonetheless, the search for God comes from a heart that longs to be true to its origins.

Such was the situation described, for instance, in the Acts of the Apostles, part of the Scripture readings for the Sixth Sunday of Easter. Saint Peter, the spiritual leader of the early Christian community, accepts the hospitality of Cornelius, a Gentile Roman officer and his family. This surprises some of the Jews who are present. They want to know how the Holy Spirit could possibly come upon Gentiles permitting them to be baptized. Saint Peter settles the question by telling all present that “God shows no partiality. Rather the person of any nation who fears God and acts uprightly is acceptable to God.” The whole family is then baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Issue settled!

It might be nice to imagine that religious differences today could all be settled this way. Of course, it does not work that way. Our differences of religious faith and practice can only be understood if we trust each other’s sacred instincts, knowing that God is calling each person to himself.

Scriptures for May 10

Acts 10: 25-26, 34-35, 44-48

1 John 4: 7-10

John 15: 9-17

The writer formerly served the Anchorage Archdiocese as director of pastoral education. He now lives in Notre Dame, Indiana.