09/09/2025
Luke 6:12-19 Jesus departed
to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day
came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom
he also named Apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew,
James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus,
Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot,
who became a traitor. And he came down with them and stood on a stretch of
level ground. A great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people
from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon came to hear him and to be healed of their
diseases; and even those who were tormented by unclean spirits were cured.
Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because power came forth from him and
healed them all.
Did I ever describe to you my
discernment to consider the Carmelites? After 12 years as your pastor you’ve
heard all my stories. But in case you are just joining us… As you can probably
guess, my discernment was a process of calm, rational reflection, rather than a
passionate, emotional rollercoaster ride.
I tend to think things through in
my head more than hammer them out in my heart. Although, both head and heart –
and the rest of us – all play a crucial role in healthy and sane discernment. I
thought about being a Carmelite in terms of the working of electricity at its
source, kind of like Benjamin Franklin trying to catch a lightning bolt with a
kite.
Imagine you come home from work one
evening and flip your light switch but nothing happens. You check the breaker
box but everything seem normal. What would you do? Most people would call an
electrician who would come to examine the problem and resolve it. Now you come
home, flip the light switch, and your house floods with golden light. You are
happy again and maybe invite the electrician to stay for supper.
Very few people care to consider
where does the electricity come from before it reaches my house? Often it
originates at a dam in the river where a hydroelectric plant operates. And
anonymous people work at the hydroelectric plant day in and day out providing
essential electricity for hundreds of thousands of customers.
They are the cause of our daily
life running smoothly although they never get a pat on the back or invited over
for supper. They are the modern-day kite that catches the lightning and makes
its power available to all. This understanding of electricity helps to
highlight the difference between diocesan priests and Carmelite friars and
nuns.
Diocesan priests are like the
electrician who comes to your rescue when you have a spiritual need. They
baptize your baby; they solemnize your marriage; they anoint you in the
hospital; they feed you with the Bread of Angels at Mass. You are happy and you
invite them over for supper. Diocesan priests deliver the electricity called
grace in small packages called the sacraments.
But rarely do we wonder, like
Benjamin Franklin, where does the electricity of grace originate? Are there
spiritual hydroelectric plants that provide grace to countless Christian
customers? Well, it’s funny you should ask. That is precisely what Carmelite
friars and nuns do all day immersed in contemplative prayer.
Rarely recognized, and even less often
thanked, they are the kite that catches the lightning, namely, Jesus, by hours
of contemplative prayer before the Blessed Sacrament. They are not invited over
for supper and that’s probably how they prefer it. And that is how I discerned
a Carmelite vocation versus the diocesan priesthood. But clearly, I did not
want to miss all those delicious dinners.
In the gospel today we witness
Jesus doing the double duty of both catching the electricity of grace at its
divine Source – God the Father – and also delivering its electric effects in
teaching and healing. First, we read: “Jesus departed to the mountain to pray,
and he spent the night in prayer to
God.” Like a Carmelite friar Jesus worked all night at the hydroelectric
plant of God’s grace.
Later in the gospel we see how our
Lord distributes that grace: “Everyone in the crowd sought to touch him because
power came forth from him and healed them all.” You can almost picture Jesus
with lightning bolts of grace shooting out to touch and heal the sick, like
diocesan priests do every day. And by the way, Jesus got invited over to a lot
of people’s home for supper.
So, what is the take home message
for us today? Well, most Christians are not called to be Carmelites or even
diocesan priests. Nonetheless, all Christians should seek the electric effects
of grace both through the celebration of the sacraments as well as by sustained
time devoted to contemplative prayer. How so?
Well, some parishioners arrive
early for daily and Sunday Masses and spend 15 or 30 minutes, or even an hour,
in quiet prayer. Other folks stay late, after Mass for 15, 30 minutes or even
an hour. And it is so personally edifying for me to watch people stop by church
to pray throughout the day.
Just like we charge our phones
frequently, so Christians come to Jesus to be recharged throughout the day. The
sacraments and contemplative prayer, therefore, are nothing other than the
power grid of the Kingdom of God. And
their electric effects transform our heads, hearts, and everything else.
Praised be Jesus
Christ!
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