Feeble Senses

Leaning on a strong faith not feeble senses

05/10/2019

Acts of the Apostles 9:1-20 Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" He said, "Who are you, sir?" The reply came, "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do." The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.

Some of God’s greatest gifts to us are our five senses: sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste. Who doesn’t love seeing a blazing sunset in the evening, or hearing the melancholy melody of “The Piano Man” belted out by Billy Joel, or sink their teeth and taste Chef Ben’s signature short-ribs, or the touch of a tender kiss or warm embrace, or the smell of honeysuckle or jasmine, which are everywhere lately. That’s a lot better than what we sometimes smell around Fort Smith. These gifts of the five senses were intended to raise our minds and hearts to the divine Giver so that we would praise him and thank him. But what often happens? We grab the gift and forget the Giver; we stop at the senses that bless the body but fail to notice and nurture the soul. And therefore these amazing assets can slowly subvert into lamentable liabilities.

St. Thomas Aquinas readily recognized the limitations of our five senses when we deal with matters of faith, especially when it comes to Holy Communion and the Holy Eucharist. Aquinas wrote some of the most moving hymns for Eucharistic adoration, that all Catholics are familiar with. And yet he never wanted us to stop at the senses – the hymn – but rather surpass the senses and reach the supreme Source of all blessing, namely, God himself. He wrote and we sing: “Down in adoration falling, / Lo! the sacred Host we hail, / Lo! o’er ancient forms departing / Newer rites of grace prevail; / Faith for all defects supplying, / Where the feeble senses fail.” I love that phrase “feeble senses” because they are indeed feeble when they deal with objects of faith, like the Eucharist. Jesus says in the gospel today that the Bread of Communion is the Body of Christ we must eat. St. Thomas was a pretty portly person and would have loved Chef Ben’s short-ribs. But he always sensed that the senses can quickly convert from an asset to a liability if we love them too much. Our senses are fabulous but they are also feeble.

In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul also learns the lesson of how feeble his senses are when it comes to faith. He is on the road to Damascus when he is stripped of his five senses in order to behold Jesus. Our Lord says to him: “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” In order for Saul to become Paul, he had to relinquish his reliance on his senses and start to walk by faith and not by sight. We read a little later: “For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.” No Chef Ben’s short-ribs for Saul until he becomes Paul. This encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus was the central event of Paul’s life, and everything else would revolve around it. He would tell the story again in Acts 22, and also in Acts 26. He also makes mention of it in Galatians 1 and in 1 Corinthians 15. Like St. Thomas, St. Paul had to “fall down in adoration” and recognize how feeble his senses were for dealing with faith. The five senses are fabulous but they are also feeble.

My friends, have you noticed how as we grow older, we, too, slowly lose our senses? What happened to Saul suddenly and swiftly happens to us more slowly and successively. My optometrist told me that between the ages of forty and forty-five, people’s eyesight diminishes and we need glasses. Older people often lose their hearing. Half of you probably cannot hear this homily. Our sense of touch is troubled and we find it hard to keep our balance as we walk because we cannot feel the ground. The same food and drink don’t taste as good to us as they once did. And maybe even smell is slightly curbed for some, which might not be so bad around here.

While the loss of our senses is sad, it may also be a strange blessing. Why? Sometimes it’s only when our senses become feeble that our faith becomes strong. Just ask Saul the Pharisee. As we grow older we must learn to walk more by faith and less by sight, because heck, we cannot see anything anyway. Just look around this church and notice most of the people at Mass are older. Why? It’s not just because you are retired and have too much time on your hands. It is also because your feeble senses help you to have a stronger faith.

Praised be Jesus Christ!