Where do we find our comfort? 14th Sunday of OT, C
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| "As a mother comforts her child" - by Il Sassoferrato, fineartamerica.com |
What do I take comfort in?
Comfort is an important theme in our first reading from Isaiah, which
prompts us to reflect: where do we find our comfort? Here are some things I take comfort in: I
find comfort in spending time with friends and families, especially when
there’s good food involved. I’m consoled
by music, whether it’s listening to it or playing guitar and drums. I enjoy playing strategic board games; whether
I win or lose, it’s a fun way to focus and go on cool adventures. I take comfort in enjoying the outdoors,
especially while playing golf or disc golf.
All of these things are really good and comfortable things, and I’m glad
to enjoy them.
However, I also recognize areas in my life where maybe I
take too much comfort. I know that I’m often
distracted by these things I mentioned and don’t spend time on fulfilling my
responsibilities or focusing on the present moment, leading to laziness very
easily. I find comfort in good food, but
when I eat too much, that’s definitely not good for me! Sometimes I even take comfort in my sins:
when I feel prideful or comparing myself to others, when I’m envious of what
others have, or when I’m trying to gain control of every situation.
The first reading reminds us that it is ultimately God who
gives us the greatest comfort: The Lord says, “As a mother comforts her child,
so will I comfort you; in Jerusalem you shall find your comfort.” Maybe in our images of God, this doesn’t
really come to mind. Maybe we tend to
see God as stern or distant, or as someone we must please or else, or as
someone who places burdens upon us, but this the reality: God desires to
console us and comfort us. In one of my
favorite Bible passages, Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all you
who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.” This is a constant theme in God’s Word: we
come to Him to receive comfort and consolation, to be filled with love for Him and
for all creation. When we are hurt by
others, God desires to heal us, and when we sin and turn away from the Lord,
His comfort brings us back to Him.
However, you might be reading this and wondering,
“Wait, if this is the case, why doesn’t God allow us to enjoy this comfort so
much more? Why does He allow us to
suffer and ask us to do difficult things sometimes?” So this is the difficulty: our idea of
comfort doesn’t always match up with God’s idea of comfort. While we see comfort as being self-indulgent,
God sees comfort in its true sense: living in self-giving love and enjoying His
gifts in their proper place.
Look at the Gospel for today: Jesus sends his seventy-two
disciples out on mission, to proclaim the Gospel to many different towns. At first, this seems really difficult: no
money bag, no sack, no sandals, no choice in what to eat or drink, being
rejected from certain towns. Just
imagine if I added at the end of Mass today: Go in peace, and leave all of your
belongings here and start walking until someone welcomes you into their home. Maybe the disciples were afraid or unsure
about doing this – I know I would be!
But notice what happens: the seventy-two returned rejoicing! They accomplished powerful works in the name
of Jesus, they introduced people to Christ, and they received true comfort from
God Himself. Even so, Jesus tells them,
“Don’t rejoice because of these things, but rejoice that your names are written
in heaven, that you will be welcomed into the comfort of the Father’s love.”
We also notice the second reading from St. Paul – he doesn’t
boast in the great things he’s done or in any worldly things: he boasts only in
the cross of Christ. He takes comfort in
the ways he has served God. He says,
“Let no one make troubles for me; for I bear the marks of Jesus on my
body.” All of the sacrifices he made and
all of the ways he has loved and been loved - he takes comfort in all of this
because he knows that Jesus is with him, bringing him to eternal life.
So we see how God elevates our idea of comfort – when we are
comforted and healed by God, we are led not further into ourselves but further
into service and self-giving love. As
the reading from Isaiah says so beautifully, God comforts us like a mother
comforts her child. When we’re suffering
or encountering trials in life, He consoles us and brings us healing and
peace. Then we realize that this peace
remains with us always, even if we’re in pain or without worldly things. When we sacrifice ourselves with God, we find
our true fulfillment.
One place I saw this in my own life is when I taught the
Totus Tuus program several years ago. I
recognized that it would be difficult to be away from my home and instead get
in a car with three other college students to travel around to seven different
parishes, be in many different homes, and spend nine hours a day with students
– it was quite exhausting some days!
Some mornings I’d be in the church falling asleep during prayer, and I’d
wonder, “Lord, how will I make it through this day?” But He always gave me the energy and
motivation to continue giving myself, and in that, He comforted me through the
many incredible families, students, and fellow teachers I got to meet. I also found tremendous healing for my fears,
sins, and anxieties, as I learned that Jesus walks with me every day and gives
me his own love. I look back on those
times with much gratitude, knowing how I joined the seventy-two disciples in
their mission and saw the Lord work in beautiful ways.
God desires to comfort us in love and truth. Is there any way you come here today and are
hurting or suffering? Let God comfort
you as a mother comforts her child. Are
you wondering if there’s something more for you in your life? Then ask God to show you how you can join him
in self-giving love. As I come here
today as my first weekend in the parish, this is my desire: to walk together
with you to seek the Lord’s consoling love, so that we may join in Christ’s
sacrifice and help others experience His comfort. And we do so especially in the Eucharist,
where God comforts us by His presence and love.
Yes, we can enjoy good food, board games, golf, and time
with others – and we do so because we can find all of our comfort and joy in
God Himself!
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