21st Sunday in Ordinary Time |
[Father Paul]
Today's sermon is part 4 of a four-part series entitled "Tell Me Why."
An evangelical friend once asked me about the Catholic teaching on the Eucharist. I explained to him that we believe that Jesus is present in the Eucharist, body, blood, soul and divinity. He couldn't accept that, but his reasoning was interesting: "If I believed that was true, I would be down on my face in worship." Well, yes..." but he could not accept it. Today's scripture reads: "Because of this, many of his disciples turned back, and no longer went about with him." Because of what? "The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." What words? About heaven, the eucharist, Jesus's connection with the Father, and the ascension—basically, the tenets of the Christian faith. So, they might ask Jesus, "Tell me why."
This is the last weekend of my sermon series on doubt and faith, "Tell me why." Today, I would like to share two very solid answers to that question: first, because it works, and second, because it's true.
1. Because it works
Have you ever heard of Pascal's Wager? Pascal's wager is a philosophical argument presented by the French mathematician and philosopher Blaise Pascal. It is found in his posthumously published work, Pensées. The wager addresses the rationality of belief in God. It is often discussed in the context of philosophy of religion and decision theory. Pascal's wager posits that human beings bet with their lives on whether God exists or not. Pascal argues that a rational person should live as though God exists and seek to believe in God.
Here's a breakdown of the reasoning:
If God exists and you believe in Him, you gain eternal happiness (Heaven).
If God exists and you do not believe in him, you risk eternal life.
On the other hand...
If God does not exist and you believe in Him, you lose nothing significant.
This is a Rational choice and a pragmatic belief. Given the potential infinite gain, believing in God is a rational choice. The wager does not argue that belief in God is true but rather that it is a safer 'bet' to believe in God given the potential outcomes. This is a pragmatic choice. In other words, if happiness is our goal, it works.
Here is another way to put it: What are the rewards of believing in Jesus:
a clear conscience - the relieving of guilt
Inner peace - not fearing the future
Emotional maturity and a positive outlook on life
Clear thinking - context to make good decisions.
Better relationships - based on humility and truth and love
A stronger, more just society
Strength of heart and endurance through suffering
Peaceful death
Eternal reward
Joy
2. Because it’s true
However, Pascal's wager has faced various criticisms, including the argument that it assumes a binary choice between belief and non-belief in the Christian God, ignoring other possible deities and religions. Some argue that belief based on a wager is not genuine faith. Even though believing in God is pragmatic and rational, is it deep enough? The apostles all died for this belief. Would they die for Pascal's wager or my top 10 list? We need to go deeper. As my monk friend said last week, if you're going to be couped up in a place like this, you'd better go deep.
Last week, I mentioned taking a year off the priesthood a few years ago to rediscover my vocation. Towards the end of that year, something very beautiful happened. It all started with my cat. I was watching him trying to drink out of my tap when I realized that no matter how much he tries, he probably will never figure it out, or if he does figure it out, he will never understand the principle of why it works or where the water comes from. Even though I know the principles at work, there is so much that I just need to understand. Why should I ever assume that I am even capable of understanding the depth of the mysteries that surround me? Why was I born, what happens after I die, how was the universe created, and does it end? Is it some big bubble floating around, or is there something beyond it? And so I turned back to some of my studies. I came across a book on St. Thomas Aquinas written by Rober Barron. He mentioned that all of St. Thomas's incredible work - our whole theology is based on his thinking and is still based on faith. St. Thomas believed in Jesus Christ first, then built an astonishing opus, the Summa Theologica. St. Augustine said,
"Seek not to understand that you may believe, but believe that you may understand."
I could do the same. So I remember one night, everything seemed to come together, and I sat on the edge of my bed and just said to Jesus how sorry I was for having doubted him. And I was filled with all these amazing emotions of joy, gratitude, love, and peace. It was the most amazing feeling I have ever felt. Everything just seemed to fall into place.
Today, I encourage you to take that step, not just because it's more practical, but because you truly believe it.
The Gospel of John says, "Because of this, many of his disciples turned back, and no longer went about with him." So Jesus asked his disciples, as he is asking you, "Do you also wish to go away?" Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and know that you are the Holy One of God."
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