Filled with God's Love

Homily for Saturday of the First Week in Ordinary Time

One of the more prevalent ways to meet someone is to begin with the simple question: “How are you feeling?” The answer to that question reveals there is a flip side to every feeling: well or ill, confident or anxious, tired or refreshed. In a similar fashion, the sacred author of the Letter to the Hebrews refers to God’s Word as a two-edged sword: comforting or upsetting, encouraging or discouraging, clear or mysterious.

However, when it comes to describing God, though we heap all sorts of adjectives upon God, we finally come down to the essence of God – LOVE.

The Letter to the Hebrews tells us that we have a high priest who can sympathize with us because he has been similarly tested. We can be confident that God’s love for us will always lift us up and help us through any struggle.

The Gospel tells us the story of the call of Levi. We see God’s love at work in this story, reaching out to someone who has strayed from the path of righteousness. Notice that there are no recriminations in the invitation to follow Jesus. He simply invites himself into Levi’s life and accepts him as he is.

If for no other reason, this story should give all of us confidence in God’s love. Today he calls us just as he called Levi. He invites us to the table of the Eucharist and fills us with Love.