Tuesday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

 Lectionary: 348

Concerning the salvation of your souls....
it was revealed to them that [the prophets] were serving not themselves but you with regard to the things that have now been announced to you by those who preached the Good News to you
through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels longed to look.

Often, when we assess our own contribution in whatever field it might be, we admit, "We're standing on the shoulders of giants." As clever as we might be, we're always building on the discoveries, invention, genius, effort, and sacrifice of our ancestors.  

As the early Church tried to grasp the full dimensions of the Gospel, they too appreciated the gifts of the past. Christian evangelists, preachers, and teachers studied the Hebrew laws, histories, prophets, psalms, and proverbs which past generations had accumulated, pondered, refined, and cherished. They realized they were living the dream of their forebears. The promises of the prophetic tradition were fulfilled in Jesus for those who lived by his Spirit. As they practiced their faith amid a hostile, suspicious society, their joy and confidence astounded even them. Although their new life included much hardship, it was deeply satisfying and profoundly hopeful.  

The prophets had "searched and investigated the grace" centuries before, like miners working a seam, or scholars poring over their books. If their insight was not as clear and as compelling as the one the Church had received through the preaching of the Gospel, the ancients were nonetheless divinely inspired and zealous in their love of God. 

Whether I'm standing on the shoulders of giants or living the fullness of Christ's life, I confess that, "My life did not begin the day I was born." The sources of my faith are deeper and their meaning richer than anything I can appreciate or express. And that's when we turn to prayer and especially to liturgical prayer with others. 

I might not know the meaning of every word of the psalms or every gesture in the Mass. But I share each verse of every song with faithful men and women who lived centuries ago. Our prayers look forward also, and will be received and celebrated long after our day has passed. 

And, we should add, we share the same human anxieties. If we no longer suspect witches, smiths, and wizards like our Irish ancestors when something goes wrong, we call them conspiracies. It amounts to the same thing; there are forces operating in me and around me, I have no control of them. Like my ancestors and descendants, I turn to God for help. 

Finally, our prayers tell us that former generations faced more challenges and worse threats and that's why they remain with us. The martyrs and saints still pray with us, and we are grateful for their company.