Why are you here?

Homily for the 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time
By: Rev. Fr. Ronnie P. Floyd

In today’s first reading we hear the question asked: Why are you here Elijah?

A question which echoes in each of our hearts and I don’t mean why are you sitting here in this Church but why are you here in this world. What is your purpose? What is the meaning of this life?

I think all of us ask this question of ourselves at some point because all of us want to know who we are, all of us want to know what our place is in this life. We all want to know that our life has value—that we are not just a cosmic mistake.

Sadly, too often, too many people give up hope of ever finding meaning in their life. Either, because of comfort and pleasure they become content with their everyday life and forget to seek out a greater meaning and purpose, content just to be content or, because of suffering and sorrow, they reject the possibility of finding any meaning, purpose, or real happiness in life. And despairing of finding meaning, they like Elijah collapse, spiritually, under the tree of depression praying for death: either physical death or worse spiritual death, death to the possibility of anything more than our material existence.

In the midst of Elijah’s despair a voice reminds Elijah that, in fact, we all have a purpose and calls him back to the source of that purpose. All of us want to know the answer to the question: Why are you here? But none of us can answer this question ourselves and so we look to those around us to help us.

And surely they do, by the gift of love, given and received we find purpose in our life. Our parents, wives and husbands, sons and daughters, friends and neighbors—all contribute to our sense of identity and meaning. However, as Elijah discovered all of these can be taken away and sadly, all of these can abandon and forsake us in time. But our God never abandon’s us our God, who is love, loves us and never take away that gift of love.

For Elijah, just as for us, in the midst of our despair in the midst of life’s trials and sorrows it is in the presence of our God that meaning is rediscovered and that the weary heart is reinvigorated.

True happiness comes from this purpose, this meaning. It comes from seeking out the will of God and doing it. But where do we look for our God, how can we listen to Him? As we read, like Elijah, we find the Lord not in the noise of the world or in grand events of seismic proportion but in the quiet of the desert, and on the lonely mountain.

Its often said that people only turn to God when they are in need when they are suffering or afraid. In fact, the famous novelist CS Lewis noted this, saying, “Pain is God’s megaphone.” I think maybe people hear God so clearly when they are suffering or afraid, because at these times the feel so alone. At these times they for a moment escape from the rut of everyday life and find themselves for a moment free and ready to listen. They feel so alone that they open their mind to anyone looking for consolation and love.

My friends I am here to speak to you about vocations to the priesthood.

But the fact of the matter is that if we want to have more priests, if we want to have more religious brothers and sisters, if we want to have more holy catholic parents and families—if we want to have more saints then the key is to teach people to listen to each other, and to God, who often speaks through others.

It might not seem like our lives are important but we never know how many lives and hearts we touch by our actions and omissions. Each one of us needs to help the other to listen to God encouraging each other to take time out of our busy schedules, to get away from the world and ask the simple question: why am I here?

Our God speaks, he tells us of his love and his plan but he speaks in a hushed voice, in a whisper in our heart. I say this from experience in my life I so vividly remember the many times when on retreat or pilgrimage on vacations and even on my day off, when I heard the voice of God.

My friends, I am here to testify to you today that listening to the voice of God and following His plan is the only way to true happiness here in this life and forever!

Of course, hand and hand with listening goes action! Like Elijah who heard the voice calling to him and walked out into the desert or like St. Peter, who heard Jesus call to him and walked out on the water.

When we hear the Lord’s voice calling to us we must take a risk, we must take that first step. We must know and believe that when we do the will of God he will give us all we need to succeed.

In my own life, after years of not listening he opened my ears and I took a chance, I trusted the whispering voice of God, I followed him to the priesthood. And you know, I knew I would be able to tell if this was really what God wanted for me because I know that following God always make us happy, but in all honesty I never imagined the sheer joy it would bring into my life.