Homily for Oct. 29th, 2015: Rom.
“If God is for
us,” Paul writes in our first reading, “who can be against us?” This rhetorical
question introduces one of the greatest testimonies of personal faith in the
whole of Scripture.
Personal witness or testimony has a
prominent place in the worship of Evangelical Protestants – too prominent, some
would say. Catholics shy away from it. Most Catholics are not comfortable speaking publicly
about their personal faith. Handled properly, however, personal testimony to our
faith has unique power.
“Christ
intercedes for us,” Paul writes. How encouraged we should be to know that his
work and prayer for us did not end with his resurrection and ascension. From
his place at the Father’s right hand, Jesus continues to bring us and our needs
to his Father’s attention. Who could be a more powerful advocate for us than
the One who laid down his life for us?
Continuing his
rhetorical questions, Paul asks, “What will separate us from the love of
Christ?” The unspoken answer to this question is clear: Nothing can separate us from Christ’s love; nothing in either
heaven or earth.
“For I am
convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor
present things, nor future things, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any
other creature will be able to separate us from the love of in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
What an
eloquent testimony to personal faith those words are; what a powerful aid to
confident hope when we are down and discouraged! And how fitting were the words
we spoke in response: “Thanks be to God.”
We pray in
this Mass that, when appropriate and needed, the Holy Spirit of the living God
will give us words to testify to our own personal faith.
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