Following God is not always easy: Homily for Sunday, August 17, 2025

Following God. Every Dominican is asked this question: “What do you seek?” And every Dominican answers this question: “God’s mercy and yours.” From the very start of a friar’s life is the admission that we simply cannot rely upon ourselves alone. We need God. Readings for Today.

Following God is not always easy

It can be the case that one might think that if we discover God’s will for us, and we do it, then all will go well. But knowing even a little about the prophet Jeremiah can set us straight. For despite his fidelity to God, his life was anything but smooth.

As we read the story of Jeremiah, we learn that like many, his initial reaction to God’s call is to doubt. He thinks he is too young. This is a common first reaction to the call because we tend to think first of our own talents and not on the grace of God which makes the mission possible.

Jeremiah was given a tough mission. He was called to condemn idolatry, the greed of priests, and false prophets. The sins of the people were serious. And these sins were causing the southern kingdom to fall apart, which ultimately led to its destruction. 

Generally people do not like to be corrected. And when people are deeply held by evil actions, even less so. Add to this the sensitive nature of the prophet Jeremiah, called the “weeping prophet” and the pain and suffering he experienced would have been significant.

But as deep the pain, the faith was deeper and stronger. It is Jeremiah that says he tries not to prophesy, but the word of God wells up and Jeremiah simply cannot say no. He must prophesy as the Lord tells him.

Moreover, what we learn from Jeremiah is that in the midst of all of the difficulties, like being left in a cistern, stuck in the mud, to be starved to death, we learn that in all of this difficulty, God never abandons Jeremiah. 

For me, this difficult situation that Jeremiah finds himself in becomes something that causes me to ask how committed I am to proclaiming God’s word when it is not welcome. Do I really trust in God enough that I am willing to challenge others?

For while I can say that God will not abandon me, it is more difficult to actually allow this belief in God to become deep enough that I am not afraid to speak the Word that God entrusts to me.

But Saint Paul seeks to helps us to see more clearly the ways in which God is with us. He tells us, “Consider how [Jesus] endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.”

And this is our encouragement. We are told that we can love because God has first loved us. And we are told by Paul that because Jesus, like Jeremiah, endured such opposition from sinners, in our own witness to the faith we too are strengthened not to grow weary or lose heart.

We must really seek to remember that we are never left on our own. God is always with us. God strengthens us. The Word of God can well up inside of us in a way that the love of God can provides us the grace to know that we are never alone.

Jesus also provides us an example in the gospel as well. He knows just how much awaits us when we do the will of God. We see the eagerness of Jesus to see sinners convert. “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!”

But Jesus also reminds us that the faith will often result in divisions. As much as we like to live peaceably with all people, there are times when we must recognize that to have gospel values and to live by them means that we will sometimes face opposition in standing up for what is right.

But we must always keep in mind that to speak the truth can only be done in love. As much as Jeremiah faced persecution and difficulty, he never abandoned the people to whom he was sent. He was among the last who were exiled, and he remained with the people as they went to Egypt.

We know of the example of Jesus as well. We saw the tough and challenging words he spoke to the Pharisees, but we also see his gentleness in speaking the truth. The woman caught in the act of adultery is treated with compassion and mercy, but she is also admonished to avoid this sin.

Consider the parable Jesus tells about the Pharisee and the Publican. The poor sinner who is saved because he throws himself upon the mercy of God. And it is in this that we find the key to living a life of faith. “Lord, come to my aid!”

Can we cast ourselves on the mercy of God? Every Dominican is asked this question: “What do you seek?” And every Dominican answers this question: “God’s mercy and yours.” From the very start of a friar’s life is the admission that we simply cannot rely upon ourselves alone. We need God.

And so we see the pattern of our lives. We are a parish staffed by Dominicans, and this parish lives out its Dominican charism. We know we must be committed to speaking the Truth. We know that we cannot do this on our own. We need God, and we need each other.

When things go well for us, we thank God. When we face persecution or difficulties in our lives, we rely upon God’s grace. We seek out and ask for God’s mercy. 

And so as you consider your lives, where is it you need God to send the grace so that you can trust him more fully? What are the difficulties in your life, and where do need to ask God to come to your aid? Where is it when you need to be willing to challenge others to live the faith more authentically?

At St. Dominic’s we all seek to live the Dominican charism, by  committing to sharing the gospel with others, both in season and out of season. As you consider where you need God and where he leads you, be sure to ask God to come to your aid.

On the friar, you can listen to our homilies (based on the readings of the day) and reflections. You can also ask us to pray for you or to pray for others. You can subscribe to our website to be informed whenever we publish an update. You can subscribe to our podcasts on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts

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