Welcome Home
January 17, 2019
Welcome Home.
Sitting on the bus after arriving in Tel Aviv, our guide told us, “Welcome home.”
Driving through the countryside and looking at the sunset made me feel sentimental, almost nostalgic. Why am I feeling this way? Why do I feel at home? Maybe it’s the rolling hills that make everything feel closer. It’s hard to get lost around here, as long as you know a few of the major sites, because everything is within eyesight.
When we visited the Church of the Nativity there was a priest close by celebrating the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass for a few pilgrims. When I reverenced the star marking the spot that Jesus Christ was born the priest was saying the words of consecration. Jesus Christ was incarnated again at that very moment.
For some reason, God continues to come down from Heaven to dwell with us. He deigns to make His home in our hearts and allows us to receive Him in the Eucharist. He gives Himself to us in a most humbling way. Does He feel at home in my heart?
I think our hearts should be like the land here. They should be close together, and they should be easy to navigate, with everything revealed to Him. Maybe then we can tell Him, “Welcome home.” Maybe then He might one day tell us the same.
Trevor Buster
Diocese of Wichita
