Hi everyone! I hope you’re enjoying these last weeks of summer ! Here is my homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, August 25, 2013. The readings can be found at http://www.usccb.org/nab/080810.shtmlhttp://usccb.org/bible/readings/082513.cfm
. Thanks as always for reading and for your feedback and comments -
as well as sharing the blog with others - I appreciate it! God Bless-
Father Jim
++++ Quick
commercial: We're coming to the end of our ANNUAL SUMMER APPEAL. We've
raised close to $9,000 towards our goal of $15,000 this summer. CHECK
OUT THE NEWMAN CATHOLIC WEBSITE - particularly the tab marked "HELP" to
see before and after pictures of the new patio we just installed...
this week the 15 foot outdoor crucifix will arrive from Italy and be
installed in front of the center. Go to http://www.MSUNEWMAN.com/
and click on "Summer Appeal" for more information. Thanks to all for
the generosity and their consideration of this appeal!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
HOMILY:
Evidence
It’s that crucial factor sought in court trials, scientific experiments,
medical theories... It’s (hopefully) the thing that
makes the difference between theories and “the truth.”
Think
back over the last few months we have heard stories of pretty high profile court
room trials. Probably the one that was
the most intense and had nationwide attention was the trial of George Zimmerman
over his shooting and killing Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager. For the months leading up to this trial, people
had heard bits and pieces of the story (from sources that could hardly be
described as "neutral") that by the time the actual court case began,
large numbers of people had already come to believe extremely different versions
on what happened. To some George
Zimmerman was a guy who had wanted to be a cop, had volunteered for his “neighborhood watch” and found himself in a
terrible chain of events where he ended up taking the life of a teenager
walking home from a convenience store.
To others he was a bigoted person who had racially profiled this young
man and killed him in cold blood. The
difference in the trial according to jurors who acquitted Zimmerman, was
the evidence - which when considered in
its entirety told a different, more complex and less absolute story. Yes it is still utterly tragic, still
rightfully infuriating and still should cause us as a nation to ask some difficult
questions and do some soul searching on a lot of controversial issues. And it’s true no one but George Zimmerman
and Trayvon Martin will know exactly what happened that evening. But if there's one thing people who were
not in that courtroom should agree on is that we know a heck of a lot
less than the jurors who spent days and weeks looking at and hearing all the
evidence presented.
Similarly
every so often we’ll hear a story that raises the
hopes of millions that a cure for a disease is on the horizon. Usually these stories are trumpeting a new
theory, a new medicine that potentially can fight something that has been a
scourge to countless millions of people and their families with the hopes of
raising awareness (and funding) to see if those theories, those medicines
actually work. Those stories are exciting to hear. Just the television commercial saying “Coming up next at 11:00, ‘is
this the cure for cancer?’ is enough to keep many of us
tuned in hopefully optimistic that this will be the great news we’ve been waiting for.
But the reality is that those claims are just that – claims, theories, potential cures until we have the
evidence to prove they actually work.
Today’s gospel asks us to consider a tough question. What evidence could each and everyone of us
present that shows we are Christian? A lot of people probably answer it very
quickly saying “Sure I am” citing “well I was Baptized;” “I went to Catholic School”
“I go to Mass every Sunday.” Those are all important
facts, and essential pieces for sure. But
looking at today’s Gospel we hear that’s not enough. Because it starts off somewhat innocently
enough as one of those in the crowd listening to Jesus asks a question that all
humanity wants an answer to: What do we
have to do to have eternal life? Someone asked him ‘Lord
will only a few people be saved?’
Jesus’ answer is disconcerting because it’s somewhat blunt: He answered them ‘Strive
to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter
but will not be strong enough.’ Jesus goes on to cite
people who might have this “familiarity” with him, who will not be saved “We
ate and drank in your company and you taught in our streets’
and he will say to you ‘I do not know
where you are from. Depart from me you
evil doers.
In short,
it’s not enough for us just to be
Baptized, attend Mass on a weekly basis and have some basic Christian
knowledge. Those things are essential
to be sure, but too often we can think that’s
enough. But on their own they are
pieces of a story in a trial that might sound plausible or a scientific theory
that sounds promising – but without more evidence remain
just those things – stories – theories. To say we
are Christian demands further evidence – namely the ongoing, daily,
lifelong response on our part of LISTENING to HIM; FOLLOWING HIM; LIVING OUR
LIVES BASED ON HIM AND WHAT HE HAS TAUGHT US.
That’s why that line about “STRIVING” should really stand out in our hearts and minds… We have to enter into the difficult spiritual battles
dealing with temptations and resisting them.
We have to repent of our sins and failures trusting in God’s Mercy and resolving to strive to do better not to commit those
same sins again. We have to take
seriously the commands of the Lord to take care of the poor, the sick, the
helpless - not because it’s just a nice thing to do, but because Christ told us that’s one of our duties.
We have to be missionaries – each and everyone of us – proclaiming the Gospel both in word and deed. When we strive
to do those things – as imperfectly but with all
sincerity trying to do these things, it’s then that God’s mercy will make up for what is lacking and help us
through that narrow gate.
May you
and I never lose our eagerness to live for Jesus Christ to follow him
wholeheartedly and amass irrefutable evidence of who we are and whose we are…