Homily: Eleventh Thursday of Ordinary Time

Homily: Eleventh Thursday of Ordinary Time (2 Cor. 11:1-11) “Inspect What You Buy”

The last one who speaks is often considered the expert or the one who speaks the loudest is. But is that true? At times it is a virtue to be skeptical of people who are new on the scene or the loudest voice in the room.

St. Paul started the Corinthian Church. He was the one who nurtured it and organized it. But when he left town to minister elsewhere, new missionaries came on the scene. They criticized Paul’s teaching and were condescending towards him. These “super apostles” were more articulate and polished than Paul, so they were able to convince others that they knew more about Jesus than Paul did.

The struggle Paul had reminded me of how religion is marketed in our day. Quite often religion is an industry. We have what we might call, “do it yourself church”. Some very successful ministers have great background in technology, communications, and marketing. Many are great at giving inspirational talks, but if you listen closely to what they are saying it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We have for example, the “Prosperity Gospel” that is preached in our world. The Theology I speak of says that if you accept Jesus as your savior, you will succeed materially in this world. The poor are poor because they do not believe with enough fervor. Wealthy people are wealthy because they have found favor with God.

This is not what Jesus said. He said, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for they shall be comforted.” Sometimes people who are impoverished are not in poverty through any fault of their own. Jesus himself was poor. He lived among the poor and ministered to them.

Paul reminds his readers that just because a minister speaks well, that does not constitute authority. Paul had interacted with the risen Jesus. He studied under the apostles who knew Jesus personally. His Theology was sound. He had many more qualifications than those who attacked him. When we listen to someone who preaches, we need to ask if they are selling Jesus’ teachings or their own.

1. When I read a book on a religious topic, do I examine the qualifications of the writer? When I go to a WEB site for religious information, do I ask who has put the site together?
2. Is it good to have a religious domination that certifies ministers? What qualifications do I look for in ministers?

 

Dear Parishioners,

 

         We are beginning to contact ministers to ask them to come back to church and to engage in ministry again. Some might ask, do I need to be vaccinated to be a communion minister or reader? I would say that, for the present, this would be a good idea.

 

          The virus is still circulating so we need to be careful. Many children and younger people have yet to be vaccinated. Because of that, they are vulnerable to infection. This past week our country surpassed 600,000 fatalities from COVID 19.

          Our church feels like it is important for those who can, to be vaccinated. Contrary to what we might hear, there is nothing morally wrong with being inoculated. We are where we are today (getting back to our regular activities) because most of our population has been vaccinated. If you have not done this, I would encourage it.

          May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you.

          Fr. Mark