Homily Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

Homily Eighteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time

            We have probably heard a lot of people complain about the inconvenience they are going through at the present time with all the protocols we are observing.  Others of us, might be feeling very much afraid. We are afraid of being sick.  We are scared about our economic well-being.  What will happen if we can’t return to normalcy.  We don’t like the unknown.  And what does God have to do with what we are experiencing? 

            Sometimes it is good to look for a role model that has faced what we are facing.  Who were the people in our Christian history who have gone through trial, but have not lost faith?  One of the primary people we can think of is St. Paul.  As we reflect on the story of St. Paul, he seemed to be a masochist.  He seemed to grow in his Christian commitment as he faced more and more adversity. 

            He brags about the things he has suffered.  In Corinthians 11:24ff Paul lists all the trials he has been through:

            “Five times at the hands of the Jews I received 40 lashes”

            “Three times I was beaten with rods.”

            “I was stoned once.”

            “I was shipwrecked three times.”

“I endured labor, hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger, thirst, cold, nakedness.”

What motivated Paul?  He received donations as he traveled from place to place. But they were just enough to meet his daily needs. He probably had little more than the clothes on his back as well as what he could carry in his hands.  He did not minister for profit.

When Paul was put on trial at the end of his missionary career in Acts 24:5 he was accused of being a pest.  But Paul reveled in being a pest.  If he was getting into trouble, he thought that he was doing something right.

This past week we buried another man who was a pest, U.S. Representative John Lewis.  He was a giant of the civil rights movement. He probably could have made a list like St. Paul describing how he suffered for the causes he dedicated his life to.

John Lewis was only in his 20’s when he worked with Martin Luther King.  Lewis spoke out for racial equality.  He was arrested over 40 times.  He was beaten on many occasions.  He had to endure verbal insults. His most difficult injury occurred on the Edmond-Pettus bridge.  As he was leading six hundred people in a march, he had his skull fractured.  He believed in non-violence.  He was uncompromising in that belief.  His words were almost always respectful.  He would attack no one physically or verbally.

John Lewis had a wonderful saying.  He said his goal was to go out and get into “good trouble.”  He, like St. Paul, felt that the willingness to suffer for a good cause, proved that one was worthy to speak with authority for that cause.

How does one make it through times or crisis?   Perhaps there are several beliefs that Paul and John Lewis had that help them make it through turmoil.

The first was that that they believed that their small struggles fit into a larger narrative.  We can be caught up in our little day to day difficulties, but if we believe there is larger meaning to those struggles, we can make it through.

The second way St. Paul and John Lewis endured was that they tried to put others needs ahead of their own.  The two of them believed laying down their lives in service of others was a holy thing.  When we are selfless, we can do far more than we ever thought.

            Next, they believed that God had a higher purpose in mind for them.  Pain was the price for achieving that higher purpose.  God uses adversity to build character.

            Lastly, they believed that “nothing could separate them from the love of Christ.”  Personal failure could not.  Certainly, persecution could not.

            Will we make it through the trials that lie ahead of us?  Will we have resiliency?  We need look to those who have gone before us in the struggle and learn from them. We need to look for heroes and heroines who were inspired by the Savior we say we follow.

Reflection Questions:

1. Do I think that there is such a thing as “good trouble?”  Am I willing to get in trouble for the right reasons?

2. Have I received any wounds when I have followed Christ?  What were they, and was it worth the sacrifice to receive those wounds?

Dear Parishioners,

            We are now moving into August.  At this time of year, we are usually planning fall programs. As you might imagine it is hard to do that right now.  The COVID 19 cases are on the rise.  Therefore, gathering people for meetings and study sessions and other activities is not advisable.  We are probably going to have to decide what the crucial activities that we need to sustain for our parish to continue to function.  This is not at easy thing to sort out.  We all miss having socials and other community building events, but we must keep the faith.

            In this week’s bulletin we have a financial break down for the last months of the fiscal year.  This was a tough time for our parish.  We have less than half of our usually Mass attendance right now.  People have been good about sending in donations, but without the small business loan we received we would have been operating in the red. 

            I thank those who have been supporting our parish. I once again ask that you help us with your charity.  Our parish life will probably be altered for a long time.  Let’s pray that we will persevere as Christians have throughout the centuries.

            May our Lady and all the Angels and Saints pray for us today.

            Fr. Mark