Homily Twenty-second Monday of Ordinary Time (Cor. 2:1-5) “A Simple Faith is All that is Needed”
Homily Twenty-second Monday of Ordinary Time (Cor. 2:1-5) “A Simple Faith is All that is Needed”
When Paul came to begin the church in Corinth he said, I came preaching with sublimity. Another translation of this scripture passage says Paul came preaching with simplicity. Paul reflects on the first time he tried to teach the Corinthians about Jesus.
We must look back into Paul’s life to understand the context of this statement. Paul came to Corinth from Athens. When Paul went to Athens, he felt that the Athenians were a very sophisticated audience. He decided he had to teach the Athenians about Jesus using very philosophical terms. When he tried to do that he failed miserably.
He then went to Corinth, which was a pretty affluent city as well, but he witnessed to people about how Jesus had touched his life. He did not try to impress people with his intellect. He spoke to them about how Jesus changed his life. Paul was very successful in his evangelization efforts.
I can identify with Paul’s experience. When I was a young priest, I was assigned to the Newman Foundation at the University of Illinois. I was intimidated by the thought of preaching there. I would be preaching to professors and students who were more highly educated than I. Some had won international awards for their work in Accademia.
I decided I would just share my faith as best I could. After five years of ministry there, I came to see that the well-educated fought the same battles as everyone else. They were just as prone to have mental illness, addictions and dysfunctional families. Many of the same fears were present on campus. Maybe the difficulties were wrapped in different packages, but the core issues were the same.
I found that people who were searching for meaning, even though they were well educated, they responded to the same Gospel message. I just needed to be honest about my belief in Jesus Christ. The Lord did the rest.
Reflection Questions:
- Am I intimidated when I try to share my faith with others? Do I think that I must give an academic discourse when I talk to others about God?
- What brought me to believe in Jesus? Can I share that with the people I know?
Dear Parishioners,
I announced Sunday that we would be starting the Rite of Christian Initiation of adults in October. We were going to try to have a blending of online experiences and in person experiences. Hopefully, this will allow us to be flexible throughout this most unusual of years. If you are interested in becoming Catholic or getting confirmed contact Sr. Kathleen or myself and we will help you get started in our Inquiry class. Spread the word to those that you know.
I have had some very wonderful conversations with people who are searching right now for a religious home. Times are uncertain. In uncertain times people quite often want to know more about the teachings of Jesus.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints protect you today.
Fr. Mark