Homily Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Dt. 18:15-20/Mark 1:21-28)
Homily Fourth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Dt. 18:15-20/Mark 1:21-28)
“If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the dividing line between good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being, and who is willing to destroy a piece of their own heart?”
Words from Alexander Solzhenitsyn the great Russian author.
In a world where it seems like there is a tendency among some religious people to condemn others that don’t agree with them, Solzhenitsyn’s words are important to remember. We recall that Solzhenitsyn, a critic of the Joseph Stalin, was a man who spent years in a concentration camp. He was an author that was not able to publish his novels for many years. He was a man who was sent into exile by his enemies. He was a prophet in his country, but one that did not look at his enemies as completely beyond redemption. Somehow it is important for true prophets not to get too proud.
We have a warning proclaimed in the first reading today from the Book of Deuteronomy. We read how Moses is coming to the end of his career. We could call Moses the first prophet in the Old Testament. Moses assured the Israelites that other prophets would follow him. He reminds the Israelites that this is what they asked for. The people did not want to hear directly from God for it was too terrifying. Earlier in Deuteronomy (5:22-27) the people expressed their fear of God’s fiery revelation. The people of Israel believed that no one could look upon the face of God and live, so they asked Moses to receive the word of God and relay it to them. And that was the task of prophets. When Moses passed away, other prophets would follow, but it would be up to the people to determine who the true prophets were.
In the Gospel of Mark there was a constant theme that is repeated. The theme revolved around what is known as the Messianic secret. The disciples were unable to see who Jesus really was. Nor were the religious authorities. Only two groups seem to recognize Jesus. The non-believers were one group. We have a series of foreigners who come to Jesus asking for his help. Their belief comes to a climax with the Roman Soldier who stands at the foot of the cross when Jesus dies. After he witnesses all that has happened at the crucifixion, he makes a perfect profession of faith when he says, “Truly this man was the Son of God.”
Ironically, the other group that recognize Jesus are the demons who he expels. We hear of that in the Gospel we read today. The demon Jesus exercises in the Gospel yells out, “I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
We have a lot of would-be prophets in the world today. People who are all about saying that they are God’s messengers, religious people who condemn people who disagree with them to eternal fire. Some advocate violence, justifying it by saying that they are destroying evil, going so far as to even advocate assassination of enemies.
An interesting thing is that those who object to such prophesy are those who claim to have no religion. The ones who challenge such rhetoric are often the atheists among us who say perhaps, “See Christians are not all about love. We told you so.”
Christians who claim to speak prophetically need to be careful. A story is told of a desert monk of long ago named Macarius. Macarius was traveling back to the cave where he lived one day from a river where he gone to get water. To his surprise, he saw a demon on the side of the road holding a sickle ready to attack him. But the demon could not strike. The demon said, “O Macarius, I do everything you do. When you fast, I do, and when you keep vigil. I do not sleep. Yet there is only one thing which I can’t imitate. Abba Macarius asked, “What?” The demon answered, “It is your humility, and because of it I am powerless against you.”
The one telling attribute of a prophet is humility. Truly humble prophets recognizes that they do not have all the answers. Also, they are slow to condemn because they recognize only God can see deeply into another’s heart. We need to be the same way.
Reflection Questions:
- Am I ever embarrassed by the actions or Christians who don’t seem to have absorbed Jesus’ message of love? Does this cause me to question my faith?
- What is harder to fast and pray or to be humble? What does this tell me about my Christian walk?
Dear Parishioners,
We just competed the celebration of Catholic Schools week. This has been a challenging year for Seton Catholic School and Alleman High School. Much of the teaching has been virtual. Extra-curricular activities have been minimal. All this has been a great hardship on our school communities. Because of the pandemic, enrollment has slipped which is even more concerning.
Our teachers and administers, like all school personnel every where have had to change their teaching tactics on the fly. They have had to have great patience and they have had to portray a positive attitude to their students. I have been very impressed with their efforts.
Recently, our schools have reconvened in-person instruction. This is a great blessing for the students involved. The children need the social interaction, and they need to be with their friends. We all need to pray that our students can remain in class the rest of the year.
In 1906 when Sacred Heart parish was established the first thing that Fr. Culemans did was establish a parochial school. This ministry has been the keystone of our Catholic community. Our Catholic schools have survived economic hardship and epidemics before, and they have come back stronger.
This is a moment when we are going to see how much we value our Catholic educational institutions. I would encourage everyone to support our schools by sending your children to them and by offering them your financial support.
Lastly, I would like to offer congratulations to Jane Barrett who was named Principal of the Year in the Peoria Diocese for the 20-21 school year. There is a wonderful article about her in the Catholic Post this week.
May Our Lady and all the angels and saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark
P.S. During the past week Louann Goodnight, Seton Catholic Schools art teacher died after a lengthy illness. She served our school for many years. Please pray for the repose of her soul and for her grieving family.