Deacon Greg's Homily 7-8-18
A familiar theme that you’ll hear repeated in today’s readings notes how we “keep our eyes fixed on the Lord.” With that in mind, I’d first like to thank all who attended our First Friday Adoration this weekend, and those who will avail themselves to daily visits to the Chapel for quiet prayer. Whether its daily prayer before the Tabernacle, Exposition on Wednesday’s at 5:00pm, the Holy Hour on First Saturdays, or our monthly First Fridays, I encourage you to take the time to pray with us on a regular basis!
I’ve been offering this Summer that this a time for us to learn about Discipleship, and to consider accepting the challenge to do what Jesus would do, on a regular basis, each day of our lives. While it’s fair to agree that this challenge might be very difficult, I continue to propose that the things we do on a regular basis can indeed be what Jesus needs it to be… An openness and a willingness to simply TRUST seems to be a key ingredient in today’s readings.
Today’s Gospel continues a theme of the past few weeks, challenging us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, trusting in God’s care, even in the midst of rejection. Last week, we saw Jesus step into the home of Jarius, raising his little girl who had died. The Lord asked, “What’s all the commotion? She’s not dead. She’s asleep!” The family of the house ridiculed Christ, and “he put them all out,” including only those with the faith necessary to truly witness her coming back to life. In the same Gospel, Jesus told a woman, healed from hemorrhages, that it was her faith that healed her! But today we hear the crowd doubting again, as they ask skeptically, “where did he get all of this… Is he not the carpenter, son of Mary? And they took offense at him!” This sounds similar to a Gospel last month, when Jesus’ own family proclaimed him “out of his mind!”
The Gospel of Mark is by far, the “most matter of fact” of all the Gospels. Mark’s themes of urgency and Jesus’ straight forward invitations like, “Rise little girl,” or “your faith has healed you,” or “tell no one of what you’ve just seen,” makes for a curious lesson on how to be a good disciple. Remember your Baptism? You’ve been anointed priest, prophet and king, called to serve, proclaim and be incorporated into the Body of Christ!
Well, today’s Word opens up our role in being a Prophet. In order to be a good disciple, you must be willing to embrace that prophet within you, and in order to do that, you MUST TRUST in God’s plan, especially in the midst of rejection!
Today’s first reading from Ezekiel spells things out in a very clear way. The people you are dealing with are “hard of face and obstinate of heart. But despite the rejection, the Prophet continues to speak God’s Word. Whether you “heed or resist” the prophetic Word of God will be proclaimed and people will “know that a prophet has been with them.” I guess that’s another way of saying, “take it, or leave it!” I love the hutzpah here as Ezekiel says, you might not like what I have to say, but when I’m gone, you’ll know I’ve been here! No matter what the response, the Prophet is always assured, knowing that they have been faithful to God’s call and to their own mission!
In our second reading, St. Paul offers the reassurance that God’s grace is surely with us, no matter the weakness or “thorns” that seem to be in the way!
So Christ confronts the same realization and knows the same reality of God’s trust in him, as he tells the crowd that it’s obvious that he cannot speak “among his own kin, and in his own house.” Like putting the people out of the house in last week’s Gospel, he was again “amazed at their lack of faith!” Remember the rule offered to disciples from Matthew and Luke’s Gospels. If its hospitality is offered, accept the welcome. If its not, shake the dust from your feet, and move on. In either case, we bring with us the Good News and the Truth of God’s love, trusting in God’s plan to reveal it all into the hearts of others… So again, I guess the “take it, or leave it” concept applies. God puts his trust in us, and we in turn, are called to trust in God!
So it’s TRUST that challenges us today, and I’m here to tell you that this is one of my own biggest hurdles! Have you ever broken someone’s trust? I have, and it hurts them! Like you, I’ve let people down before, and am sorry for each of those times!
When we trust in God, as illustrated in today’s Psalm: We do so with “our eyes fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.” It is our faith that allows us to know and trust that God will surely save us. But here’s the big challenge: In our role as disciples, we should then take seriously the reality that people also trust in us in a very similar way. As disciples, we’ve aligned ourselves with the one true loving God, so it’s fair that those we serve, trust us as they would in the Lord. Such trust and confidence in God, and in those who serve him, enables the community to carry on despite tribulation, so when we break that trust, its a huge blow, not only to ourselves, but especially to the ones we serve, and the ones we love.
So let us take our role as prophet and disciple seriously! Let us trust in God’s plan, and allow him to speak through us! We are the Church, the people of God. We are Baptized children called to be ready to allow Christ to work and live through us. The Church must always serve and preach the truths of faith and forgiveness. She must always prepare others for the love of God, especially in the sharing of the Sacraments. The Church continues to teach us all that Christ has commanded, and calls on us to do works of charity, making it clear to the to those who look upon us, that we are indeed a light to the nations, glorifying the Father in the eyes of all. (SC, 9)
Remember, we have all fixed our gaze upon the Lord, and we all plead for His love and mercy, and we trust in His care and support, no matter what happens!
Let us be that for one another!
Amen…
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070818.cfm
I’ve been offering this Summer that this a time for us to learn about Discipleship, and to consider accepting the challenge to do what Jesus would do, on a regular basis, each day of our lives. While it’s fair to agree that this challenge might be very difficult, I continue to propose that the things we do on a regular basis can indeed be what Jesus needs it to be… An openness and a willingness to simply TRUST seems to be a key ingredient in today’s readings.
Today’s Gospel continues a theme of the past few weeks, challenging us to keep our eyes fixed on Christ, trusting in God’s care, even in the midst of rejection. Last week, we saw Jesus step into the home of Jarius, raising his little girl who had died. The Lord asked, “What’s all the commotion? She’s not dead. She’s asleep!” The family of the house ridiculed Christ, and “he put them all out,” including only those with the faith necessary to truly witness her coming back to life. In the same Gospel, Jesus told a woman, healed from hemorrhages, that it was her faith that healed her! But today we hear the crowd doubting again, as they ask skeptically, “where did he get all of this… Is he not the carpenter, son of Mary? And they took offense at him!” This sounds similar to a Gospel last month, when Jesus’ own family proclaimed him “out of his mind!”
The Gospel of Mark is by far, the “most matter of fact” of all the Gospels. Mark’s themes of urgency and Jesus’ straight forward invitations like, “Rise little girl,” or “your faith has healed you,” or “tell no one of what you’ve just seen,” makes for a curious lesson on how to be a good disciple. Remember your Baptism? You’ve been anointed priest, prophet and king, called to serve, proclaim and be incorporated into the Body of Christ!
Well, today’s Word opens up our role in being a Prophet. In order to be a good disciple, you must be willing to embrace that prophet within you, and in order to do that, you MUST TRUST in God’s plan, especially in the midst of rejection!
Today’s first reading from Ezekiel spells things out in a very clear way. The people you are dealing with are “hard of face and obstinate of heart. But despite the rejection, the Prophet continues to speak God’s Word. Whether you “heed or resist” the prophetic Word of God will be proclaimed and people will “know that a prophet has been with them.” I guess that’s another way of saying, “take it, or leave it!” I love the hutzpah here as Ezekiel says, you might not like what I have to say, but when I’m gone, you’ll know I’ve been here! No matter what the response, the Prophet is always assured, knowing that they have been faithful to God’s call and to their own mission!
In our second reading, St. Paul offers the reassurance that God’s grace is surely with us, no matter the weakness or “thorns” that seem to be in the way!
So Christ confronts the same realization and knows the same reality of God’s trust in him, as he tells the crowd that it’s obvious that he cannot speak “among his own kin, and in his own house.” Like putting the people out of the house in last week’s Gospel, he was again “amazed at their lack of faith!” Remember the rule offered to disciples from Matthew and Luke’s Gospels. If its hospitality is offered, accept the welcome. If its not, shake the dust from your feet, and move on. In either case, we bring with us the Good News and the Truth of God’s love, trusting in God’s plan to reveal it all into the hearts of others… So again, I guess the “take it, or leave it” concept applies. God puts his trust in us, and we in turn, are called to trust in God!
So it’s TRUST that challenges us today, and I’m here to tell you that this is one of my own biggest hurdles! Have you ever broken someone’s trust? I have, and it hurts them! Like you, I’ve let people down before, and am sorry for each of those times!
When we trust in God, as illustrated in today’s Psalm: We do so with “our eyes fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.” It is our faith that allows us to know and trust that God will surely save us. But here’s the big challenge: In our role as disciples, we should then take seriously the reality that people also trust in us in a very similar way. As disciples, we’ve aligned ourselves with the one true loving God, so it’s fair that those we serve, trust us as they would in the Lord. Such trust and confidence in God, and in those who serve him, enables the community to carry on despite tribulation, so when we break that trust, its a huge blow, not only to ourselves, but especially to the ones we serve, and the ones we love.
So let us take our role as prophet and disciple seriously! Let us trust in God’s plan, and allow him to speak through us! We are the Church, the people of God. We are Baptized children called to be ready to allow Christ to work and live through us. The Church must always serve and preach the truths of faith and forgiveness. She must always prepare others for the love of God, especially in the sharing of the Sacraments. The Church continues to teach us all that Christ has commanded, and calls on us to do works of charity, making it clear to the to those who look upon us, that we are indeed a light to the nations, glorifying the Father in the eyes of all. (SC, 9)
Remember, we have all fixed our gaze upon the Lord, and we all plead for His love and mercy, and we trust in His care and support, no matter what happens!
Let us be that for one another!
Amen…
14th Sunday of Ordinary Time: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/070818.cfm
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