Deacon Greg's Homily 11-17-19
(A Note from Greg: As usual, I tend to stray from scripts. Today was one of those days... LOL! This is the basic shell, so I apologize if this written form seems a little choppy and without flow. Also, I'm freely admitting that I tend to gravitate (in just about every case) towards emphasizing our call to Discipleship... It's becoming who I am, what I do.)
While it’s always a joy to proclaim the Gospel, today’s message is definitely sobering! Don’t get lost in the doom and gloom, but see the promise of the victory that is coming…
In a way, our 0ur Psalm today summarizes and defines where we are in this journey of faith: The Lord comes to rule the earth, he will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity.
Fr. Bryan has been emphasizing our continuous call as disciples. Fr. Anil last week called on us to live with an awareness of death, knowing that there is indeed a resurrection. And Fr. Phil has been calling it our “November Spirituality.” Along with the readings, this past month has asked all of us to embrace that we too must love with mercy and justice, never to be afraid of what the fool calls death, knowing that we have to give it our all, and give it all away, because you can’t take it with you!
While next week’s celebration of Christ the King officially marks the end of the Liturgical Year, let’s allow today to culminate Christ’s teaching on Discipleship... A teaching that has called on us to be all in, with God being the first priority, living our lives, bearing our own burdens, remaining open to the power of the Holy Spirit, as it seeks to give us the wisdom we need to make the good decisions necessary to help make use of it all to share the Gospel.
But C.S. Lewis offers this challenge for all of us to seriously consider... "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us... We are far too easily pleased."
Like Prophets do, Malachi, in our first reading draws a very simple and clear line in the sand: Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble... But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.
While it’s always a joy to proclaim the Gospel, today’s message is definitely sobering! Don’t get lost in the doom and gloom, but see the promise of the victory that is coming…
In a way, our 0ur Psalm today summarizes and defines where we are in this journey of faith: The Lord comes to rule the earth, he will rule the world with justice and the peoples with equity.
Fr. Bryan has been emphasizing our continuous call as disciples. Fr. Anil last week called on us to live with an awareness of death, knowing that there is indeed a resurrection. And Fr. Phil has been calling it our “November Spirituality.” Along with the readings, this past month has asked all of us to embrace that we too must love with mercy and justice, never to be afraid of what the fool calls death, knowing that we have to give it our all, and give it all away, because you can’t take it with you!
While next week’s celebration of Christ the King officially marks the end of the Liturgical Year, let’s allow today to culminate Christ’s teaching on Discipleship... A teaching that has called on us to be all in, with God being the first priority, living our lives, bearing our own burdens, remaining open to the power of the Holy Spirit, as it seeks to give us the wisdom we need to make the good decisions necessary to help make use of it all to share the Gospel.
But C.S. Lewis offers this challenge for all of us to seriously consider... "It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us... We are far too easily pleased."
Like Prophets do, Malachi, in our first reading draws a very simple and clear line in the sand: Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble... But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.
So it's good vs. evil, and right vs. wrong. The good and the right win, and the evil and the wrong do not! Those who choose to be good and live their lives rightly must do so for the sake of others, so that they can be good and do right for themselves. My privilege in serving you is first and foremost to get you to heaven! That's why Paul represents the Church, WE the people of God, when he writes:
In toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you... We wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us.
The hope is that we will live our lives in a way that all will want to imitate us, and live in the way of the Gospel!
In toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you... We wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us.
The hope is that we will live our lives in a way that all will want to imitate us, and live in the way of the Gospel!
Speaking of the Gospel, today's excerpt from Luke promises us that the end is NOT The End!
While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here -- the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down."
The actual destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 upon which Luke and his community look back provides the assurance that, just as Jesus’ prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption
Jesus venerated the Temple by going up to it for the Jewish feasts of pilgrimage, and with a jealous love he loved this dwelling of God among men. The Temple prefigures his own mystery. When he announces its destruction, it is as a manifestation of his own execution and of the entry into a new age in the history of salvation, when his Body would be the definitive Temple.
See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony... I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
This the final, and ultimate call to Discipleship! Now, Jesus was speaking to the Apostles about a very REAL reality of their time. Like him, they too are likely to be persecuted, and they too might die. So it is fair to worry a little and ask, how will we be persecuted, and will we have to die for this faith of ours?
First of all, while we are blessed to live in a peaceful and civil environment, we must realize that there are people who live amidst persecution, and they are indeed killed because of their faith. Martyrdom has always been a reality, especially among those who believe and stand firm! But our persecution, even though less severe, is still real. We might not have to die, but we are called to sacrifice our comforts, and let go (to let God!) “They” might not want our life, but “they” do attempt to reduce our value and wish us away. It is for this reason that today’s Gospel attempts to reassure us that we are prepared to face these challenges, and more qualified than we think to be a true disciple! Jesus promises that the Lord will be with us, and speak through us, leaving our “adversaries powerless to resist or refute!” But please note that this power is rooted in the very love and mercy that makes us powerful! We are called to challenge persecution with responses of peace, love and mercy! They will know we are Christians by our love, and they will imitate us!
So through him, with him and in him, we shall rise again... No stone temple required! It’s not the building, nor the particular table... It is the Body of Christ that makes us whole to be that “Body” for all!
The actual destruction of Jerusalem by Rome in A.D. 70 upon which Luke and his community look back provides the assurance that, just as Jesus’ prediction of Jerusalem’s destruction was fulfilled, so too will be his announcement of their final redemption
Jesus venerated the Temple by going up to it for the Jewish feasts of pilgrimage, and with a jealous love he loved this dwelling of God among men. The Temple prefigures his own mystery. When he announces its destruction, it is as a manifestation of his own execution and of the entry into a new age in the history of salvation, when his Body would be the definitive Temple.
See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,' and 'The time has come.' Do not follow them! Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony... I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
This the final, and ultimate call to Discipleship! Now, Jesus was speaking to the Apostles about a very REAL reality of their time. Like him, they too are likely to be persecuted, and they too might die. So it is fair to worry a little and ask, how will we be persecuted, and will we have to die for this faith of ours?
First of all, while we are blessed to live in a peaceful and civil environment, we must realize that there are people who live amidst persecution, and they are indeed killed because of their faith. Martyrdom has always been a reality, especially among those who believe and stand firm! But our persecution, even though less severe, is still real. We might not have to die, but we are called to sacrifice our comforts, and let go (to let God!) “They” might not want our life, but “they” do attempt to reduce our value and wish us away. It is for this reason that today’s Gospel attempts to reassure us that we are prepared to face these challenges, and more qualified than we think to be a true disciple! Jesus promises that the Lord will be with us, and speak through us, leaving our “adversaries powerless to resist or refute!” But please note that this power is rooted in the very love and mercy that makes us powerful! We are called to challenge persecution with responses of peace, love and mercy! They will know we are Christians by our love, and they will imitate us!
So through him, with him and in him, we shall rise again... No stone temple required! It’s not the building, nor the particular table... It is the Body of Christ that makes us whole to be that “Body” for all!
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