Hold tight to faith and keep carrying on!
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Homily:
27th Sunday of Ordinary Time – Cycle C
As an Israelite at the end of the seventh century B.C. it
probably would have been pretty easy to conclude that God had abandoned his
people. The forces of the Babylonian
empire were moving throughout the Middle East and the Chaldeans were knocking
on Israel
You see, Habakkuk was steeped in the faith of the Jewish
people. He was well-versed in the
language and content of God’s Revelation, particularly in his promise never to
abandon his people into the hands of their enemies. He knew that the LORD, the God of Israel, was
sovereign over all existence; and he knew that this God had chosen his people,
the Jewish race, to enter into a special covenant in which he promised never to
allow their enemies to overcome them, as long as they remained faithful.
Yet, Habakkuk was also well aware of current events. He kept his eye on CNN and MSNBC; he was
reading the latest blogs and tweets were twittering into his iPhone; all
conveying that this seemingly unstoppable army that was steamrolling over
nation after nation on its way to conquering the entire Middle East was now
barreling towards Israel
*In our own struggles to be faithful disciples we frequently
must endure periods of time when we feel abandoned by God. And, while difficult under any circumstances,
such times are particularly trying when we’ve been intent on serving God with
genuine devotion, for no one expects that God would withdraw his consolations
for those who are striving to be faithful.
Yet, at times it seems that God does exactly this and when it happens it
breaks our hearts and strains our spirits until we, too, cry out to God: How
long, O Lord?
*These times of near despair know no restrictions on age or
gender or anything else. Teenagers often
search frantically for meaning and identity yet sometimes come up short. Adults in mid-life find themselves in a
crisis of despair when it appears as if they’ve chosen the wrong path for their
lives. The elderly, it seems, can be in
constant crisis as failing health—their own and that of their friends—begins to
claim everything that they held dear. In
an instant, natural disasters wipe out everything that gave security and
stability to families. All too often,
husbands and wives are betrayed by their partners and for them it seems as if
the entire fabric of existence has been a lie.
Illness strikes indiscriminately, and death’s shadow looms over
all. Finally, of course, we have all
felt the weariness that comes just from trying to make it all work: day after
day, month after month, year after year.*
These are all moments when we cry out to God and say: “I cry for help
but you do not listen!” Yes, to us and
to the prophet Habakkuk, it seems like God is silent, but the he wouldn’t
remain that way…
Soon after we hear the words of lament and despair that
poured forth from the lips of the prophet, we hear the words of hope that
touched the heart of the prophet and the Jewish people: The LORD answered me… When
the prophet cried out, even when he cried out accusing God of negligence, God still answered him and what did he
say? Rather, what did he tell him to do?
God told Habakkuk to write the vision plainly on tablets, in letters big
enough so that even one running past it could read it. God wanted the Jewish people to know that the
Chaldean army would not be the end of Israel
*Faith is a gift from God that we also have been given. Through it we are empowered to accomplish
amazing things (like ripping up deep-rooted trees and casting them into the sea
with only a word). As a gift, however,
faith is not something that we can claim as our own: it’s not something that we
earn. Rather, it is only the
graciousness of God that provides it to us, for we are “unprofitable servants”
who have done only what we have been obliged to do.* While these words of Jesus that we heard
today may seem harsh, he is nonetheless giving us a lesson similar to the
response that Habakkuk received from God: don’t worry about acquiring more
faith, for even the smallest amount is enough to move mountains; rather, remain faithful in pursuing goodness and
truth in your lives and you will see that goodness indeed will have the final
word.
And so what that means for us is that, whenever we find
ourselves in those moments of near despair, we should take hold of the faith
that we have been given and continue on, even if that faith seems to be no
larger than a small seed; for even the unprofitable servant already enjoys the
security of being in his master’s house, and the Father’s promise—which “still
has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint—will come to
those who remain faithful.
My brothers and sisters, this Holy Eucharist that we
celebrate and the Body and Blood of Jesus that we receive from this altar are
the first fruits of the fulfillment of that promise. And so let us be faithful in trusting in
God’s providence even when in our lives we are facing despair; for by our
faithfulness we will demonstrate our thanks to God for his faithfulness to us;
and by our faithfulness we will remain ready to receive the fulfillment to all
our longing: the fullness of joy that awaits us in heaven.
Given at All Saints Parish: Logansport , IN
* Portions of these paragraphs were either paraphrased or directly copied from the Scriptural commentary "Preaching the New Lectionary: Year C" by Diane Bergant with Richard Fragomeni, published by The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, copyright 1999. The selection can be found on pages 383-384 of the book.
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