Homily:
14th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle B
Friends, it's
important as we begin our reflection today to remember that we must give thanks
in our hearts for the Word of God that we just heard. We know that every encounter with the Word of
God is an encounter with Christ, the living God, whose very life is our
salvation. This is why we say at the end
of each reading "thanks be to God" and at the end of the Gospel reading
"Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ".
Those moments of silence that occur after each reading and the
Responsorial Psalm are moments to relish that our God has spoken to us. And so, while it is not always possible to
relish in those moments (a squirmy child or an ill-timed sneeze can get in the
way), we should always strive to be recollected in those moments.
The truth is
that, when the word of God comes to us, it changes us... if we let it. [repeat]
This is the story of all the prophets, especially those about whom we
heard in today's readings. In each case,
the Word of God breaks into their lives and urges them into a new
direction. Although the prophet can
choose to refuse the calling that God has given to them, they cannot ignore the
fact that they have been called; and by that very fact, itself, their lives
have been changed. The prophet Jonah is
a great example of the latter. He
refused God's call to prophesy to the people of Nineveh, but couldn't go back
to his life before he encountered God's Word.
Rather, it sent him in a completely different direction. Ultimately, into the belly of a whale!
The prophet
Ezekiel, however, is an example of the former: one who encountered God's Word
and responded positively to it. His
life, too, was sent in a completely different direction in order to fulfill a
task that God had given to him. Notice,
however, that the defining characteristic of these prophets is not the success
they had in getting people to conform to God's word, but rather it was their obedience
and their faithfulness to the call that was their glory.
Ezekiel was
called to preach to his own people who had fallen away from the right practice
of religion and moral conduct. He wasn't
someone of high social status to whom people would automatically listen and he
was bringing a message that would surely be unpopular: "God is angry with
you for the way you are living. Repent
and turn back to God in penance or else he will punish you!" For a people who don't think that they're
doing anything wrong, this is a tough message to sell! Throughout Ezekiel's call, however, God
emphasizes that it is imperative for him to follow-through: noting on more than
one occasion that for him not to speak is to bring the Israelite guilt on his
own head; whereas if he does speak to them—in such a way so that the Israelites
"shall know that a prophet has been among them"—any further refusal
on their part will cause their guilt to remain on them. Again, what we see in this is that it is
Ezekiel's job to bring God's Word into contact with the Israelite people, so
that it might change their lives; and that his success will be measured not by
converts, but by his obedience and faithfulness to the call.
Christ, as we
heard in our Gospel reading today, is the example par excellence for
us. From the very moment of the
incarnation in the virginal womb of Mary, Christ was obedient and faithful to
God's will. Time and again, Jesus was
rejected by his own people—in other words, he was unsuccessful by any
standard—yet he remained faithful and obedient, nonetheless. Because of this—that is, his faithfulness to
the end—he is now glorified in heaven with the Father.
Friends, each
of us have been touched by the Word of God and so have been changed. Therefore, we, too, must respond to God's
call to prophesy. How often, however, do
we refuse to follow God's call—that is, we refuse to speak God's Word of
truth—simply because we think that we'll be unsuccessful? In other words, how often do we refuse to
speak up—to a family member, a friend, or a coworker—because we think that they
will ignore us or, worse yet, reject us: thus, damaging our relationship? Friends, these are not excuses in God's eyes;
and so, even when we think that we will be unsuccessful, God, nonetheless,
demands that we go; and so, we must go, remembering that God will not judge us
based on whether we were successful in turning hearts back to him, but rather
on whether we were obedient and faithful.
Thus, the
questions for us today are these: Who is it with whom God is asking me to share
his Word? If I am resistant, why? What's holding me back? How can I exercise trust in God in small
things, so as to be prepared to trust him in these big things? This is our "homework" for this
week: to allow these questions to lead us to discern where and with whom God is
calling me to act. If we don't feel
ready to act (perhaps because it's a big conversation that we're not ready to
have), then our work is to ask God to reveal smaller ways in which we can act
throughout the week—for example, a simple act of kindness for a stranger that
we might not otherwise do—so as to build our trust in God and in his call. Ultimately, however, if God's Word has called
us, we need to act. Whether or not the
person (or persons) to whom we bring this Word respond is God's problem, not
ours. Our problem is to ensure that the
Word of God has been spoken to them: that is, in such a way that they
"shall know that a prophet has been among them."
Friends, Christ
is with us in this work. He is the Word
that we are called to speak. As we
receive him in this Eucharist, let's abandon ourselves to him and allow him to
speak through us.
Given at Saint
Mary Cathedral: Lafayette, IN – July 8th, 2018
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