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 Jesus Christ, the living God, whose very life is our
salvation. This is why, at the end of
each reading, we say, "thanks be to God", and at the end of the
Gospel reading, we say, "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 him, he cannot ignore the fact that he has been
called; and, by that very fact itself, his life has 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 alone. 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.
Jesus, 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, Jesus 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?
I can speak to
one such situation in my own life. My younger
sister is married outside of the Church. When she decided to marry, she was not practicing
the faith. Thus, at the time, I did not feel
like it was necessary to push her to marry in the Church. Since then, however, she has returned to some
practice of the faith, including regular participation in the Mass. I believe that my ordination and the faithful
practicing of my parents and older sister helped her to return. Nonetheless, she has not had her marriage recognized
by the Church. She’s resistant—perhaps even
rebellious against it—and I know that God has called me to speak to her about it.
Time and again, however, I resist speaking
God’s word to her because I fear that she will resist and that I will then have
to speak to her God’s word regarding the consequences of her resistance: that
she should refrain from receiving Holy Communion. I anticipate that will be hurtful to her and
that it will negatively affect our relationship.
The truth of the
matter, however, is that my resistance has already negatively affected our relationship.
Something inside of me knows that, because
I struggle to have this difficult conversation with her, I am missing out on many
more meaningful conversations that I could have with her: conversations that
could lead her to a deeper faith. Thus,
my failure to proclaim God’s word to her not only leaves her in her sin, but also
leaves on my conscience something for which I will have to answer before God.
Friends, our excuses
for not prophesying 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? Am I resistant? If so, 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 each of us 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 Patrick
Parish: Kokomo, IN – July 4th, 2021
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