Homily: 19th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Friends,
our readings this week remind us that, when it comes to the biggest things in
life, there are no surprises with God. Rather,
he foretells their coming (even if he doesn’t always foretell when they will
come). Throughout history, those who
believed and therefore lived in accord with this foretelling received blessings
from God. Those who failed to believe
(and, therefore, to live in accord with what was foretold), lost the blessings
that God had promised. Let’s take a look
at our readings to see what I mean.
In
the Book of Wisdom we read that “the night of Passover was known beforehand to our fathers” and indeed it was. This would be the defining moment for the
Israelites—in other words, the biggest
thing that would happen in their life as a people—and God foretold exactly
what would happen and the consequences of it: that he would strike down the
firstborn of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt to their own land where
they would live no longer as slaves, but as free persons. God foretold this, the author says, “that…
they might have courage.” Courage to do
what? To slaughter a lamb, which was
illegal for them to do, and to prove it by spreading its blood on the doorposts
of their houses. The Israelites acted
with faith and performed the Passover sacrifice, and God did not surprise them,
but rather did exactly as he foretold: killing the firstborn of the Egyptians
and leading them out of Egypt and into freedom.
In
the reading from the Letter to the Hebrews, the author recounts how God called
Abraham to leave his home country and to travel to a land that would be his own
inheritance where his own lineage would flourish and become as “countless as
the stars in the sky”. To have a
flourishing lineage was the biggest thing
for anyone of Abraham’s time and God foretold that this would happen for
Abraham, even though he was childless and would remain childless for many years
after. Abraham acted with faith and left
his homeland and God did not surprise him.
Rather, he gave him a son, Isaac.
Some
time later, however, it seemed like God would surprise Abraham in this biggest thing when he told Abraham to offer
up Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham acted
in faith, however, and God didn’t surprise him.
Rather, he stayed Abraham’s hand and kept him from making the sacrifice. From Isaac would come Jacob, who would become
Israel, and whose twelve sons would become the lineage that would flourish and
become as “countless as the stars in the sky.”
For
us, and for the people of Jesus’ time, the biggest
thing is salvation and passing the final judgment. In this, once again, there are no surprises
from God. Rather, he foretells that the
coming of the Judge at the end of time will be swift and unexpected and so each
one should remain vigilant—keeping free from sin and being about the work of
God. Although the day of this coming may
surprise us, the fact that it has come should not. Jesus has foretold it and we can count on its
arrival. Acting in faith, therefore, we
should be about the work of God, so that the Judge might find us doing his will
when he comes and, thus, grant us the fullness of his salvation.
Last
week, our reflection on Jesus’ teaching led us to ask ourselves whether we have
become too focused on material things.
In other words, it led us to ask ourselves whether we are seeking material
things as an end in themselves or as a means to a greater end (such as,
accommodating a growing family, being more available for some ministry, etc.).
This
week, we can see why it is important for us to answer this question. Pursuing material things as ends in
themselves tends to make us “drowsy”, that is, “sleepy”, in regard to the
things of God. When we are sleepy, we
are not vigilant. Remaining vigilant
(that is, awake), demands that we look beyond material things so as to engage
the work of God. Therefore, if we find
that we are too focused on material things—often, or even exclusively, seeking
material things as ends in themselves—we should seek to re-focus and
re-prioritize our minds and our hearts to desire God, first and foremost, and
so then only to pursue material things as means towards that end. This frees us to do the work of God, which
helps us to avoid all drowsiness and, thus, to be ready (i.e. acting in faith)
when the Judge arrives.
Friends,
as we approach this altar today, let us remember that, when it comes to the
biggest things in life, there are no surprises in God. He has foretold the coming judgement so that
we might not be surprised when the Judge comes, but rather that we might have
courage to put aside our desires for material things in themselves and, thus,
to pursue the “things of God”: that is, adoration and thanksgiving, and service
to those around us who are in need of mercy.
Let us ask for the grace to believe what was foretold and thus to act in
accord with it, so that we might receive the blessing that God has promised us:
eternal life with him in harmony and peace.
Given in Spanish at St. Joseph Parish: Delphi, IN and Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish: Carmel, IN – August 7th, 2022
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