Homily:
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Cycle C
Friends,
last week we were instructed in the importance of humility: that is, the
importance of not thinking too much of ourselves and of putting the good of
others in front of our own. In his
teaching, Jesus went so far as to say that we shouldn’t do favors for our
family, friends, and neighbors (like throwing a lavish dinner party for them),
since even this generous act can be tainted by pride: the pride of thinking
that those you invited will think more highly of you and that you might be
repaid by them someday when they invite you to a party that they are
throwing). In turn, Jesus taught that we
should invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind—that is, those
who have no prominence in society and, thus, no capacity to repay you—so as to
humble ourselves and thus store up for ourselves treasure in heaven.
I
offered Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati as an example for how to live this
way. Although he came from a rich family
who provided him with many comforts and whom he loved dearly, he maintained a
strong devotion to the poor. Although he
was handsome, athletic, and had a joyful personality (and, thus, had many friends
with whom he loved to spend time), he nonetheless devoted much of his time to
the poor. In all things, he saw the poor
as equal to his family, friends, and neighbors and so never failed to invite
them to his “banquets”.
This
week, we hear Jesus’ teaching about the “costs of discipleship”. Again, he uses strong words that should not
be read metaphorically, but rather literally.
He says, “If anyone comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife
and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my
disciple.” [In English, the word “hate”
has come to mean, “to will harm on another”, but in the original Jewish meaning
of the word, it has a less-severe connotation: meaning, instead, “to prefer
less than another”. Even still,] to “hate”
your family members, and even yourself, goes against our greatest instincts:
for mother and father, spouse and children, brothers and sisters, and even our
selves, are the most intimate relations that we have (and, thus, the source of
great emotional security in our lives).
Thus, to put our fealty to Jesus higher than them means that we will
sometimes have to choose against them
when making decisions in our lives, which can create significant conflict and,
perhaps, turmoil in our lives. Here
again, however, I think that Blessed Pier Giorgio provides an excellent
example.
As
I described last week, Pier Giorgio strove to see his devotion to his family
and friends as equal to his devotion to the poor. This was because his first devotion was to
Jesus: especially Jesus present to us in the Blessed Sacrament. He would often rise from bed early in the
morning to pray before the Blessed Sacrament or to attend an early Mass in
order to receive Holy Communion. He
often participated in “nocturnal adoration” (when the Blessed Sacrament is
exposed throughout the night so that the faithful can “stand vigil” with Jesus,
adoring him while the world sleeps).
Pier Giorgio loved Jesus above all things, and that love of Jesus
directed how he loved his family (whom he honored and loved without fault), his
friends, and, of course, the poor (in whom he found the presence of Jesus in a
particular way).
His
humility in serving the poor at times caused conflict with his family, as it
often looked as though he was being carelessly negligent to his family by being
late to dinners and other events, when in fact his tardiness was caused because
of his service to the poor (like when he gave up his bus money to someone in
need and, thus, had to run to his house instead). He never used this as an excuse, however, but
rather humbly carried the cross of shame so that the poor would not be despised
on his account. Pier Giorgio understood
Jesus’ teaching that he had to be devoted to Jesus first, above all
others. The accounts of his life
demonstrate that he lived this teaching.
Thus, he is surely counted as Jesus’ disciple, and is one confirmed
miracle away from being declared a “saint”. ///
The
parables that Jesus uses following his teaching simply emphasize his
teaching. The parables emphasize that
one should correctly assess the cost of being a disciple of Jesus, and to count
up whether one has the resources, before setting out to be his disciple. Depending on the attitudes of your family,
friends, and neighbors—perhaps even your bosses in your jobs—living as a
disciple of Jesus may direct you to turn away from them (or them from
you). “If your hand causes you to sin,”
Jesus taught, “cut it off.” Whether it
is your hand or your closest friend (which is like your hand), being Jesus’
disciple means that, if it (or he/she) causes you to sin (that is, to be
disloyal to Jesus), then you must cut it (or him/her) off. This is the cost of discipleship. Although Jesus doesn’t say it directly here,
it is as if he is saying that it is better not
to become his disciple if you don’t think that you can afford the cost, than to
try to become his disciple and then realize that you can’t afford the cost and,
thus, turn away from discipleship. The
first is bad, for sure, but the second is worse.
All
of us here, it seems safe to say, consider ourselves to be disciples of
Jesus. Thus, presumably, we have each
counted the cost of discipleship and are ready to pay its price—that is, to give
our full devotion to Jesus—so as to receive the reward that it affords us. Perhaps, therefore, what our scriptures
invite us to do today is to spend time reflecting on whether we have allowed
some of the “lesser” things in our lives—our father and mother, spouse and
children, brothers and sisters, or our own selves (that is, our work, our
possessions, our pride)—to become more important to us than our discipleship of
Jesus. In other words, have we “laid
down” some of our crosses in the last days, months, or years because they
seemed to be a weight too heavy to bear.
Is Jesus asking us to carry other crosses? Are we afraid or unwilling to carry
them? These are things that our
scriptures call us to reflect upon in these coming days. Blessed Pier Giorgio, if he ever found
himself faltering in his devotion, turned back to Jesus in the Mass and in
adoration and always found the grace to kindle his devotion anew. Perhaps in these next days, each of us can
seek that same kindling of devotion to Jesus here, in the Mass, and in
Eucharistic Adoration.
Friends,
Bishop Doherty’s pastoral plan for our diocese, Uniting in Heart, is about rekindling this devotion to Jesus among
all the faithful of our diocese, thus uniting us in His Heart once again. This work will cost us much, but the reward
that Jesus promises is, of course, worth it.
Thus, as we continue to rekindle and grow our own discipleship of Jesus,
let us remember that we never do it alone.
Rather, let us commit ourselves to this work of renewal as a diocese—that is, as the Body of Christ—so
that the joy of the Gospel—the joy of being Jesus’ disciple—may fill us: both
now and in eternal life.
Given in Spanish at Saint Paul Parish: Marion, IN – September
3rd, 2022
Given in Spanish at Saint Joseph Parish: Delphi, IN and Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish: Carmel, IN – September 4th, 2022
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