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Homilies
are posted no later than during the week prior to the Sunday
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2 Ordinary Time
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An artist was working on a church roof in Werden, Germany.
His safety belt snapped and he fell. The area below was filled with
sharp rocks. As fate would have it, a lamb chose that moment to have
its lunch of grass. He fell on the lamb. The beast was destroyed, but
the artist survived. He did the decent thing. He sculptured a lamb and
placed it on the roof in gratitude. It stands there to this day.
Today we come together at this Liturgy to remember and
salute another Lamb. Each of us likewise owes Him much. He too gave His
life for us. But with one substantial difference. Jesus
voluntarily surrendered His life to save ours.
This Gospel opens just after Jesus had finished His forty
day fast. He was probably bivouacing in a farmer's reed hut near the
Jordan River and near John the Baptist's camp. He would soon head north
into Galilee to begin His life's work. One hopes He took the time to
put some pounds back on His lean frame after His fast. He had to be
just skin and bones.
He had come once again to check out John the Baptist whom
He would always admire. He had a premonition He would never see him
again. We know He was correct.
What did John have in mind when He excitedly pointed at
Jesus and shouted for all to hear, "Behold, the Lamb of God..."
The Jews at that time would feel comfortable with this
interpretation.
In the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, there lived the great
Jewish family of the Maccabees. The family led the Jewish opposition in
Israel to their conqueror Syria and the cultural influences of the
Greeks. Thanks to the family's mighty efforts, the purity of Jewish
religious and political life was restored. The greatest of the family
was a gentleman named Judas Maccabaeus. He was the Jewish George
Washington and Abraham Lincoln all wrapped in one. The symbol of this
superb general was our friend the lamb. The story is told in detail in
the Books of the Maccabees of the Old Testament. Obviously John the
Baptist and his Jewish audience were familiar with the Old Testament
scriptures. Are you and I?
In this context, the lamb stood not for a dumb beast but a
conqueror and spokesman for God. It was used also in this fashion for
Messrs Samuel, David, and Solomon of Old Testament fame.
The Baptist was saluting not a passive wimp or nerd,
however divine, but rather a cosmic hero. He would battle Satan and
would emerge from the fray as the conqueror. John was inviting his
listeners to sign up with this new Judas Maccabaeus. But this new
Maccabaeus, as John tells us in verse 34 of today's Gospel, is the Son
of God.
The Christians in Czechoslovakia on Nov 29, 1989 did
precisely that. When Communism fell in their country on that day and
the Church was once again free, they put a sign on a lawn of a Prague
church. It read: THE LAMB WINS.
The Lamb entered Christian tradition not bleating but
roaring. The author of of the Book of Revelation uses the term in
reference to Christ twenty-nine times in twenty-two chapters. We shall
speak of Jesus as the Lamb five times in today's Liturgy. See if you
can spot each one. Recall the number of canvases, frescoes, stained
glass windows, and vestments on which you have seen the Lamb drawn. It
is among the most popular symbols in Christendom.
If the lamb, who saved the German artist's life, had taken
his face out of the grass long enough to see the fellow coming down, he
would have gotten out of the way ASAP. He might well have thought,
"That's not my job." But the Lamb of God is something else again. He
willingly laid down His life for us.
The Baptist spent most of his life out in the
wilderness.Still he had been around some years in what we
delicately call civilization. He was aware of the fickleness of human
love. Cleverly he points out the difference between that kiss and run
variety and the permanent love that his Lamb offers. He wants us to bet
on a winner and avoid losers.
In this short Gospel of five verses, John e-mails us the
message that Jesus is in this struggle for the long haul. He is going
to stay around to hold us up and, if necessary, pick up the pieces.
This week make the Carthusian monks' motto your own: "To seek God
assiduously, find God promptly, and possess God fully."
Sources: Arthur Tonne, William Barclay, and Joseph Donders
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http://www.st.ignatius.net/pastor.html
2 Ordinary Time
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Lamb of God
The
poinsettias are gone, the lights are down, the Christmas season is
over.Now we move on with the very beginning of Jesus’ public
life, usually referred to as his ministry.We come upon John the
Baptist seeing Jesus and pointing to him.“This is the Lamb of
God”, he says.
“Lamb of God.”We use that term so often, that it is easy for us
to overlook the deep theology and the tremendous love of our God
contained in his sending his Son to be the Lamb.
The
first place we come upon the concept of the Lamb of God is in the 53rd
chapter of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah.Although this was
written six hundred years before Jesus, it describes the feelings of
God’s people as they look at Jesus on the cross. It’s short, so let me
quote it:
Who would believe what we have heard? To whom has the arm of the LORD
been revealed?
He grew up like a sapling before him, like a shoot from the
parched earth; There was in him no stately bearing to make us look at
him, nor appearance that would attract us to him.
He was spurned and avoided by men, a man of suffering, accustomed
to infirmity, One of those from whom men hide their faces, spurned, and
we held him in no esteem.
Yet it was our infirmities that he bore, our sufferings that he
endured, While we thought of him as stricken, as one smitten by God and
afflicted.
But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon
him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were
healed.
We had all gone astray like sheep, each following his own way;
But the LORD laid upon him the guilt of us all.
Though he was harshly treated, he submitted and opened not his
mouth; Like a lamb led to the slaughter or a sheep before the shearers,
he was silent and opened not his mouth.
He is wounded for our sins, bruised for our iniquities.He has
taken upon himself the chastisement that makes us whole.That is
how John the Baptist views Jesus when he says, “Look, there is the Lamb
of God.”
The
question comes: why?Why did the world need a Savior?Why
did God’s son become a man to suffer and die for us?Did the Word
have to become Flesh?Was Christmas necessary?Well, we
can’t tell God what He can and can’t do, or what is necessary or not
necessary.But we can consider this: From the very beginning of
the world, all creation was entrusted to human beings. But man, in his
selfishness and self centeredness, perverted the whole purpose for
creation.Instead of glorifying God, creation was to be used to
satisfy man’s selfish needs.But even with this, God still did
not take the gift of creation away from man.A man would once
more restore creation to God’s original plan.Jesus Christ is
this man.
Perhaps this would be clearer if I present it this way: Mankind’s sin
was that he was so wrapped up in himself that he had no room for God.
He forced the good things of the world to be an end for his selfishness
rather than a means of glorifying God. This is how man
perverted God’s purpose for creation.As long as man lived like
this, true love could not exist in the world.People could not
give themselves to others or to another because their only concept of
life was to take, not to give.Life, therefore, was meaningless
and frustrating.
Jesus came to live as the Father wants us all to live.He
sacrificed himself completely for others so that we could experience
sacrificial love.He called us to use creation as the Father
meant creation to be used.God’s plan for mankind could once more
be put into effect since the Son of God became a man.Still
entrusted with creation, a man restores the world.
In
the visions of the fifth chapter of the Book of Revelation a book is
brought out sealed with seven seals.The book is God’s plan for
mankind.But the plan is sealed.“Who is worthy to open the
scroll and break its seals?", a voice cries out. But no one in heaven
or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to
examine it. The visionary sheds many tears because no one was found
worthy to open the scroll or to examine it. But then one of the elders
said, "Do not weep. The lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David,
has triumphed, enabling him to open the scroll with its seven seals."
Then the visionarysaw standing in the midst of the throne and
the four living creatures and the elders, a Lamb that seemed to have
been slain. Only the lamb was worthy to once more restore God’s plan
for mankind.
And
John the Baptist saw Jesus and proclaimed, “Look, there is the Lamb of
God. He is the one who will baptize with he Holy Spirit.”Jesus’s
disciples would be given the power of God to transform the world.
They would be given the power to create a new world, a world with a new
way of living, the way of sacrificial love.
When
we say or sing, “Lamb of God” we are remembering what Jesus did for us
and what he has empowered us to do for others. We are remembering his
sacrifice to make God’s love real on earth.We are reminding
ourselves that joining Jesus in sacrificial love is the only way we can
be his followers.
John
the Baptist found his reason for existence.He was to point out
the Lamb of God to the world.His mission is not different from
the mission of every Christian.We are to point out the Lamb of
God to the world.
There is nothing greater that any of us can do in
our lives than point Christ out to others, first to our children who
must follow us in pointing to the Lord for others to find him, and then
to all who meet us.
John
the Baptist was not a typical person of his time.He was
extraordinary.When we consider his life, we realize that it was
not John’s dress or preaching that made him extraordinary, it was the
fact that he found the purpose for his life.He looked to Jesus
and said, “There is the Lamb of God.” We have been called to do the
same.
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http://www.geocities.com/seapadre_1999/
* available in Spanish - see Spanish
homilies
2 Ordinary Time
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Bottom line: Human life has value for the same reason that gold has
value - its worth is determined by the price someone is willing to pay
for it.
This Sunday I want to speak about a very basic issue: the value of
human life. How we value human life determines how we treat ourselves
and others: the poor, the immigrant, the handicapped, the unborn, the
infirm and the dying - not to mention the person who makes my life
difficult or who I just cannot forgive. The question is fundamental:
Where does the value of human life come from? Why does human life have
worth at all? Today's Gospel gives us the answer. To put it in a
nutshell: Human life has value for the same reason that gold has value.
To illustrate what I mean by the value of gold, I offer a story. In his
book on the Holocaust, Martin Gilbert tells about a concentration camp
prisoner. Before his arrest, the man was a successful jeweler in
Holland. The Nazis robbed him of his possessions, but he managed to
smuggle a small amount of gold into prison. He hoped to survive the
encampment and use the gold to begin his life over again. But, with the
lack of food, he grew thinner and hungrier. In desperation he took the
gold and showed it to a guard. He asked the guard what he would give
for it. The next day the guard returned, reached into his pocket and
pulled out two potatoes. They were small, shriveled and had begun to
rot. The prisoner looked at them. He hesitated for a moment, then
handed the gold to guard and quickly ate the uncooked potatoes.
Martin Gilbert comments that the exchange represented a precise scale
of worth. In that concentration camp, a few scraps of food were more
valuable than gold. Right now that same gold would be worth a couple
thousand dollars. With it you could buy one of those new cars from
India. What we see here is that gold has value because of the price
someone is willing to pay for it.
Something similar applies to the value of human life. This Sunday we
hear the price someone is willing to pay for a human life - for yours
and for mine. When John the Baptist saw Jesus coming, he said, "Behold,
the Lamb of God."
In the Old Testament, each year, they used to select a lamb - that is,
a young male sheep. He was a year old, the time when his meat and wool
fetched their highest price. Each family, who could afford it, would
offer a young sheep for the sacrifice. The priest placed the lamb on
the altar and opened its throat so blood would flow out. The blood of
the lamb brought forgiveness - it restored people to God.
When St. John saw Jesus, he said: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world." Like a young sheep placed on an altar,
Jesus would give his blood - his life - for us. That is the greatest
price, because Jesus is perfect man and true God.
If you were to ask where our value comes from, you would have to say:
It is not because we are so intelligent. Nor because we are so
charming, or so good, or so beautiful or so strong. We may have some of
those qualities, but they do not last for very long. Ultimately our
worth does not come from our brilliance or virtue or beauty or
strength.* We are valuable because someone is willing to pay a great
price for us.
It is important for us to say that today. We live in a society confused
about the value of human life. For example, Washington state has a
former governor who considers his life so worthless that he wishes to
end it. But he does not want to do it by jumping off a bridge or taking
an overdose. He wants to implicate the rest of us and the medical
profession in his suicide - and, then, call it "death with dignity." As
Christians we cannot do that. We know that his life has incalculable
value. Someone is willing to pay an enormous price for it. The Lamb of
God has paid the price.
We of course want to do what we can to ease the other person's
discomfort. But we do not believe that suffering in itself is absurd.
We can join our suffering to the Lamb of God. In his encyclical Spes
Salvi - in hope we are saved - Pope Benedict talks about the importance
of offering our daily trials in union with Christ. What a person
endures - for the sake of Christ - can have great value. This applies
particularly to the suffering involved in one's final illness. This
message is hard to proclaim - and even harder to live: That each human
life has incalculable worth - even in the face of great suffering. As
Christians we know we have been purchased at a high price.
This basic message ties in with an observance which commences this
weekend: The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Once someone asked
C.S. Lewis if he thought it was a good time to pray for Christian
unity. He responded that it is always a good time to pray for Christian
unity. Still, in light of the assault on basic values - including human
life itself - now more than ever we need to pray for a united Christian
witness. For sure, there are natural reasons for valuing human life -
but ultimately human life has value for the same reason that gold has
value. This Sunday, St. John the Baptist tells us the price - and who
is willing to pay it: Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin
of the world.
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*Virtue (honesty, fairness, integrity, etc.) does give a person worth,
but ultimately it gives worth by opening one to grace. No one can be
saved by their own virtue.
Spanish Version
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http://www.agreeley.com/homilies.html
2 Ordinary Time
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Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Jn/ 19-34
Background:
Jesus had peculiar taste in friends. You put the whole crowd
together and they were not as smart as one of the third rate
philosophers in Rome. Maybe some of them could read and write. They
were perhaps street smart, but you were going to announce the nearness
of the kingdom of God would you surround yourself with folks that
wouldn’t make assistant precinct captain? They were utterly insensitive
to Jesus’s spiritual message and interested only in the power and
prestige they were going to have in his kingdom (which they didn’t
understand at all). One of them was a thief and ten of them cowards.
Surely, even if he had decided to limit is choice to Galilee Jesus
could have done better? Why these sluggards and nerds? Why indeed? And
why do we pretend that our leaders today are better than they were?
Patently the first Pope and the first bishops (if we want to use
that analogy) were not sacred persons, but inept, often stupid human
beings? Why do have to pretend that their successors are any better?
Why should they be immune from criticism? Have we missed the point
somewhere along the line that the leaders of the church and the
followers in the church are fragile, imperfect human beings and that
Jesus chose them precisely because he wanted a human church. If he
wanted something better, he should have turned it over not to the
philosophers in Rome but to the Seraphim.
Story:
(for those who think that all priests and bishops and Popes should be
as perfect as Jesus)
One upon a time there were a group of young men who idolized the
quarter back on the local NFL team (no cities in mind in this story).
He was a great passer, a gutsy runner, he played despite pain, he was
modest at media interviews, generous with volunteer work, kind to kids,
and signed autographs till all had been accommodated. He was humble and
respectful and prayed before every game. He was practically perfect, it
seemed, a great role model for kids in the city and around the country.
Then one night he came into the tavern where these young men
hung out. He was roaring drunk and abusive. He pushed a couple of women
around, insulted the bar tender, picked a fight with a little guy, and
sneered at our group of idolaters. They were shocked into silence.
However, one of them, a bit of nerd, actually asked the QB for his
autograph. He knocked the pen out of his hand, shoved him back against
the bar, and cursed him out. What a jerk the crowd said. We'll never
cheer for him again. He probably uses drugs too. He's no role model for
children. The team should trade. But, the nerd said, he's only human.
That's no excuse everyone else agreed.
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http://www.saintvincentarchabbey.org/homilies/index.lasso
2 Ordinary Time |
Gospel Summary
These verses are the climactic conclusion of the prologue to the gospel
according to John (1: 1-34). In the prologue John establishes the basic
themes that will unfold in the ensuing drama of his gospel: Jesus, the
Word from the beginning lives with God, is God. The Word became human
and made his dwelling in our world of sin; those who accept Jesus
become children of God and are at home in God.
In this Sunday's gospel, John the Baptist sees Jesus approaching and
identifies him as the one who will take away the sin of the world.
Further, the Baptist testifies that he saw the Spirit come from heaven
and remain upon Jesus. Then as Son of God, Jesus will baptize with the
Holy Spirit, thus sharing his Spirit with others.
Life Implications
Today's gospel is not only the prologue to the drama of Jesus' life; it
is the prologue to the drama of every person's life. We hear that Jesus
wants to share his Spirit with every human being. The first act of our
personal drama is about the decision to trust or not to trust this
stranger, Jesus of Nazareth.
Upon believing that the Spirit did come upon Jesus, the immediate
implication is the need to discover in all the gospels of the church
year how Jesus responded to the Spirit in the particularity of his life
and circumstances. Through prayer we then seek to discover how the
Spirit will guide us in the particularity of our own life and
circumstances.
Through the abiding presence of the Spirit, Jesus in his humanity was
completely transparent to the presence of divine life. The meaning of
his life was to do the Father's will. Because of that intimate
communion, all the actions and words of Jesus were signs (miracles) of
divine, saving presence. Even in the darkness of this world, it was
possible to see through the eyes of faith the loving presence of God
through the humanity of Jesus. We also discover in the gospels that
through the Spirit Jesus lived in joy. Thus at the Last Supper, when
his final agony was at hand, he explained why he was speaking of the
mystery of divine life: "I have told you this that my joy might be in
you and your joy might be complete." (John 15:11). A "gloomy Christian"
ought to be recognized as a contradiction in terms. Even in the midst
of affliction the Spirit of Joy is within us. Saint Paul wrote to the
Christians of Thessalonica: "You became imitators of us and of the
Lord, receiving the word in great affliction, with joy from the Holy
Spirit, so that you became a model for all believers..." (1
Thessalonians 1:6).
Our belief that the same Spirit who guided Jesus also guides us has
profound implications for defining the meaning of human existence. Our
hearts are restless until they abide in the loving communion of Father
and Son through their Holy Spirit. If we are transparent to that divine
life, our words and actions become signs of God's loving presence in
the world. Saint Francis of Assisi said this in a way easy to remember:
"You may be the only gospel a person will ever read."
Campion P. Gavaler, O.S.B.
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http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/lowhome.html
Meeting Christ in the Liturgy
2 Ordinary Time
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Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
We pray the Scriptures in each Mass. The beauty of liturgical prayer is
founded on the Word of God, such that we pray the Scriptures as Christ
our Lord did, even as he died on the cross.
As John hailed the Son of God made man, so we too, in the Mass, after
the consecration, worship the "Lamb of God." "Behold the Lamb of God!
Behold him who takes away the sin of the world; blessed are those who
are called to the supper of the Lamb." As we behold Christ truly
present in the Eucharist we proclaim Him Messiah with the same awe and
love with which St. John uttered his proclamation as recorded in our
Gospel today.
The Catechism helps us in our meditation:
"The baptism of Jesus is on his part the acceptance and inauguration of
his mission as God's suffering Servant. He allows himself to be
numbered among sinners; he already is 'the Lamb of God, who takes away
the sin of the world.' (John 1:29) Already he is anticipating the
'baptism' of his bloody death. (Mark 10:38) Already he is coming to
'fulfill all righteousness,' that is, he is submitting himself entirely
to his father's will: out of love he consents to this baptism of death
for the remission of our sins. (Matthew 3:15) The Father's voice
responds to the Son's acceptance, proclaiming his entire delight in his
Son."(Luke 3:22) (CCC 536)
When we pray the responses of the Mass, let us remember that we are
praying the Word of God. "Sursum corda", "lift up your hearts", as you
treasure the prayers and responses of the Mass, and meet Christ in the
liturgy.
Looking forward to meeting you here again next week as, together, we
"meet Christ in the liturgy", Father Cusick
http://www.christusrex.org/www1/mcitl/ (Copy with permission only)
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http://www.ctk-thornbury.org.uk/
2 Ordinary Time
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Last week we celebrated the Baptism of Jesus and in reflecting on the
meaning of that feast we can see that the beginning of his ministry was
marked by an affirmation from the Father of Jesus calling and mission.
As we begin what is called Ordinary Time it is therefore appropriate
that we start with a reflection on our own calling and mission in the
world.
We begin with the wonderful story of the calling of the boy Samuel and
the Church invites us to see the story of our own calling reflected in
his.
Now we might not be hearing voices in the night like Samuel and perhaps
if we were we might get a little worried and take ourselves straight
off to the doctor! But what many of us do experience is a deep inner
conviction that God has called us and has given us some special task to
perform in the world.
In the Gospel reading, which today comes from St John, we are told
about how John the Baptist points to Jesus and says, ‘Behold, the Lamb
of God!’ The two disciples leave John the Baptist and become followers
of Jesus.
Interestingly, we are given the name of only one of these disciples:
Andrew. However, students of scripture down the generations have always
assumed that the other one was St John himself since it was not
considered proper to put one’s own name forward and we know he was
there right from the beginning.
If it was indeed St John who recorded this incident, and then handed it
down to whoever put the Gospel together, then when we look at the
little details with added interest.
Jesus takes the initiative, ‘What do you want?’ he asks these two men
who are following close behind him. It is just the sort of question you
would ask to anyone who was following you and usually it would have a
bit of an edge to it. What we might mean is actually, ‘Why don’t you
stop following me!’
But, of course, here on the lips of Jesus it doesn’t have that
connotation at all. It is more like a philosophical question. Jesus is
asking them one of the deepest questions of all, ’What do you really
want in life?’
Their reply, ‘Where do you live?’ seems a little strange to us but if
we remember that they addressed him as ‘Rabbi´ and take into
account that each Rabbi had a particular place where he gave his
teaching we see what they are getting at.
They want to know him and his teaching; they want to be his followers;
they realise that he alone understands the true meaning of life.
He invites them to come and see and it seems from the text that they
spent the whole night with Jesus soaking up his teaching. It says that
it was already the tenth hour, and therefore practically sunset, and
‘early next morning’ they rush off to find Peter. They were probably up
half the night hanging on Jesus’ every word.
We are all familiar with the call of Peter and how Jesus gave him the
name which means “rock” so I won’t dwell on that today.
But what I would like to pick up on is one little detail. It states
that Jesus ‘looked hard at him.’ Earlier in the text it said something
similar; that John the Baptist stared hard at Jesus when he said,
‘Behold, the Lamb of God.’
The word used really means not so much to look at someone as to stare
at them with penetrating insight. John ‘looks’ at Jesus and sees not
just his person but his significance and his special role. He looks at
him and sees that he is the Lamb of God.
St John is emphasising that something similar occurred between Jesus
and Peter. Jesus looks at him with insight and recognises that this is
the man who is to play a special role in the handing on the message of
the Gospel to all the nations.
He sees that Peter is the one who will become the chief among the
Apostles and the leader of the Church.
In the Second Reading we are told in no uncertain terms by St Paul that
we ought to live pure and holy lives and especially that we should
avoid fornication. This is a message that is often lost today,
especially as we are assailed by the media and sex is presented to us
as just one among many leisure activities.
We know quite well that it not what it is at all; that indeed it is
something sacred and that we profane ourselves when we devalue it. In
these matters context is everything and what we are talking about is
self-giving love whose true expression is within the sacrament of
marriage.
Today we have been thinking about our own calling. We have heard about
the call of Samuel and of the first Apostles and we are reminded by St
Paul that we should live good and holy lives to be worthy of our own
high calling.
This great call of ours involves two things. First our own personal
following of Jesus and his Gospel teaching which we need to make a real
part of our lives.
And secondly our mission to bring the Gospel to others; which involves
reaching out to those around us and communicating Christ’s love to them.
It is in these two things that the source of Christian joy is to be
found. We know quite well that it is only by giving our whole lives
over to Christ that we will we find true happiness in life.
We also know that this is but a foretaste of the even greater happiness
to come, that of God’s Kingdom in heaven.
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Contact Father at cbonar@cfl.rr.com;
information about his book of homilies is available at www.clydebonar.com.
2 Ordinary Time |
Jesus Sanctified Daily Life
Introduction
Coming into church this Sunday, we take note.
All the Christmas decorations are gone. The priest wears green
vestments. Because, on the Church calendar we have begun Ordinary Time.
Sometimes we think of Ordinary Time as when we
have no special festival to celebrate. That Ordinary Time is
not-Advent, not-Christmas, not Lent, not-Easter. That Ordinary Time is
what's left over after all these special events are taken out of the
church’s calendar.
Not so! At Christmas and Easter we just expand
on what we celebrate at each Mass. Our regular, our ordinary,
identifying mark as a Christian community is our Sunday Mass. On the
first day of the week, on Sunday, we celebrate the life, death, and
resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Celebrating the paschal mystery is the
ordinary thing we do as Catholics. And, this ordinary, this routine,
this standard way we pray, our Mass, we do most of the time.
Ordinary Daily Life
I mention ordinary time because the liturgical
calendar reflects our experience of life. We spend most of our time
doing the ordinary, the routine. Pick out any day and we can just about
predict what we will be doing. Because we do about the same thing every
day.
Students know this when they do homework.
Remember math classes. Every night the same thing. A set of problems.
Work the formulas. Compute the answers. Write down the solution. Next
night, do it all over again with another set of problems. Pretty
routine a student's life.
Working is the same way. For me, its writing a
homily each week. Where I am in sermon preparation tells me the day of
the week. Tuesday, its read the readings for the next Sunday and do
some biblical exegesis and background research. Prayer time follows. By
Friday I hope to have my ideas well in mind. Your work may be
different. Perhaps your work is in a store. Days find you at a cash
register meeting customers. Our work is routine.
When we get home, it’s the same way. Every day
dishes have to be done. Clothes are washed usually the same day each
week. Perhaps Saturday morning is house cleaning day, or the day for
our weekly trip to the supermarket. That's our routine.
Our ministry, the same. For Ministers to the
Sick, a visit to the shut-ins after Mass. Note how we send forth our
Ministers to the Sick after Mass. For our teachers in religious
education, each Tuesday or Wednesday, meet with your class.
For most people day to day life settles down
to a schedule. We do the things we have to do just to keep life going.
And we do them over and over again. That's our ordinary time. Most of
our time is such ordinary time.
Jesus and Ordinary Life
The fantastic thing is that Jesus leaped into
our ordinary time. Think about what Christ did and we see that Our Lord
did very ordinary things with very ordinary people. The Son of God came
to be with us in the routine of life.
Start with the birth of Jesus. Christ was born
in a stable. Of course, we might say. Most of the people at the time
were either shepherds or farmers. They
And his parents. Joseph, the carpenter. Worked
with his hands, as many of us work with our hands to earn a living.
Mary was a local girl from the village. Before the angel Gabriel spoke
to her, like any young girl, Mary had started her hope chest, looking
forward to the day she would start a family with her husband. Joseph
and Mary were common folk. Jesus came to be with common folk.
Then Christ was baptized. We think of
Christian baptism, and say it is a special ceremony for those who
believe in Christ. And so it is. But baptism was also a common thing
when Jesus was growing up. Many besides John the Baptist were
baptizing. Showing by their baptism a readiness to convert and become
followers of God.
The first miracle of Jesus is at a wedding,
the most ordinary ceremony of human life. Each of us with a family has
gone through a wedding ceremony. Younger men and younger women look
forward to the day when they too will be married. Whatever the
religion, weddings are held the world over. At this most universal of
ceremonies among humans, Jesus performs his first miracle.
That's the fantastic thing. That God the Son
came into the routine of human life. Think about what Christ did and we
know that the Lord did very ordinary things with very ordinary people.
Ordinary Life is Sanctified
What's all this mean? By what Christ did,
ordinary life is sanctified. The day to day things we do become holy.
And that makes a difference. In our daily lives we pay attention to God
because God the Son took part in the daily things we do. We make
efforts to live what we say we believe.
This begins in our families. God says love
your neighbor as yourself and there are no closer neighbors than those
scruffy ne'er-do-wells we live with. To laugh and have fun together, to
love and forgive all the little irritating things we do to each other
when we live close to another. These are the ways of Christians.
The best example of family love might be the
evening meal. Time made sacred because it is a time for family to come
together and just enjoy each other. Also, our chores. Taking our turn
to cook the meal or take out the garbage or cut the grass, all holy
acts of love within our families.
This sacredness of ordinary life goes forth
for Christians in all we do and do not do. Temptations to flip through
the pages of pornographic magazines are passed by. Because the faith
filled person knows pornography portrays a life where the sanctity of
love is taken away. Instead, the pleasure of the moment emphasized.
In our job, the work we do is made holy. The
grower of oranges knows that his work brings fresh fruit to our homes.
We remember the gift of food comes ultimately from God. The Christian
doctor recognizes that all healing comes from God. The teacher
remembers that Christ was the divine teacher. A carpenter recalls
Joseph the carpenter who taught his son Jesus the skills of carpentry.
After the example of Christ, we reserve time for prayer in
our daily routine. Frequently Christ withdrew to a deserted place to
pray; and Jesus taught us to pray the Our Father. We model our lives
after Christ. Monks do this by coming together five times a day for
community prayer. We try never to forget our daily morning and evening
prayer.
Our daily lives have been made holy because God the Son
entered into the ordinary routine of life. All we do became sacred. The
routine of daily life is a holy routine.
Conclusion
In our first reading from the prophet Isaiah,
we heard God say he formed us from our wombs as his servants, made us
glorious in the sight of God. In the reading from the letter to the
Corinthians, Paul tells us we are called to be a holy people. The
gospel describes John baptizing Jesus with water, just as each of us
was baptized with water.
Each in a different way, our readings tell us
to live a Christian life, holy and devout. Our part is to rejoice in
God by making holy what we do each and every day in the routine,
ordinary times of our lives. |
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These
homilies may be copied and adapted for your own use; however, they may
not be
commercially published without permission of the author.
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