33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In the Gospel the disciples, some of whom may have been on their first ever visit to Jerusalem as a follower of Jesus, gaze in awe at the beauty and magnificence of the Temple. We can, I think, put in the place of the Temple any of the natural or man-made wonders of the world. The whole of Creation will at some point come to an end. The physicists speak of the inevitable contraction and destruction of the Universe which will most likely happen long after our own Sun has burnt itself out. The Second Coming, which may or may not happen in my lifetime, will also presage a destruction but not one that ends with a black hole rather it will lead to a new Creation. What will be destroyed is death itself. Saint Paul writes: "Then comes the end, when he (Jesus) hands over the kingdom to God the Father, after he has destroyed every ruler  and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all things under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death." (1 Cor. 15: 24-26) Regardless of our material circumstances and the glamour of the world, therefore, we are confident of the inheritance that God has for all who trust in him and live in accordance with his commandments. "So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. Fos this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because we look not at what can be seen but at what cannot be seen; for what can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal." (2 Cor. 4: 16-18)

Homily for 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Thank God for foolish questions! What would happen if people had not challenged Jesus? What if everyone had believed what he taught and did not give him opportunity to elaborate on it? This is especially the case with the Resurrection which is one of the greatest mysteries. Indeed, you could say that it is the most important. Saint Paul wrote to the community in Corinth: “For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised. If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. Then those also who have died in Christ have perished.” (1 Cor. 15: 16-18)

So, what is the Resurrection? How does it work? The Corinthians had questions just as we do. For us it is central to our faith and we need to know about it. It is said that there is no such thing as a stupid question. Mind you, occasionally there are answers that make the questioner feel stupid.

The intention of the Sadducees, who were a Jewish group comprised of rich families associated with the High Priest, was to make Jesus look stupid. They wanted to mock him and discredit him in the eyes of the people by coming up with a deliberately foolish scenario. Instead, as he had already done with the Pharisees, Jesus turns the tables on them and gives us, at the same time, insight into the Resurrection. Let us look closely to see what he had to say:

First, Jesus makes it clear that the resurrection does not consist in a replica of our present life. Aspects of life, such as marriage, we are familiar with now no longer apply. Questions about what people look like or what they eat will not be relevant. Anything that admits of change will pass away. The only thing to remain will be those things which are transformed by God’s power.

Second, once people have risen there is no longer any possibility of them dying again. They will last for eternity. Like angels they will exist in the presence of God. There is no “Plan B” for God or idea of reincarnation for thhosde wanting a “second chance” at life.

Third, Resurrection is a birth into a new reality. Being reborn we become children of God, children of the resurrection. This means we cannot at the same time be “children of the Evil One, children of death.”

Fourth, although the term “resurrection” is not used in the Torah, which includes the first five books of the Bible accepted by the Saducees, there is indirect evidence for the resurrection in words spoken to Moses in the Book of Exodus. God, who is revealed as being eternally present, is shown as continuing to be the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Resurrection has been a part of God’s plan from the beginning as he wants the human race to share his life. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Saint Paul tells the Romans: “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8: 38-39)

Fifth, to God all people are alive. We cannot escape God through physical death rather all of us will live in eternity. What remains to be decided by me is how I will experience that eternity. Will I experience it as bliss, communion and infinite joy together with all I have loved throughout my life or will it be for me a state of regret, anger and resentment at the God who summoned me into existence in the first place?

Would Adolf Hitler feel happy to experience eternity together with all the Jews, Poles, priests, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Gypsies, Social Democrats, etc that he had tortured and murdered in this life?

Since the Mass is a sign and sacrament of the worship of heaven how I will experience the resurrection is indicated by how I experience church here and now. The question for me is: do I sense the in breaking of God’s life here and now? Do I welcome it? Am I already conformed to the life I will anticipate in the reality of the Resurrection? What is within my heart? Is it light or darkness? Saint John tells us: “This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all.” (1 Jn: 1: 5) How then can I know I love God, walking in the light, when I can’t see God? John goes on later to write: “Those who say, ‘I love God,’ and hate their brothers or sisters, are liars; for those who do not love a brother or sister whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen.” (1 Jn 4: 20)

The Resurrection, therefore, may be in the future and different from our present reality however the way I deal with God and my life now will endure for eternity. That is why we turn our hearts to God and pray we do not take with us into the resurrection the things that have cause us and others pain. Eternity is a very long time.

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today Jesus tells us: "Now he is God not of the dead, but of the living; for to him all of them are alive." (Lk 20: 38) In this instance he is referring directly to Abraham Isaac and Jacob however when we think of "all" it can be taken as the whole of the human race. That all human beings, alive or dead, from Adam and Eve onwards, are all alive to God is fitting but also mind boggling. It means that in the Mass, when we come into the presence of God, we are also present in a mysterious way to all of those who have preceded us in this life. We acknowledge this at the close of the preface to the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest says: "And so, with the company of Angels and Saints, we sing the hymn of your praise, as without end we acclaim" (EP for the Dead IV) The Mass is a sacrifice efficacious for both the living and the dead. The Council of Trent taught: "And forasmuch as, in this divine sacrifice which is celebrated in the mass, that same Christ is contained and immolated in an unbloody manner, who once offered Himself in a bloody manner on the altar of the cross; the holy Synod teaches, that this sacrifice is truly propitiatory and that by means thereof this is effected, that we obtain mercy, and find grace in seasonable aid, if we draw nigh unto God, contrite and penitent, with a sincere heart and upright faith, with fear and reverence." (Chapter II on the Sacrifice of the Mass) We should, therefore, have confidence in the Mass as a wonderful source of mercy and love not only for ourselves but also for loved ones died afflicted with sorrows, sins and regrets unresolved at the time of death.

31st Week in Ordinary Time

The story of Zacchaeus is familiar to most Mass-goers especially to those who have been to numerous First Reconciliation celebrations or those of  Rite II of Reconcilation. As a result it is a challenge for a preacher to say something new nevertheless we can always mine a nugget of insight from a closer reading of the text. It strikes me today that Jesus feels a sense of urgency and obligation to relate to Zacchaeus even before the man has spoken a word: "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today." (Lk 19: 5) This reminds me of the explanation of the father to the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal: "But we had to celebrate and rejoice, because this brother of yours was dead and has come to life; he was lost and has been found." (Lk 15: 32) God, it seems, is impelled by the force of his own infinite comapassion and love to be merciful. He will brook no delay! God is not a reluctant giver and does not wait for us to return. Instead he runs to me us and invites himself to a party that we did not even realise that we were going to have yet! What an amazing, joyful and generous Lord we have who watches out for our return to him and summons us to celebrate with him the new life that he offers each one of us every time we repent of our sins. This prompts us to generosity of our own. May we also be blessed to hear the words: "Today salvation has come to this house" (Lk 19: 9) during this Year of Mercy. 

30th Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our Gospel today we hear that the Pharisee, "standing by himself, was praying thus" (Lk 18: 11 NRSV version). The literal translation, which I prefer, is "praying to himself." In this way it is clear that the Pharissee is not praying at all! He is slapping himself on the back and reinforcing his self-righteousness by passing judgment on the tax collector. God has nothing to do with his "prayer" especially when we consider a definition of prayer is "to raise one's heart and mind to God."  Not only that the Phariseee is standing where everyone can see him so he can appear pious in their sight. The tax collector, for his part, is marginalised where few people can see him "standing far off" (Lk 18: 13) Yet, he is the one doing the praying as he implores: "God, be merciful to me a sinner!" (Lk 18: 13) We are all in need of God's mercy: "For there is no distinction , since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Rm 3: 23), and, "If we confess our sins, he who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned we make him (God) a liar, and his word is not in us." (1 Jn 1: 8-9) As we near the conclusion of the Year of Mercy let us uproot all self-righteousness from our hearts and, like the tax collector, approach with humility the throne of grace.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Today we hear: "Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart." (Lk 18: 1) This text recognises that prayer needs to be an ongoing and integrated aspect of our everyday life. Not only that, we are also made aware, as if we need any reminding, that we can become disheartened and inclined to give up on our prayers. How can this temptation be avoided? True, Jesus recommends that we should pray alone in private (Mtt 6: 6) nevertheless it remains that since we are encouraged to pray "Our Father" (Mtt 6: 9), rather than "My Father," we are also linked with others who pray to the Father even when we are alone. Jesus also tells us: "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." (Mtt 18: 20) We are always helped, therefore, when we pray with others. This may be as part of a prayer group, prayer chain, attending Mass or simply by informing someone that I am praying for them. Sometimes I am at Mass primarily for myself and my own spiritual/emotional needs while on other occasions I pray for others and their needs. Furthermore, if we accept God as the best of fathers, who knows what we want before we ask it of him, then we will more readily trust in him (Mtt 7: 7-11). This helps us to recognise the graces we have received: "You received without payment; give without payment." (Mtt 10: 8) and that all we need is a small amount of faith and nothing will be impossible for us (Mtt 17: 20). We should, finally, accept that we are not required to be experts in theology or spirituality to persist in prayer rather it suffices to have a relationship of intimate trust and gratitude with the Father who truly loves us: "At that time Jesus said, 'I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you  have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants; yes, Father, for such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him'. " (Mtt 11: 25-27) 

28th Week in Ordinary Time

Jesus asks the healed Samaritan: "Were not ten made clean? But the other nine, where are they?" (Lk 17: 17) I think we can detect some hurt feelings on Jesus' part. Remember that Jesus is fully human. Certainly, he possessed extraordinary attributes of healing, prayer and teaching yet his feelings could be hurt. He never asks for money or any other recognition. In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, he discourages people from telling others about what he has done for them (eg. Mk 1: 44). Yet, we see time and again that he is angered or hurt but a lack of gratitude, especially on the part of his own people, and their hardness of heart (eg. Mk 3: 5, Mk 6: 6, Mtt 9: 4 and Mtt 11: 20-24, etc). He expresses frustration at people's lack of faith: "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you" (Mtt 17: 17) and "And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth?" (Lk 18: 8). Today he asks: "Was none of them (the lepers) found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?" (Lk 17: 18) Jesus longs for us to respond to his love as he did with the people of Jerusalem: "How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!" (Mtt 23: 37) We should always remember the love that God has for us and use this to prompt us to loving conduct towards others as well as going to Mass on Sunday to offer God thanks, praise and worship. Saint Paul wrote: "And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were marked with a seal for the day of redemption. Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice, and be kind to one another, tender hearted and forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you. Therefore be imitators of God, beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." (Eph 4: 30-5: 2)