Homily - 13th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

13^th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21       Second Reading: Galatians 5:1, 13-18         Gospel Reading: Luke 9:51-62

“IF YOU WANT TO BE MY DISCIPLE...”

Left on a sinking ship were the captain and three sailors. The captain spoke first. "Men, this business about a captain going down with his ship is nonsense. There's a three-man life raft on board and I'm going to be on it. To see who will come with me, I will ask you each one question. The one who can't answer will stay behind. Here's the first question: What unsinkable ship went down when it hit an iceberg?" The first sailor answered, "The Titanic, sir." On to the next question: “How many people perished?" The second sailor said, "One thousand five hundred and seventeen, sir." "Now for the third question," and the captain turned to sailor number three. "What were their names?"                                                         This is an illustration - of challenging someone! Jesus too challenges us if we want to follow him, if we want to come with him. Are we ready to take up his challenges and be on board with him?

Today is the 13^th Sunday in Ordinary Time and the Scriptures Readings of today underline some requirements of Christian discipleship. Following Jesus is not a walk in the park; it is a challenge. A person who is considering to follow a new direction in his life has first to make up his mind and make a decision. He must be willing to pay the price for his decision. He must be committed to his course of action.

GOSPEL CONTEXT:

Today’s Gospel Reading from St. Luke is on radical discipleship and is composed of two pericopes: Jesus’ departure for Jerusalem with his consequent experience of Samaritan in-hospitality and the hardships of the apostolic calling. The evangelist Luke presents the call to radical discipleship within the context of Jesus’ decisive journey to his paschal destiny. The Gospel passage begins with 9:51, which is a turning point in Luke’s narrative: “When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.”

These opening words of today’s Gospel indicate that we are moving into the second phase of Jesus’ public life and the second half of this gospel. The previous section concentrated on Jesus’ deeds; this section focuses primarily on his teaching. The first major section climaxed with Jesus’ interpretation of his Messiah-ship in terms of the Suffering Servant. This next section that runs from the ninth to the nineteenth chapter, which we call ‘the journey section,' introduces Jesus’ resolute departure for Jerusalem and the cross. His decision to go to Jerusalem is not a casual one but represents a deliberate decision, ready to undergo whatever is necessary for his work to be completed. Right away, he sets an example and a challenge for our commitment to join in his work and to be ready to take whatever comes in our doing of it.

Jesus took his disciples with him on this journey so he could continue to instruct them. It is a formation program for the disciples, specifically to teach them how to interiorize and live with the coming death and resurrection of Jesus. It is an education into coping with failure, and into hoping for a life through and beyond failure.

REJECTION BY SAMARITANS:

There is an irony when some Samaritans would not receive Jesus and his companions because Jesus and his disciples were going to Jerusalem. Though the Jews generally avoided the route to Jerusalem through Samaria because they were at odds with the Samaritans for ethnic and religious reasons, Jesus included the territory in his itinerary. Their reason was, apparently, religious bigotry yet Jesus was going to Jerusalem precisely to put an end to such divisions, to knock down all the barriers dividing people and to bring peace and reconciliation.

So, when James and John spoke so emotionally about what should happen to Samaritans, it was a general feeling of the time amongst Judeans. But Jesus rebuked them, in effect disassociating himself from their attitude that those who rejected him were to be exterminated. Actually, Luke’s Gospel goes out of its way many times to change the image of a Samaritan and that begins here. Jesus rebukes the Apostles for their ‘eye for an eye’ type logic. Later, Luke will have Jesus tell the story of the Good Samaritan, and the one Samaritan leper who comes back to thank Jesus. Luke takes Jesus’ rebuke seriously in his Gospel and tries to change minds about Samaritans.

RADICAL DISCIPLSHIP:

Rejected, Jesus and his disciples journeyed to another Samaritan village. And surprise of surprises, some villagers came up to Jesus offering to follow him! There were also others whom Jesus invited to be his followers. From these instances, we see Jesus spelling out some of the requirements of discipleship:

“I will follow you wherever you go.”

The first one courageously and generously says to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” He has a lot of enthusiasm but may not be aware of the realities facing him. Jesus pulls him up short. Even the wild animals have a place to live, he tells the man, but the 'Son of Man' has nowhere to call his own. He has no house, no property, no money. Jesus makes it clear that to follow him is no bed of roses - He has nothing to offer but himself and his message on the Kingdom.

There is a cost to discipleship. It will cost one his convenience and comfort. One needs to be aware of what is expected of a disciple. One must be ready to let go of people and things, of all strings and attachments, of all external securities and props. Am I ready for this? Or do I set up my securities first and then, carrying them with me, decide to follow him?

“Lord, let me go first and bury my father.”

The second man to whom Jesus says, “Follow me,” makes what seems a reasonable request, “Let me go and bury my father first.” The reply of Jesus sounds harsh, “Let the dead bury their own dead; your duty is to go and spread the news of the kingdom of God.” We should not conclude from this request that the man’s father was already dead. He may have been saying that he would follow Jesus only after he had fulfilled his filial duties to his father. For Jesus, the demand of discipleship overrode even that which the Jews and most, if not all, cultures regarded as a filial obligation of the highest importance. Even what is culturally sacred such as one’s family obligations take second place. To be a disciple is to make Jesus and his mission the first priority in our lives.

Jesus, of course, is not saying that we should not love and respect members of our family. But he is asking where our priorities in life really are. He is saying that, if we wish to be his disciple, we cannot make our own arrangements first and then, only when we are ready, go and follow him. The demands of the Kingdom, the world of truth, compassion, justice, freedom and peace, which we are called to build, come first of all.

“But first let me say farewell to my family at home.”

Now a third man is asked by Jesus to follow him and he wants to follow Jesus but wants to say goodbye to his family and friends first. To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” Again, a hard, cold saying. But what it means is that the true follower of Christ is one who trusts in Jesus completely and relies on him. To be a disciple is to be committed to the task and to be single-minded in purpose. Also the call is now, today and the response must also be now, today. In effect, Jesus wants his followers to look to the future and not to the past. There is no turning back. One must burn his bridges behind.

There was a great general who set out to conquer a group of fierce tribes on an island. When his soldiers had crossed to the island he ordered the boats to be burned. There was no turning back. They had to move forward and win or die. Great sacrifices had to be made if one was to be a part of this conquering group. This is the same when we follow Jesus. It is a serious decision and entails commitment, sacrifices and perseverance.

In all these, we see a dramatic urgency in Jesus' challenge: the disciple has to decide which has priority, loyalty to family and culture or loyalty to mission. For his disciple to be freed for mission, he must first be freed from his past ties. It is not a road easily followed - and we are not privy to the heart and soul-searching that must have gone into it on Jesus’ part. We do know, however, that his own resolve was something he knew would have to be matched by his disciples.

EXAMPLE OF ELISHA:

In today's Gospel Jesus tells us the importance of an immediate response to a call from God. The First Reading from 1^st Book of Kings illustrates this premise. At God's command, Prophet Elijah appoints Elisha to be his successor. He throws his cloak, the symbol of his prophet's vocation, over Elisha's shoulders. At first Elisha hesitated and wanted to make his goodbyes to his family. When Elijah reprimanded him, he made up his mind and slaughtered his oxen. He then severed any connection with his past life by using his plowing equipment as fuel, cooked the meat and gave it to his people to eat. Elisha thus dropped everything and empty-handed but totally free, he then followed Elijah.

It seems paradoxical that, in the Gospel, Jesus uses setting one’s hand to the plow as an example of what discipleship requires - yet in the First Reading, Elisha’s commitment to discipleship involves his using his own plow to create the fire which cooked the slaughtered oxen. It amounts to literally burning his bridges behind him - as a sign of having no way back.

When Elijah put his cloak over Elisha’s shoulders, he was, in effect, commissioning Elisha as disciple, handing on the mantle. Elisha, busy about his daily work, is understandably taken aback; there was no way he could have prepared for this when he left home that morning.

This is often the way with a call to discipleship. For some, it is a 'once-and-for-all' call to follow - giving up everything to follow Jesus. For most of us, it can be an occurrence within our daily lives when we are suddenly reminded just who we are and what we are about.

CALL TO FREEDOM:

In the Second Reading of today from the Letter to the Galatians, St. Paul reminds the Galatians that they have been called to live in freedom and advises them to throw away the yoke of slavery. He tells them - 'The call of Jesus shatters the yoke of every servitude, sets us free from the rituals of the old Law, shows us the Law’s fulfillment in the following of Jesus, in serving one another through love. His call sets our hands to a new plow, a new task—to be his messengers, sent ahead to prepare all peoples to meet him and enter into his Kingdom.' They must therefore follow Christ in his example of love. The law that matters is the law of love, “Out of love, place yourselves at one another’s service.” Those who listen to the 'flesh' - whatever urges them to act against God's will - are still slaves. They act against their own best interests when they listen to the voice of selfishness.

To be free, St. Paul further warns is not an excuse for self-indulgence although there are those who seem to think that freedom is expressed by unlimited and unimpeded self-indulgence. To be free is not to escape from the realities of living but to face up to them. To be fully free is to take total responsibilities for one’s own life and not put the blame for personal difficulties on other people. It means not clinging to external securities like money, property, status, success, achievements and the like. And, strangely enough, the free person does exactly what he wants because what he passionately wants is a world of truth, and caring, and sharing, and inner security and peace.

CONCLUSION:

“IF YOU WANT TO BE MY DISCIPLE...” All of us who profess ourselves to be Christians have been called by Jesus to follow him. Have we fully responded to this call? Or do we, like those called by Jesus, also have all kinds of excuses or conditions? Since the offer of Jesus to follow him is absolute, is our response also absolute? Or is it rather conditional and even with a tinge of regret?

Being a disciple of Jesus in our own day brings its own challenges - and our resolve can be sorely tested. Our reservations and temptations will be different from those of the people mentioned in today’s Gospel, but they are nonetheless real.

Today’s liturgy challenges us to re-examine the attachments that may be holding us back from a liberated and joyful following of Jesus. Attachment literally means 'staked to.' That may be a plow or a family or a corpse, by way of a strong chain or a golden thread. Let’s choose God with the same responsible abandon of Elisha following Elijah, the same freedom mentioned by Paul, and the same resolve of Jesus going to Jerusalem. Let’s each of us discern the Jerusalem we must face in our lives; that kind of commitment and effort frees us. It makes us free to be different without being afraid. It’s exhilarating, and filled with joy. Jesus “resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem.” Do we have the same determination in our discipleship and thus achieve our own exodus too? And this is the Good News of today.

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Homily - 12th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

12^th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: Zechariah 12:10-11; 13:1        Second Reading: Galatians 3:26-29         Gospel Reading: Luke 9:18-24

“WHOEVER LOSES HIS LIFE FOR MY SAKE WILL SAVE IT.”

Once walking through the twisted little streets of Kowloon in Hong Kong, a man came upon a tattoo studio. In the window were displayed samples of the tattoos available. On the chest or arms you could have tattooed an anchor or flag or mermaid or whatever. But what struck him with force were three words that could be tattooed on one's flesh: “Born to lose.” He entered the shop in astonishment and pointing to those words, asked the Chinese tattoo artist, "Does anyone really have that terrible phrase, 'Born to lose,' tattooed on his body." He replied, "Yes, sometimes." "But," the man said, "I just can't believe that anyone in his right mind would do that." The Chinese man simply tapped his forehead and said in broken English, "Before tattoo on body, tattoo on mind."

It may sound puzzling – 'Born to lose.' But in the Gospel Reading of toady, Jesus gives a similar warning to his disciples, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” In order to obtain a new identity as true disciples of Christ, one has to lose his old self, for Jesus himself had to lose his life in order to save mankind.

Today's Gospel from St. Luke is perhaps one of the most poignant accounts of Jesus. The scene opens with Jesus praying alone. Luke presents Jesus as praying before all the important events of his life - and this is no different. Jesus was already turning his face towards Jerusalem and he well knew what awaited him there. He knew that he was going to a cross to die; and he wanted to make sure before he went, if there was anyone who had really discovered who he was. This is one of the most crucial moments in the life of Jesus. The right answer would make all the difference. If there is dull incomprehension, all his work will go for nothing.

IDENTIFICATION:

So, when Jesus was praying in solitude and the disciples were with him, he asked, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" What did Jesus feel as he asked? What answer did he expect, or hope for? And what did he think when the disciples repeated various speculations of the crowd, 'John the Baptist, Elijah, or one of the ancient prophets arisen?' Each of these was an honorable status, so perhaps Jesus didn’t mind if the people thought of these identifications about him.

But Jesus was more interested in what the disciples themselves had to say; so, he posed them a more searching question, “But who do you say that I am?” It could have been an invitation to disclose their intimate thoughts, though perhaps it was a question about the way they spoke of Jesus to others, how they described him when they were away from the presence of Jesus, as the question had not arisen with such specificity among themselves. He was allowing them to be close to him, and to be inspired by the Holy Spirit about his identity.

On the first glance this question of Jesus appears quite simple, but it is tricky as it knocks at the ground of one's very faith. Of course it is a personal question and it demands a personal answer too.

Did Jesus hope - after all the miracles and teachings – his disciples would finally understand? Do they see him as the crowds do - or is their vision any clearer? Speaking in the name of them all, and, so it seems, spontaneously, Peter declared, “The Christ of God!” - 'The Anointed One.' That was an immediate identification with the Messiah, who would lead the people and overcome all nations. But Jesus’ definition of a Messiah is not the kingly figure who will win earthly battles, so he asks the Apostles to keep the secret. Jesus is very clear about his own identity and the fact that he is the Messiah. But he is not ready yet to let others know. Because their idea of a Messiah is different than the actual one, he may not be able to do what he needs to do with the wrong expectations about him.

DESTINY:

Jesus must have been heartened to hear the declaration of Peter - but immediately he turns the attention of the disciples to the fact that the 'anointed Messiah' is also described by Isaiah as a 'suffering servant,' and leads them to see that the path he is to follow is not the one they might expect for the Christ. His path will not lead to recognition and status - the elders and those in authority will reject him and his message. Not only will he be rejected but he will suffer grievously - be put to death - but then, ultimately triumph by being raised from the dead. He will bear loss of his life in order to gain salvation for mankind. So, from now on, the disciples must begin to learn that this is the kind of Messiah they are following. Jesus is no popular hero of the hour, no champion of the Jewish cause against foreign domination, no leader of a liberation war.

The First Reading of today from the Book of the Prophet Zachariah has been chosen to give us an insight on the Gospel from the Old Testament. It speaks of a Messianic prophecy similar to the ‘suffering servant’ prophecies of Isaiah. “They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him as one mourns for an only son, and they shall grieve over him as one grieves over a firstborn.” These words are picked up in John’s account of the crucifixion of Jesus. He has witnessed the suffering and death of Jesus - as Jesus foretold it in today’s Gospel - and the final act of brutality - the piercing of the side of his already dead body.

Zechariah describes to a demoralized people a future in which God will pour out his grace upon them as they ask forgiveness for killing this mysterious 'servant.' His words give us an insight into what has happened: It is only in the moment of utter loss and of great mourning that the true identity of Jesus is revealed. The blood and water from his side become the fountain opened to cleanse and purify - not just the House of David and citizens of Jerusalem - but the whole world. The early Christian community saw in this not so easily understandable passage the Messiah, the crucified Jesus, with a lance thrust into his side. Yes, Jesus Christ is indeed the 'fountain' out of which flows life-giving water, God’s grace. Jesus Christ is indeed our Savior.

IMITATION:

But it is not enough to recognize Jesus as the Messiah or to be filled with wonder and compassion at his suffering, death and resurrection. We are called to imitate him and be his followers, disciples. And, as disciples of Jesus, today we are called - to deny self, to take up our cross every day and to follow him. But how do we imitate Jesus?

Once President Calvin Coolidge invited some people from his hometown to dinner at the White House. Since they did not know how to behave at such an occasion, they thought the best policy would be just to do what the President did. The time came for serving coffee. The President poured his coffee into a saucer. As soon as the home folk saw it, they did the same. The next step for the President was to pour some milk and add a little sugar to the coffee in the saucer. The home folks did the same. They thought for sure that the next step would be for the President to take the saucer with the coffee and begin sipping it. But the President didn't do so. He leaned over, placed the saucer on the floor and called the cat.

True discipleship is not a blind and ignorant imitation, but lovingly & attentively following Jesus, ready to suffer and die for him. That is to say, we are called to lose ourselves in order to gain eternal life. Jesus himself warns in today's gospel, “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.”

St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians, from which today's Second Reading is taken, is one of Paul’s earliest letters and is thought to be actually composed by him, and has as its central theme how Gentiles or non-Jews could convert to Christianity. It is also very much a criticism of the Galatians and contains much of Paul’s thinking.

In today's reading St. Paul speaks about baptism and he sees it as clothing oneself with Christ; i.e. through baptism we put on Christ, we become one with Christ, we become another Christ. Baptism thus gives us a new kind of status. We are joined to him and become part of his body. That is our primary identification and so all the other signs of status-seeking are secondary. That is to say, in baptism, we have been tattooed, 'Born to lose' so to speak, branded or identified by God as belonging to a community of disciples. Jesus is our master. Baptism is not just a simple rite or milestone in one’s life: it is a transforming experience in which God lives in us and we live in God. That’s our new identity, our indelible brand. We become empowered by God’s grace, God’s favor, to live as a disciple of Jesus.

In baptism we enter a new family of people who are truly brothers and sisters, daughters & sons of one God and are called to reveal the 'glory of God' by practicing the virtues in our everyday lives. In this family, there are no distinctions. We die to our old self and begin a new life. “There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither man nor woman.” Baptism takes away all of the things that divide us or categorize us in earthly terms and make us equal and one in Christ. It is a society of fellowship, free of prejudice and discrimination, bringing love, justice, reconciliation and peace to all.

CONCLUSION:

Today, Jesus asks the same question to each one of us, "Who do you say that I am?" We call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ. How shall we respond?

The three readings today tell us that there are no free rides. In the First Reading and the Gospel Reading we learn that the one who is sent from God must suffer and die before he would be validated by God. In the Second Reading we learn that we must put aside our prejudices and biases whether they are based on ethnicity or social class or even gender. For many of us putting aside such biases would be a form of death, or a kind of loss.

Again, if we want to continue following Jesus, we must travel the same journey, the way which leads to the cross. Jesus' words to the disciples then - and to us now - are clear and uncompromising - his way will be our way. If we follow him, we too will have crosses to bear - suffering will not pass us by any more than it passed him by. It will seem that we are losing our lives as we try to model them on his; we may not die for him but there are many ways of laying down one’s life for the One we love. And this is the Good News of today.

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Homily - 11th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

11^th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

First Reading: 2 Samuel 12:7-10, 13         Second Reading: Galatians 2:16, 19-21         Gospel Reading: Luke 7:36-8:3

“LORD, FORGIVE THE WRONG I HAVE DONE.”

A King of Prussia once visited a convict prison, and interviewing the prisoners one by one asked each of them for what crime they had been sentenced. They all declared themselves innocent of any misdeed whatsoever, except one man who owned up to the evil he had done, and said that he deserved what he was getting. The King ordered his immediate release. “For,” said he, “this man obviously has no business here among all these innocent people.”

If we want our sins forgiven, the first step is to admit and acknowledge that we have committed them and need to seek reconciliation. We are all sinners, and we all need forgiveness. Therefore let us humbly say - “Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.”

Today is 11^th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Today’s readings are all about repentance and forgiveness – repentance, manifested out of deep faith, and forgiveness, expressed in passionate love. Let us consider each of them:

“I have sinned against the Lord.”

In the First Reading of today from the 2nd Book of Samuel, we hear about the sin of King David. King David was not always a hero; in fact, at times he wronged people, although he had been made king over Israel and had been showered with God’s many blessings, yet that was not enough for him.

One day, while he was walking on his rooftop terrace he saw a beautiful married woman by the name of Bathsheba, the wife of one of his generals, Uriah, the Hittite, bathing on her terrace. Lust got the better of David and he committed adultery with her and she became pregnant. To make the matter worse, he tried to cover over his wrongdoing and when his stratagems failed, he engineered the death of Uriah. He had Uriah deliberately posted in the most dangerous part of the battlefield where he was killed. David not only committed adultery but also murder.

When his sin was pointed out to him by Nathan the prophet, David was filled with sorrow and bitterly repented of what he had done, “I have sinned against the Lord.” His repentance won the Lord’s forgiveness and he was spared. Like David, any one of us can lose our perspective and let our desires rule us. Let us therefore earnestly pray to God and say - “Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.”

“Your faith has saved you.”

In the Gospel Reading of today according to Luke, the author tells the beautiful story of the penitent woman with a reputation as a 'sinner,' at the house of a Pharisee named Simon, who invited Jesus to dine with him. Outpouring her love for Jesus, she disregards the usual way guests are treated at a banquet. She bathes Jesus' feet first with her tears, wipes them dry with her hair, kisses them, and then anoints them with precious ointment. This story is a powerful example of the relationship between forgiveness and love.

Now, this is one of the most striking scenes in the whole of the Gospel. Actually, all four Gospels tell of Jesus being anointed by a woman, and down the centuries the four accounts have, naturally enough, been considered together and conflated. However, it should not be thought to be the same incident, described in Matthew and Mark, where a woman pours ointment over the head of Jesus in the house of Simon the leper (although the host in both scenes is called Simon). In John, the incident is described as taking place in the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus where Mary is the one pouring the ointment and anointing the feet of Jesus. Furthermore, the other three Gospels link the anointing to the passion of Jesus and record a complaint about the waste of money through the use of the ointment.

Thus this is a story only found in Luke and we must set these associations aside. Luke is a skilful writer and we need to consider the episode solely as it fits into his story and ignore the other sources. The story occurs much earlier in Luke than the other Gospels and furthermore, it is only Luke who mentions that the woman is a 'sinner.'

Now, whether Simon's intentions in inviting Jesus were upright or otherwise is not clear. Did he regard it as a privilege to have Jesus in his house or did he simply want an opportunity to challenge Jesus about some of his teachings and behavior? In any case, Jesus accepted the invitation and he joined Simon and others at the table. As we know, Jesus was not selective about the company he kept: he accepted invitations from rich and poor, from both Pharisees and tax collectors.

Again, Simon, the host of the banquet, showed Jesus none of the usual courtesies extended to an honored guest when he arrived, viz. a kiss of peace, water for washing his feet & ointment for his head. Yet, the sinful woman more than made up for it.

Also, it is not clear whether what happened next was totally spontaneous or whether it was part of a conspiracy to put Jesus in a compromising position where he could be denounced. In one sense it was strange that a woman such as this could burst into a Pharisee's house unchallenged, although houses would not be bolted and barred. On the other hand, the more sinister and nasty possibility is that, as happened on other occasions, the whole scenario was planned to embarrass and compromise Jesus. This is a more likely explanation of how such a woman could gain accesses to a Pharisee’s house. Here was a real test of his orthodoxy. How would he deal with an obviously immoral woman? It was a similar test to the one with the woman taken in adultery.

This is a really extraordinary story. To appreciate this one has to enter into it and be really present with all one's senses active. What comes across is the amazing composure and inner security and freedom of Jesus during the whole episode. He shows absolutely no signs of being uncomfortable or embarrassed. He does not pull away or tell the woman to stop what she is doing. What is clear is that the woman's own intentions were sincere and his focus is entirely on her intentions and not on how it looks to the other people in the room. Let us admire Jesus’ ability to focus totally on the woman and not be self-conscious about the other people around. Jesus can see that the woman is expressing sincere repentance, and this results in her being filled with love.

But, Simon, whether he had planned it or not, was deeply shocked at the extraordinary scene that was being playing out before his eyes and in his house. He was not impressed at all with the effusive gesture of repentance of the woman. Even for the most virtuous of women it would have been outrageous behavior. Yet he made no attempt to keep out the sinful woman. What was important for him was that if Jesus was really a prophet then he should have known that the woman ministering to him was a sinner and he should therefore not have allowed her to even get near him, much less to minister to him.

Jesus was fully aware of what was going on in Simon's mind. Knowing this was a test, Jesus then tests Simon. He tells him a story about two debtors. One owed a large amount and other a smaller amount. However, the creditor wrote off both debts. He asks him a simple question with an obvious and simple answer to it - “Which of the two would be more grateful and appreciative?” Obviously the one who had been remitted the larger debt, said Simon. "Well said," replied Jesus and then went on to apply the parable to let the Pharisee see where he was wrong. In the process he indicated something that Simon had probably not thought of – that he, too, was a sinner, even though to a lesser degree. Jesus rebuked Simon for seeing only the sinfulness of the woman and not his own. Consequently he showed little love toward Jesus. Consequently, too, he remained in his sins as his self-righteousness was not righteousness at all.

Now comes the central point of the story: Far from being angry or embarrassed, Jesus tells the woman that her sins are forgiven. This was not so much because of Jesus exercising his power. It was really her faith and clear repentance which won her forgiveness. The forgiveness is manifested in the outpouring of love that follows. Love and sin are incompatible; they cannot co-exist in the same person. She was loving Jesus so much at that moment that she could not be a sinner.

Faith, not Law:

The Second Reading of today from St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians touches on the heart of today’s Mass. “What makes a person right with God is not obedience to the Law but faith in Jesus Christ.” That was the difference between the Pharisee and the sinful woman. Simon based his goodness on the mechanical observance of laws and regulations. He judged others by the same standards. In his book, there was no place for someone like the woman in the story. The woman, however, in the presence of Jesus throws herself at his feet and surrenders entirely to him. He accepts her totally even when she behaves in a way which 'respectable' society would regard as outrageous. Far from being scolded, she is rewarded for her “faith.”

Faith is not, as some people seem to think, just an intellectual act. It is primarily an act of love and total trust. As Paul tells us today, it is that trust in God through Jesus Christ that transforms our lives. For such people law has no real meaning; there is no need for law when our lives are totally directed by love. A truly loving person cannot do an evil thing, although he/she may violate the letter of a law. As long as there is love, the real intentions of the law will be observed. On the other hand, just to keep the law without love will end in very undesirable results. So, Paul, who left the Law and gave himself entirely to Christ his Lord, says today, “I live. No, it is not I but Christ lives in me.” He has become so totally identified with the Lord that he can hardly say what belongs to him and what belongs to Jesus. Like the woman in the Gospel, Paul, too, was passionately in love with Jesus. May we follow in their footsteps.

Conclusion:

Today's reading helps us to see the importance of faith which led Jesus to finally say to the sinful woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace." The woman manifested such a deep faith in God that it led her to seek forgiveness for her sins. And because so much was forgiven, she in turn overwhelmed Jesus with her love. The whole episode is thus a powerful lesson on the relation between forgiveness and love. If we want to live as true Christians here and now, let us do likewise.

Also, St. Paul says that having faith in Jesus is what makes us favorable in God's eyes. Paul tells us that his faith is so strong that it's as if he no longer lives, but Christ lives in him. People should be able to see God's love radiating in us. Those who are so intent on keeping the law that they don't reflect God's love are missing the point.

Finally, let us always keep in mind - God always forgives, if we are truly sorry, no matter how far we stray from Him. He always tries to rehabilitate and not to punish. Punishment destroys. God's desire is that we be all made whole and experience inner peace and harmony. And, one of the keys here is the ‘asking’ of forgiveness. We have merely to say in good faith, “Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.” Also, do we ask for the forgiveness of one another when we are truly sorry for wronging them?

So, let us ask God for forgiveness, and do it out of love and respect – and we will be forgiven. Jesus has given us the means for this to happen; one of these is the Eucharist and the other is the sacrament of Reconciliation. Surely, we don’t want to be like the Pharisee but rather like the woman, who loves more and is forgiven more. And this is the Good News of today.

 

 

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Homily - 10th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

10^th Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

 

First Reading: 1 Kings 17:17-24            Second Reading: Galatians 1:11-19            Gospel Reading: Luke 7:11-17

“I WILL PRAISE YOU, LORD, FOR YOU HAVE RESCUED ME.”

Once a Church had fallen upon hard times. Only five members were left: the pastor and four others, all over 60 years old.

In the mountains near the Church there lived a retired Bishop. It occurred to the pastor to ask the Bishop if he could offer any advice that might save the Church. The pastor and the Bishop spoke at length, but when asked for advice, the Bishop simply responded by saying, "I have no advice to give. The only thing I can tell you is that the Messiah is one of you."

The pastor, returning to the Church, told the church members what the Bishop had said. In the months that followed, the old church members pondered the words of the Bishop. "The Messiah is one of us?" they each asked themselves. As they thought about this possibility, they all began to treat each other with extraordinary respect on the off chance that one among them might be the Messiah. And on the off, off chance that each member himself might be the Messiah, they also began to treat themselves with extraordinary care.

As time went by, people visiting the Church noticed the aura of respect and gentle kindness that surrounded the five old members of the small Church. Hardly knowing why, more people began to come back to the Church. They began to bring their friends, and their friends brought more friends. Within a few years, the small Church had once again become a thriving Church, thanks to the Bishop's gift. The dead Church had come to life again.

Yes, Jesus is the Messiah who rescues and restores all of us back to life. We may not be physically dead, but there are other levels – social, emotional, moral, spiritual etc. that we may rarely be alive in a real sense. Jesus promised to give us life, life in great abundance. So, we joyfully proclaim, “I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.”

Today is the 10^th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Usually on Sundays the Church gives us a First Reading that in some way points forward to the Gospel Reading, and today's is a particularly obvious example. Both the First reading and the Gospel story are about the restoration of life.

The First Reading from the Book of Kings tells the story of a woman’s dead son being restored to life. Escaping from a terrible drought and famine, the prophet Elijah came across a widow at the city gate of Zarephath and asked her for a cup of water and a piece of bread. The woman told him that she was just then gathering some wood with which to cook her and her son's last meal. But Elijah insisted with the assurance, "The Lord, the God of Israel, says, 'The jar of flour shall not go empty, nor the jug of oil run dry, until the day when the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'" She then did as requested and the Lord's promise was fulfilled. He stayed with them till the end of the famine.

Some time later, the woman's son got sick and died. In no uncertain terms, she took it out on Elijah and blamed him for her son's death. She saw Elijah as a man of God bringing punishment on her former sins. In the face of this, Elijah could have left right away. But moved by her grief, he brought her son's body to his room, laid him on his bed, stretched himself over him, and prayed for the return of his life. It did and Elijah gave him back to his mother. At this, the woman said, "Now indeed I know that you are a man of God." She now sees Elijah truly as a man of God bringing life to his people.

We see something similar happen in the Gospel Reading of today from St. Luke. The story St. Luke recalls is a very striking one, and he tells it with a sensitivity that moves us each time we hear it. Jesus, accompanied by his disciples and a large crowd, is on his way to the city of Naim when he comes across a tragic funeral procession. A young man, the only son of his widowed mother, had died and was being brought out of the city to the cemetery. She was accompanied by a large number of her neighbors to somehow assuage her grief. Moved with compassion, Jesus comforts the unfortunate woman, and stopping the procession by putting his hand on the bier carrying the dead man, he calls him back to life, and gives him to his mother. Seized with fear, everyone glorifies God and exclaims, "A great prophet has arisen in our midst," and "God has visited his people."

This simple story is only one of the three occasions in which Jesus restored a dead person to life, but the restoration of the widow’s son is unique to St. Luke’s gospel. All three synoptics have recorded the raising of Jairus’ daughter and only St. John has narrated the sign of Lazarus. Because the Naim story has been told by St. Luke alone, the reader should be aware of certain Lucan themes and emphases. For example, the fact that the story centers upon a woman, and a 'widowed' woman at that, reflects the evangelist’s penchant for showing Jesus’ concern for the disadvantaged of society. Also, the whole event has been cast in such a way as to recall the same deed as performed by the prophet Elijah in the First Reading. By presenting Jesus in the same light as the ninth century prophet, who had become an eschatological figure connected with the advent of the messiah, St. Luke underscored the actions of Jesus as looking toward the end time and his role as Messiah.

The above two readings of the day have a lot in common – a poor widow, a sad and tragic situation, a young deceased son, restoration of life, and astonishment in Divine presence! St Luke can't possibly have missed the strong similarities between these two stories. However, there are also some striking differences/contrasts between the two stories:

The restoration to life of the dead is a prophetic act of Jesus! However, it is clear in the narrative that St. Luke did not wish to present Jesus only as an Elijah figure. Indeed, the evangelist has stressed the difference and superiority of Jesus’ power by explaining that he healed 'with a word.' There are none of the mysterious rituals (stretching out, breathing, etc.) in Jesus’ simple actions. Moreover, whereas Elijah performed his rite over the boy three times and prayed to God for success, Jesus had power of himself to effect what he willed. While Luke wished his readers to 'remember' Elijah, he did not want them to misconstrue Jesus’ identity. While Elijah was anticipated as 'herald of the kingdom' and of a renewed humanity, Jesus was 'himself that kingdom' and the bringer of a new life to all of mankind. Elijah is a prophet of the Lord; Jesus is the Lord, he is the Resurrection and the Life.

Again, we mustn't lose sight of the source of Jesus' prophetic ministry. That he is a prophet who works mighty wonders, there can be no doubt, and we agree entirely with the people, but we want to say more, and St. Luke tells us more. Jesus doesn't raise up the widow's son because that will prove to the people that he's a prophet; he doesn't do it for himself at all - he does it for her. It is significant that faith was not mentioned as a motive for Jesus’ action; indeed, from the story, it would appear that compassion had moved him to act, for we are told “when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her.…” This act, plus the nature of the miracle, underscored Jesus’ work as a signal of 'the messianic era.' Jewish tradition anticipated the age of the messiah as one in which all the suffering and the poor would be restored.

Moreover, St. Luke wants us to find more in this story than evidence of the compassion of Jesus. An examination of the context of this miracle with regard to the rest of the gospel would indicate that Luke had so placed it to prepare for the answer of Jesus to John the Baptizer’s disciples in 7:22. Immediately after describing this incident, he recalls the messengers who came from John the Baptist to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come?” To this question Jesus replied by reminding them of the signs spoken of by the prophets, signs that would announce the coming of the Messiah, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard. The blind recover their sight, cripples walk, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, 'dead men are raised to life' and the poor have the good news preached to them.” In answering the needs of the blind, the deaf, the poor, etc. Jesus had answered as well the questions about his identity, his power and his saving purpose.

In this miracle, Jesus demonstrates his invincible power over death, ‘the last enemy to be destroyed’ as Paul tells us. He is anticipating the ultimate triumph of his Paschal Mystery. Today’s Second Reading from Paul’s letter to the Galatians – recalling his sharing in Christ’s triumph, when God ‘called him through his grace, and chose to reveal his Son to him’ – reminds us that we can all know the compassion of Jesus, as he shares with us his triumph over the reign of death.

To conclude, the two stories of today's Scripture Readings should help us to look at our own situation and see, first of all, how alive we really are, or how fully we are living our lives! Someone has said that most of us are dead or asleep. We do not live in the real world of the now. We are nostalgically looking at the past or we are dreaming about a future that never comes. In the meantime, the real world just passes us by.

At the same time we are surrounded by lots of people who are barely alive in the real sense. Maybe we can do something to lift them up and give them new life or improve the quality of their living. Jesus promised to give us life, life in great abundance. Also, God wants no one to suffer unnecessarily. What have we done when we are confronted by the concrete suffering of other people? What have we done when people share their pains and sufferings with us? Have we remained unmoved or have we involved ourselves in their suffering by lending a compassionate ear or extending a helping hand?

God wants life! This is clear in both cases. Life is God’s plan on earth. Death is where relationships break, and where hope dies, where love is lacking. Yes, there are many ‘dead’ around us. It is now our task to further the action of Christ in giving life to them. As Christians, we bear Christ, his life and his joy in our lives and in our activities. We often meet people in our life, many who have lost their hope; those who are in need of help. Can we give the divine joy for others through our presence? Is my life a living testimony of God, his love and mercy? Our God is a God of life! We are his children! Let us be the messengers of life! And this is the Good News of today.

                               

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