Homily for the Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 35:4-7a; Psalm 146:6-7,8-9,9-10 (1b); James 2:1-5; Mark 7:31-37
In today’s gospel reading, after performing the miracle of curing a man of his deafness and speech impediment, we once again hear Jesus “ordered them not to tell anyone.” But as we often read in the gospels, the people went out and proclaimed it all the more. They couldn’t stop themselves from telling others about Jesus. They wanted everyone to know about him.
So what is stopping you, from telling everyone you encounter, about Jesus?
Now we might be wondering, why would Jesus give such a order, to not tell anyone? I believe it had something to do with the fact this all occurred before the resurrection. And until Jesus died and rose from the dead, the story is incomplete, it couldn’t be fully understood. But we live after the resurrection, we know the story. It is like when we read a book or watch a movie, sometimes things don’t make sense, until we arrive at the end of the story. We have the ability to understand what Jesus was trying to teach us, and what we are to do.
For too much of my life, I didn’t tell the story of Jesus to those I encountered. When eating in public, I rarely prayed before meals, and when I did, there was no sign of the cross. I was one of those that Isaiah was talking about when he said “whose hearts are frightened.” I was afraid I wouldn’t know what to say if someone asked me about my prayer, or worse, if they ridiculed me about praying. I didn’t recognize the encounters with Jesus I had experienced. I was deaf to God because of the busyness of my life, juggling work, family and hobbies. I was involved in community organizations and volunteered on the ambulance and fire departments. I helped out at the parish with things like the computers and sound systems, and I even lectured and helped teach faith formation. But it wasn’t for the right reasons, it was, to some degree, because of what others might think of me. My priorities were not correct. I was deaf to what God was asking me to do, and because of it, I could not share Jesus with others, it was a type of speech impediment.
That all changed after I experienced the death of my Mom.
In being with her the last weeks of her life here on earth, I began to understand, we were not made for this world. We were made to spend eternity with God in heaven, and we are to share Jesus with everyone we meet, in order to help them get to heaven. For me, Mom’s death was an encounter with Jesus.
Unlike the man in the gospel reading, where Jesus put his fingers in the man’s ears, and touched his tongue and was immediately cured, mine cure was more gradual, it took several years, and in some ways, is still ongoing. I developed a more consistent prayer life. There was a longing to get to know Jesus better, so among other things, I attended a bible study and began the Lay Ministry program. The words in the reading from Isaiah began to make sense “Be strong, fear not! … the ears of the deaf be cleared; the tongue of the mute will sing.”
While the death of my Mom many years ago, or the death of Msgr. OC this past week, were not unexpected, none of us knows how much time we have here on earth. It could be only hours or days or weeks. Are we using the our time well? Are we doing what God wants us to be doing? Are we sharing Jesus with others? Or are we deaf to God, and as a result, we have a speech impediment when it comes to telling others about Jesus?
In order to excel at anything in our lives, we need to set priorities, study and practice. If you want to make the sports team at school, you have to study the game and practice by doing the drills. If you want to join band and make 1st chair, you have to learn the music and practice playing the notes. If you want to pass a class, you have pay attention in class, read and learn the material, and do the homework. To earn your next pay raise or promotion at work, you have to know how to do your job well, and be willing to learn new skills.
In our spiritual lives, which is not separate from our earthly lives, but intertwined with it, we need to do the same thing – set priorities, study and practice.
As I’ve said before, our most important priority should be living our lives so we may one day enter the gates of heaven. With that priority in mind, for husbands, that means a top priority for you is to help your wife live a good and holy life so she may attain heaven, just as for wives, one of your top priorities is to help your husband live a good and holy live, so he may attain heaven. Parents need to learn the teachings of Jesus, so they can set the example and teach their children all about Jesus. Each and every member of this community, needs to help the other members of this community live a good and holy life. But it isn’t just about our family or our parish, it is about helping to share the good news of Jesus, with everyone we encounter. We are not, as James says in the second reading, to judge if other people are worthy to hear the good news of Jesus, because of how they dress or their status in life.
Being a disciple of Christ, and we are all disciples because of our baptism, requires us to evangelize. This doesn’t necessarily mean going out into the street corner or going door-to-door, sharing the story of Jesus, but it might. It doesn’t mean making a big scene at the restaurant while you pray before eating. It can be as simple as a silent prayer when by yourselves, or praying together when you are with family or others. Just as Jesus met people where they were at, we too need to meet people where they are at. Some may be angry at the Catholic Church, or even God in general. Some may ask you questions about your faith, about your encounters with Jesus. You may know or encounter people who are Catholic, but have been away from the church for any number of reasons. Being a disciple, when we face some of these situations, we may feel inadequate, unsure of what to say and do. That even happens to those of us called to be Clergy, at least I know it does for this Deacon.
So how do you prepare yourself?
The first step you need to do, is to examine your priorities. If God is not your priority, what changes do you need to make in your life? Take a few minutes this week to examine your priorities, your personal priorities, your priorities as a couple if you are married, and your priorities as a family if you still have family living with you. Identify the things that might be causing you to become deaf to God’s voice.
Then with your new priorities in place, make a commitment to study and learn more about Jesus. That means plan to attend Faith Formation this year, or even respond to the call from God to help lead and teach, with your new-found voice. Our parish offers so many different opportunities to learn more about Jesus, and yes, they are not always available at a “convenient” times for everyone. But if heaven is where you want to spend eternity, and unfortunately, not everyone will make it, you need to start today, to making it a priority, by learning more about God, by allowing Jesus to open your ears so you can hear, and touching your tongue so you can speak plainly.
By making God the top priority in your life, by studying and practicing your faith in God, you will be strong, your ears will be opened so you can hear God’s voice, you will be able share your encounters with Jesus with others, and you will be practicing, to live eternity, in heaven.
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