HOMILY FOR 15TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME—C


IF WE LISTEN CAREFULLY TO THE READINGS TODAY, WE WILL HEAR THE WHOLE OF CATHOLIC LIFE SPELLED OUT.  SCRIPTURE PUTS IT VERY GENTLY BUT VERY, VERY CLEARLY.


OUR RESTLESS HEARTS MURMUR: IF I ONLY KNEW THE WILL OF GOD.  IF I ONLY KNOW WHAT GOD WANTS OF ME, I WOULD BE WILLING TO DO IT.  BUT EVERYTHING IS SO DIFFICULT AND GOD’S WILL SEEMS HARD TO FIGURE OUT.


YET IN THE READING TODAY FROM DEUTERONOMY, MOSES SAYS THAT GOD’S VOICE RINGS OUT LOUD AND STRONG WITH WHAT HE WANTS OF US.  IT’S VERY, VERY SIMPLE.  IT’S NOT HARD TO SEE.  IT’S WITH US ALL THE TIME, JUST RIGHT IN US.  NOT IN THE SKY, BUT IN OUR MOUTHS AND HEARTS.  ALL WE HAVE TO DO IS TO CARRY IT OUT.


BUT WHAT IS IT?  WE ARE LIKE RAFTS THAT ARE BUILT TO FLOAT GENTLY TO OUR DESTINATION ON THE STREAM OF GOD’S LOVE AND LOVE OF NEIGHBOR.  THAT’S WHAT WE DESIGNED TO DO.  THAT’S WHAT WOULD MAKE US TRULY HAPPY.


YET WE ACT LIKE WE ARE SPEEDBOATS CRAZILY ZIPPING UP THIS BLIND INLET OR TRYING TO FORCE OUR WAY UP, THRU AND OVER RAPIDS.  IT’S SO EASY BUT OUR WORLD MAKES IT SO HARD.


THE WORLD TELLS US THAT OUR TRUE NATURE CAN BE FOUND UP THE STREAM CALLED WEALTH, OR THE CREEK CALLED POWER, OR IN THE BLIND BAY CALLED LUST.  YET THOSE ARE NOT THE DESIRES IN THE DEPTHS OF OUR HEART.  THOSE DESIRES ARE INVENTIONS OF THE WORLD FOISTED ON US BY VERY TALENTED PUBLIC RELATIONS PEOPLE.


WHAT IS IT REALLY THEN?  THIS WILL OF GOD THAT’S IN OUR MOUTHS AND HEARTS?  THE GOSPEL TELLS US.  A SCRIBE, A SCHOLAR OF THE LAW, HITS THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD: GOD’S WILL IS FOR US TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL OUR HEART, BEING, STRENGTH AND MIND AND ALSO TO LOVE OUR NEIGHBORS AS OURSELVES.

THE LIVING OF IT IS THE RUB, WHERE THINGS GET DIFFICULT.  THE SCRIBE ASKS JESUS WHO IS HIS NEIGHBOR.  WHO, INDEED, IS OUR NEIGHBOR?  SURELY NOT THOSE DIRTY AND DISGUSTING STREET PEOPLE?  SURELY NOT THE OPPRESSED IN ZIMBABWE OR THE REFUGEES OF DARFUR?  SURELY NOT THE PEOPLE WHO TRY TO HARM OUR MARINES, AIRMEN, SAILORS AND SOLDIERS?


THERE ARE SO MANY REASONS NOT TO STOP TO HELP THE ROBBERY VICTIM IN TODAY’S GOSPEL.  I MIGHT GET SUED.  SOMEONE ELSE WITH MORE TIME WILL STOP.  THE POOR GUY SHOULD HAVE TAKEN A DIFFERENT ROUTE.  CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME NOT WITH SOME STRANGER.  I DON’T EVEN KNOW HIM.  HE’S NOT MY NEIGHBOR.  HE’S EVEN FROM A DIFFERENT COUNTRY.  WE ALL KNOW THE EXCUSES THAT WE MAKE.

JESUS DEMOLISHES THOSE EXCUSES WITH HIS PARABLE.  THE SCRIBE GETS THE POINT AND SAYS THAT IT WAS THE SAMARITAN WHO TREATED THE VICTIM WITH MERCY.


BUT THERE IS MORE TO THE PARABLE THAN THAT.  NOTICE WHAT THE SCRIBE ASKED JESUS.  HE ASKED ‘WHO IS MY NEIGHBOR’.  JESUS REALLY TURNS THE QUESTION AROUND AND ASKS “TO WHOM MUST YOU BECOME A NEIGHBOR?”


IN EFFECT, JESUS SAYS OUR NEIGHBOR IS THE PERSON WHO NEEDS US TO BE THEIR NEIGHBOR.  THAT’S WHAT GOD DESIGNED US TO DO AND THAT’S WHERE OUR REAL FULFILLMENT CAN BE FOUND.


SACRED SCRIPTURE PUTS THIS IN FRONT OF US SO MANY TIMES AND SO CLEARLY.  THERE IS NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.  WE WOULD HAVE TO BE REALLY OBLIVIOUS NOT TO GET THE POINT.  THE OT PROPHETS , IS, HOSEA, AMOS AND THE REST HAMMER THE POINT HOME THAT THE OLD COVENANT DEMANDS IT.  JESUS FORCEFULLY TELLS US THE NEW COVENANT DEMANDS IT.


FOR EXAMPLE IN MATTHEW 25 JESUS HIMSELF TELLS US OUR NEIGHBOR IS SOMEONE WHO IS HUNGRY, THIRSTY, A STRANGER, NAKED OR A  PRISONER.  NOTICE HE DOESN’T SAY THE HUNGRY WHO LIVE NEXT DOOR OR IN THE NEXT BLOCK OR EVEN IN THE SAME COUNTY.  HE JUST SAYS THOSE WHO NEED FOOD, NO MATTER WHERE THEY MIGHT BE, ARE OUR NEIGHBORS.  NOTICE THE LORD QUITE SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED STRANGERS IN THAT LIST.  NOTICE ALSO THAT JESUS IN COMPILING THAT LIST IS TALKING ABOUT THE LAST JUDGEMENT.


THIS IS WHAT THE CROSS AND THE RESURRECTION ARE ALL ABOUT.  IT IS THE DEEPEST MEANING OF THE MASS.  WE WERE BUILT TO LOVE GOD AND ALL OUR NEIGHBORS NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE, WHERE THEY ARE OR WHAT THEY ARE.


THAT IS REALLY NOT TOO MYSTERIOUS OR REMOTE.  IF WE TRY TO WEASEL OUT OF IT, IF WE TAKE OUR BOATS AGAINST THE CURRENT UP THIS CREEK OR THAT CREEK, IF WE RELY ON THE EVER-READY EXCUSES FOR NOT HELPING, WE CANNOT BECOME WHO WE REALLY ARE.  WE WOULD BE DENYING WHAT IS IN OUR MOUTHS AND HEARTS.  WE WOULD BE DENYING THE NATURE THAT GOD GAVE US.  WE WOULD BE DENYING OURSELVES.