HOMILY FOR 23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME--C

 THIS IS THE 23rd SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME AND OUR READINGS TODAY MAKE 3 POINTS:  FIRST, WHEN WE DECIDE TO BE TRULY CHRISTIAN AND WANT TO KNOW HOW TO DO IT, WE HAVE TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX.  SECOND, WHEN WE FIGURE OUT WHAT IT IS TO BE TRULY CHRISTIAN BY THAT OUTSIDE THE BOX THINKING AND WE DECIDE THAT’S FOR US, WE HAVE TO COMMIT OUR SELVES AND OUR RESOURCES TO DOING WHAT WE HAVE FIGURED OUT:  NO HALF-WAY MEASURES, NO OFF & ON, NO POSTPONING IT UNTIL TOMORROW.  THIRD, IT’S DEFINITELY IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO MAKE SURE WE FOLLOW THROUGH.  AS WE’LL SEE, JESUS DOESN’T THINK TOO HIGHLY OF THOSE PEOPLE WHO DON’T FOLLOW THROUGH.

FIRST, THE THINKING OUTSIDE THE BOX.  JESUS TALKS ABOUT THREE THINGS THAT WE REALLY PRIZE, OUR FAMILIES FIRST, AN EASY AND SAFE LIFE SECOND, AND OUR POSSESSIONS THIRD.  THESE ARE THINGS OUR HUMAN WAY OF THINKING SAYS ARE VALUABLE.  JESUS BASICALLY SAYS THEY DON’T MATTER.  MY DISCIPLES, HE SAYS, HAVE TO RETHINK THE WHOLE THING AND REALIZE THAT THEY HAVE TO GROW BEYOND THOSE THINGS THAT WE COMMONLY THINK ARE VALUABLE.

THE MOST FRIGHTENING TO THE JEWS OF THAT DAY WAS THE IDEA THAT TO BE A DISCIPLE WE HAVE TO ‘HATE’ OUR CLOSEST FAMILY MEMBERS.  OF COURSE, JESUS, WHO PREACHED NOTHING BUT LOVE EVEN OF YOUR ENEMIES, DIDN’T MEAN TO ‘HATE’ YOUR FAMILY IN THE SENSE OF LOATHING THEM.  WHAT HE MEANT FOR US TO REALIZE IS THAT ONCE YOU BECOME A CHRISTIAN, THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS ARE NOT FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS ANY MORE.  NOW THAT REALLY SHOOK THEM UP BACK THEN SINCE, IN THOSE DAYS, FAMILY WAS THE CENTER OF A PERSON’S LIFE.  FOR THE JEWS OF THE DAY THE IDEAL MARRIAGE PARTNER WAS A FIRST COUSIN, BOTH MARRIED AND SINGLE SONS LIVED WITH THEIR PARENTS, AND THE RULE WAS ALWAYS, ALWAYS FAMILY FIRST.  WHAT HE WANTED THEM TO DO WAS TO REALIZE THE MOST IMPORTANT RELATIONSHIPS IN A CHRISTIAN’S LIFE ARE THE ONES WE HAVE WITH GOD AND THE ONES WE HAVE WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS, OUR NEW FAMILY.

SIMILARLY, IT IS NOT TO A LIFE OF SAFETY AND EASE THAT CHRISTIANS COMMIT TO BUT A LIFE OF SERVICE TO THE LORD AND OTHERS.  A COMMITMENT TO GO WHEREVER THAT DISCIPLESHIP TAKES US AND TO DO WHATEVER IT DEMANDS OF US.  EVEN IF THAT MEANS CARRYING A CROSS ON OUR OWN VIA DOLOROSA, OUR OWN ROAD OF SORROWS, TO SOME GOLGOTHA THAT THE LORD WANTS US TO CLIMB.  

LIKEWISE CHRISTIANS DO NOT COMMIT TO A LIFE OF ACQUIRING THINGS IN AN EFFORT TO BE COMFORTABLE, GAIN PRESTIGE OR BECOME WEALTHY.  CHRISTIANS DO NOT COMMIT TO A RELATIONSHIP WITH THINGS BUT WITH PEOPLE, THEIR FELLOW CHRISTIANS, AND OF COURSE TO THEIR GOD.

ST. PAUL IN THE LETTER TO PHILEMON PUSHES PHILEMON, THE OWNER OF THE SLAVE ONESIMUS, TO THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND RELATE TO ONESIMUS AS A FELLOW CHRISTIAN AND NOT IN THE OLD WAY AS MASTER TO SLAVE.  ST. PAUL, FOLLOWING CHRIST AS ALWAYS, IS TELLING US AGAIN THAT NEW RELATIONSHIPS HAVE REPLACED THE OLD ONES FOR THE CHRISTIAN.

NOW THE SECOND POINT.  JESUS SHOWS US IN THE GOSPEL THAT ONCE WE HAVE DONE THAT OUT-OF-THE-BOX THINKING, IT’S A VERY GOOD IDEA TO CARRY IT THROUGH.  JUST LIKE BUILDERS WHO MISJUDGE THE MATERIALS NEEDED TO COMPLETE A PROJECT END UP A LAUGHINGSTOCK WITH A HALF-BUILT TOWER ON THEIR HANDS AND KINGS WHO MISJUDGE HOW MANY TROOPS ARE NEEDED TO WIN A BATTLE END UP SOUNDLY DEFEATED BY THE ENEMY IF NOT DEAD, THE CHRISTIAN WHO MISJUDGES HOW DEEPLY AND THOROUGHLY TO COMMIT TO GOD IS NOT GOING TO DO VERY WELL.

NOW THE THIRD POINT IN THE GOSPEL—THE NOT GOING TO DO VERY WELL PART.  WHEN WE APPEAR BEFORE ST. PETER AND ARE ASKED ABOUT HOW GOOD A DISCIPLE WE WERE.  SAYING WE WENT TO MASS AT BLESSED SACRAMENT MOST SUNDAYS ISN’T REALLY GOING TO IMPRESS HIM.  HE WILL BE LOOKING FOR SOME EVIDENCE OF REAL COMMITMENT, SOME EVIDENCE THAT WE WERE MORE THAN JUST PERIPHERAL HANGERS-ON.  WE WOULD DO WELL TO REMEMBER THE TALK ABOUT THE REALLY NARROW GATE AND HOW HARD IT IS TO FIT THROUGH THAT WAS IN THE GOSPEL TWO WEEKS AGO.

WE WOULD ALSO DO WELL TO READ THE NEXT TWO VERSES THAT COME AFTER TODAY’S GOSPEL.  THERE JESUS SPEAKS VERY STRONGLY AGAINST THOSE DISCIPLES WHO LOSE THEIR ENTHUSIASM.  JESUS USUALLY DOESN’T TAKE A STRONG TONE OF VOICE OR USE CUTTING WORDS, SO WHEN HE DOES IT’S BEST TO PAY ATTENTION, SOMETHING IMPORTANT IS BEING SAID.  IN THOSE TWO VERSES, HE COMPARES THE DISCIPLES WHO NEGLECT THEIR DISCIPLESHIP OR LOSE INTEREST IN IT TO SALT THAT HAS LOST ITS FLAVOR.  FLAVORLESS SALT, THE LORD SAYS, IS GOOD FOR NOTHING, NOT EVEN FOR PUTTING ON THE COMPOST PILE.  HE CONTINUES THAT THOSE PEOPLE WHO HAVE EARS HAD BETTER BE LISTENING TO WHAT HE IS SAYING.

VERY STRONG EXPECTATIONS.  BE MY DISCIPLE, JESUS SAYS, AND DO THINGS NO ONE ELSE EVEN THINKS ABOUT MUCH LESS DOES.

CAN WE DO IT?  YES!  GOD HAS SET US A DIFFICULT JOURNEY AS HIS DISCIPLES, BUT HE OFFERS US THE GUIDANCE AND STRENGTH TO PICK THE RIGHT ROUTE SINCE HE WILL WALK THAT ROUTE SIDE-BY-SIDE RIGHT WITH US.  WE JUST HAVE TO ASK THE HOLY SPIRIT FOR THE HELP WE NEED AND THEN ACCEPT IT WHEN GIVEN.

SHOULD WE DO IT?  CERTAINLY!  CONSIDER THIS.  IS GOD ASKING FROM US ANYTHING THAT THE FATHER AND SON HAVE NOT GONE THROUGH FOR US?  THE FATHER CREATED US KNOWING WE WOULD BE WILLFUL, FULL OF PRIDE AND SIN LIKE CRAZY, THAT WE WOULD FALL AWAY FROM HIM, AND, INDEED, EVEN SNUB HIM, BUT HE ALWAYS SWALLOWS HIS PRIDE AND STICKS WITH US TIME AND AGAIN THROUGH THICK AND THIN, ALWAYS FULL OF MERCY.  THE SON?  GOD INCARNATE?  IS THE SON ASKING MORE OF US THAN HE DID OF HIMSELF ON GOLGOTHA?  PERHAPS WE HAVE A DEBT THAT NEEDS TO BE ACKNOWLEDGED AND REPAID.