Homily for 15th Sunday of OT-B

IN BOTH THE READING FROM THE PROPHET AMOS AND IN THE GOSPEL, THE MESSAGE WE RECEIVE IS THE EXACT ONE DIRECTED AT AMOS AND THE DISCIPLES.  WE ARE COMMISSIONED NOT JUST TO ASSENT INTELLECTUALLY TO GOD’S WORD BUT TO LIVE IT OUT JUST AS CHRIST DID.  IN SHORT, WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT.

    -LUCKILY WE HAVE A MODEL FOR EXACTLY HOW TO DO THAT.

-IN THE GOSPELS, OVER 20 TIMES JESUS SAYS ‘FOLLOW ME’, BE MY DISCIPLE, OR IN OTHER WORDS LIVE AS I DO AND DO WHAT I DO.

IF WE ARE GOING TO BE LIKE CHRIST AND LIVE LIKE CHRIST, WE HAVE TO HAVE AN UNDERSTANDING OF HOW CHRIST LIVED HERE ON EARTH.  WE HAVE TO DEVELOP WHAT’S CALLED A CHRISTOLOGY, A WAY OF UNDERSTANDING WHO CHRIST IS.

-A LOT OF THE TIME WE FOCUS ON CHRIST’S BIRTH AND DEATH TO THE EXCLUSION OF HIS LIFE ON EARTH, TO THE EXCLUSION OF WHAT HE DID AS A LIVING, BREATHING, PERSPIRING HUMAN BEING, A BEING JUST LIKE US.

-WE HAVE AN INCARNATIONAL CHRISTOLOGY FOCUSING ON GOD BECOMING HUMAN—THE ADVENT AND CHRISTMAS SEASONS ARE THE TIME WE FOCUS ON THAT ASPECT OF CHRIST.

-WE HAVE CHRISTOLOGIES BASED ON THE RESURRECTION FOCUSING ON A HUMAN BEING MANIFESTED AS GOD—LENT, THE TRIDUUM AND THE EASTER SEASON ARE DEDICATED TO THAT UNDERSTANDING.

BUT IF WE ARE GOING TO FOLLOW CHRIST WE ALSO NEED A CHRISTOLOGY OF CHRIST’S HUMAN LIFE, WHAT HAPPENED BETWEEN HIS BIRTH AND DEATH, A PERIOD WE OFTEN IGNORE.

THE CHRISTOLOGIES THAT DO STRESS THE HUMAN LIFE OF JESUS, AND MODERN BIBLICAL SCHOLARSHIP AS WELL, FOCUS ON AT LEAST THESE TWO ASPECTS OF JESUS LIFE THAT I AM GOING TO MENTION TODAY: FIRST HIS ROLE AS A SOCIAL PROPHET AND, SECOND, HIS ROLE AS A WISDOM TEACHER, ALTHOUGH ITS A WISDOM THAT GOES AGAINST THE GRAIN.

-BOTH OF THESE ROLES THAT CHRIST FULFILLED HAVE OT ROOTS IN THE MAJOR AND MINOR PROPHETS AND WHAT IS CALLED THE WISDOM LITERATURE FOUND IN BOOKS SUCH AS PROVERBS, SIRACH AND JOB.    

FIRST, JESUS WAS A SOCIAL PROPHET WHO FOCUSED HELPING THOSE WHO WERE POOR IN ONE OR MORE OF THREE WAYS.

-THEY MIGHT BE POOR IN THE MATERIAL SENSE NEEDING FOOD, WATER, HEALING OR RELEASE FROM BONDAGE.  HE FED, CURED, AND DREW WATER FOR THEM.  WE ARE THUS TO DO THE SAME.

-THEY MIGHT BE SOCIOLOGICALLY POOR, A GROUP DESPISED AND MADE OUTCAST BY THE RULING CLASS AND PEOPLE IN GENERAL.  JESUS ACTED TO REINTEGRATE THE PUBLICAN, THE PROSTITUTE, THE TAX COLLECTOR AND THE SAMARITAN INTO SOCIETY BY BREAKING DOWN THE BARRIERS THAT SEPARATE PEOPLE.  WE ARE THUS TO DO THE SAME.

-THEY MIGHT BE THE SPIRITUALLY POOR WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN WEALTH OR IN A PHARASITICAL HOLINESS CONCERNED WITH FORM AND NOT SUSTANCE.  JESUS REDIRECTED THEIR FOCUS.  WE ARE THUS TO DO THE SAME.

NEXT JESUS WAS A TEACHER OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM.

-OUR SOCIETY STRESSES ASSERTIVENESS.  IN FACT THERE ARE CLASSES THAT ARE DESIGNED TO TEACH YOU TO BE ASSERTIVE IF YOU ARE NOT.  JESUS HOWEVER DOES NOT CALL THE ASSERTIVE BLEST BUT RATHER THE MEEK

-OUR SOCIETY FOCUSES ON SELF, JESUS TELLS US TO FOCUS ON THE OTHER.

-OUR INCLINATION WHEN INJURED IS TO STRIKE BACK.  JESUS CALLS US TO TURN THE OTHER CHEEK.

THAT’S WHAT HE SAYS AND THAT’S WHAT WE’RE CALLED TO DO.SO OUR CALL TO FOLLOW CHRIST, TO LIVE OUR LIVES ON EARTH AS HE DID HIS, IS OUR CALL TO BE SOCIAL PROPHETS AND TEACHERS AND PRACTITIONERS OF UNCONVENTIONAL WISDOM.

-UNFORTUNATELY THIS USUALLY MEANS SOME SORT OF CROSS MUST BE BORNE, EVEN IF IT IS NOTHING MORE THAN THE DISDAIN OF OUR NEIGHBORS.

IN THE 12TH CHAPTER OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE (V. 49), JESUS SAYS: ‘I HAVE COME TO THROW FIRE ON THE EARTH AND HOW MUCH I DESIRE TO SEE IT BURNED!’

OUR JOB AS MEMBERS OF THE CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY IS TO STOKE THAT FIRE UNTIL IT DOES CONSUME THE WORLD.