Homily 6th Sunday of Ordinary Time
February 13, 2022
The prophet Jeremiah saw the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple, and cried out to the Lord that he did not wish to announce on behalf of the Lord some very difficult messages, one of which we heard this morning:
“Cursed are those who trust in mere mortals and make mere flesh their strength, whose hearts turn away from the Lord. They shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when relief comes”.
This gives us an insight into a person of faith who is not so much concerned with the opinions and accolades of the community but rather that they are being faithful to the message they receive from God.
The next quote from Jeremiah, which the Church gives us today says the following:
“Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. They shall be like a tree planted by waters, sending out its roots by the stream. This tree shall not fear when heat comes, and it’s leaves shall stay green; in the year of drought it is not anxious, and it does not cease to bear fruit.”
I have 3 African violets in my apartment now and for anybody who has tried to nourish these plants may have found that they are not easy to keep healthy. They cannot handle direct sunlight, too much water or too small a container to grow. And I recall a Sister of St. Anne’s called Sister Sylvio who showed me a magnificent African violet with a plethora of flowers. I never did find out what she did to get such a beautiful specimen, but in her own way she was obedient to the second proclamation of Jeremiah which we have just heard.
This desire to be a healthy respondent to God’s call was still in the hearts of the people of Israel 700 years after Jeremiah as we hear the same quote in Psalm 1 of the conditions to be a healthy tree.
All this sounds well and good but where is the action, where are the directions to roll up one sleeves and do the work of God? Lo and behold, we find it in today’s Gospel in what is called the Beatitudes or more pertinently, the attitudes to be.
And here they are: Blessed are those who are poor, blessed are those who hunger, blessed are those who weep, blessed are those who are excluded, blessed are those who are reviled, blessed are those who are defamed because of their relationship to Jesus Christ, the Son of Man.
For the sake of time, I will only look at 2 of the Beatitudes, namely “blessed are those who weep and blessed are those who are defamed, excluded and reviled.”
What has captured my attention in recent months has been that it’s not so important to understand God’s word and tell others, but it is far more important to listen to the word of God and apply it to one’s own life.
Let us look at those who weep will end up laughing. May I suggest that if we really have spiritual depth, our hearts will be saddened if we have been unloving to others or ourselves, then when like the forgiven child who wasted all of their parents’ inheritance they are greeted back with joy and forgiveness -- surely a smile and a sound of laughter will come forth from the child. Put simply, forgiveness brings joy and lightness to the heart.
Blessed are those who are reviled, blessed are those who are defamed because of their relationship to Jesus Christ, the Son of Man. Now please excuse me as I give a long, large quote from Mary Healy’s book The Gospel of Mark.
“Jesus’ promise that Christians would be ‘given what to say’ in the hour of trial has been fulfilled quite literally on many occasions, even in our own times. One example is Nijole Sadunaite, a Lithuanian arrested in 1974, for distributing clandestine Catholic literature. As the young woman stood trial, without legal representation, before men skilled in interrogation techniques, her defence so stung them that they blanched and hung their heads in shame. Among her words of testimony were the following: ‘This is the happiest day of my life. . . I have been accorded the enviable task, the honorable fate, not only to struggle for human rights, but also to be sentenced for them. My sentence will become triumph! My only regret is that I have been given so little opportunity to work on behalf of man. I will joyfully go into slavery for others and I agree to die so that others may live. Today, as I approach the Eternal Truth, Jesus Christ, I remember his 4th beatitude: ‘Blessed are they who thirst for justice, for they shall be satisfied’ . . . I would like to request the court to free from prisons, labor camps, and psychiatric hospitals, all of those who fought for human rights and justice.” After this Spirit-inspired testimony, Sadunaite was sentenced to 3 years in a strict-regime Soviet labor camp and 3 years of exile. Her example is an encouragement to all Christians to ask the Spirit for boldness and clarity whenever we are called to give witness in unfriendly settings”.
This woman must have had and still has several important elements in her life:
1) A deeply personal prayer life with Jesus.
2) An intimate and supportive faith community.
3) An open and honest desire to do what God has asked.
I do not know about you but I fail to incorporate all three of those elements in my life. How about you?
Whilst Michael can be very comfortable applying the Beatitudes to others, it is far more challenging and demanding to apply it to his life. How about you?
In a few moments, the oneness of the Body of
Christ, seen in the consecrated bread will be broken and distributed to all of us. Because of Jesus’ courage, faith and obedience to God, he will allow himself to be broken so that we may become one. It is in that unity, our common unity, that you and I will find the faith, commitment and courage to reflect deeply what Nijole witnessed 48 years ago.
So as we celebrate the coming of St. Valentine ’s Day, when millions of people will express their love for one another, let’s ask God for the grace to express our love for God by taking action based on the words we have heard today.
Jesus did not call us to a bed of roses but to a crown of thorns which through the unconditional love of God will be transformed into a pillow of tranquility, peace and love. And finally, to quote the words of St. Theresa of Calcutta, “God has not called me to be successful. He called me to be faithful”.