Homilies
Twenty–first Sunday in Ordinary Time
August 27, 2006
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What’s the Meaning?
Today’s readings for the Twenty–first Sunday in Ordinary Time make it clear that God has a deep respect for our freedom to choose.
In the first reading, we find a somewhat strange situation. The twelve tribes of Israel have finally made through the 40–year–journey in the desert. They’ve spent their entire lives living day–to–day under God’s direction, yet Joshua gathers them together and asks them if they are willing to commit the Lord. What kind of sense does this make? Why does Joshua feel compelled to ask them if they are willing to commit?
Because circumstances have changed. The people are no longer living under constant life–threatening circumstances. They are about to get on with normal every–day living. Joshua, being the wise father that he is, doesn’t want them to loose the Faith, so he forces them to make choice—to follow the Lord or no. Upon gathering all the tribes together in a very formal and ritualistic manner, he asks them: “Whom will you serve?”
Which god are they willing they serve? The false gods of the Egyptians, whom their fathers served? The gods of the Amorites among whom they will now be living? Or the Lord, the true God, he who has fulfilled his promise, guiding them through the desert, giving them the Promised Land.
With Joshua as the priest, God gives each of the tribes the option: to follow him or to walk away and serve the demonic powers. Even though abandoning God would be monumentally foolish, God has such respect for their fundamental freedom to choose that he will not interfere.
Though they are sure to fall a thousand times, all the tribes choose to follow the true God. Come what may, they are committed.
In the Gospel today, we find that it is now Jesus who is forcing the issue.
- Jesus has just disclosed some amazing truths about himself and about how we are to relate to him. Jesus tells us that, if we wish to have eternal life, we must commit to him in a very radical way. Only by eating his flesh and drinking his blood will we:
- - have eternal life
- - be raised up on the last day
- - be one with him
- Further, just as he is living because of the Father,
- - we only truly live because of him.
- Upon hearing this, some begin to stumble. Then Jesus only pushes the issue even further. He tells them:
- - he himself will soon rise up to heaven
- - and that he himself has been already been there
- - it is the spirit that gives life and his very words are spirit
- As their disbelief becomes obvious, Jesus tells them what their problem is. He informs them:
- - “No one can come to me unless it is granted to them by the Father.”
All this was too much for most to accept, so they walk away from Jesus, never to follow him again.
Jesus then turns to the Twelve and asks them if they to are going to walk away as well.
But Peter and the others commit. Like the others, they too are overwhelmed. But Peter sums up their disposition when he says: “Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe that you are the Holy One of God”
As overwhelming and unpredictable as it may be, there really isn’t another alternative. We have to commit to you.
In the Epistle today, Saint Paul picks up on the theme of our relationship with Jesus. He is expounding on the fact that we are all one in the Mystical Body of Christ. To explain this, Saint Paul uses the analogy of marriage.
A king enters into a marriage with his queen in order to produce an heir to the throne. In so doing, the king and the queen literally become one flesh in the offspring.
Likewise, Jesus has entered in to a marriage covenant with the Church. Christ comes to the Church in order to make men to be images of him—Christians.
“For this reason,” says Saint Paul, “a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. This is a great mystery, and I am applying it to Christ and the Church.”
What’s the Message?
One important message contained in today’s readings is the importance of committing to Christ, even though doing so involves overwhelming ramifications, even though doing so means that your life will never be the same, every day will be yet another unpredictable adventure, every day will require a little more sacrifice.
This is why Saint Paul’s analogy of the marriage is such a good one. A man and a woman make a vow in marriage to commit to each other, come what may. For them, every day is a sacrifice. But it is a sacrifice well worth doing, the fruits of which being beautiful and intelligent creatures we call human beings.
As members of the Mystical Body, we too are to have a marriage commitment, a marriage commitment to Christ. We are to commit to Christ, come what may. One of the fruits of this relationship is the offspring of more Christians.
Look at some of the great saints: Saint Paul, Saint Benedict, Saint Don Bosco. They imitated Christ in his role as spiritual father. They produced Christians.
We have to ask ourselves if we live with a contraceptive mentality or a fruitful mentality. Are we producing Christians, or are we living self–centered sterile lives?
What’s the Response?
One response to today’s readings is to learn more about the lives of some of the more fruitful saints. We could try to commit some of the stories to memory. We could pick a saint each month and work on imitating one of his virtues. We could even imagine being more like them and producing lots of Christians.
Another thing we can do is reflect on what a vow is. What it is in marriage vow. What it is for the monk in the monastery? What obligations does the vow entail? What freedoms does it bring?
Next we seriously consider making a vow to Christ. We can commit to him in a radical way, the way a man and a woman commit to each other.
With the Psalmist, we can sing:
Lo, sons are a heritage from the Lord,
the fruit of the womb a reward.
Like arrows in the hand of a warrior
are the sons of one's youth. (Ps. 127)
Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them!
He shall not be put to shame.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end.
Amen.
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Contribution by Brother Anthony Myers
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