Halloween is the one night of the year that a child allows their imagination to go to work. They can become anything that they want to be for one night only. The only limit that they face is the limit of their own imagination. Will they become a ghost, a character from a movie or cartoon that they adore, or will they create a new type of being all together? All of this is up to them, but no matter how much they try or how close they look to the real thing they will never truly become their costume. They will always remain what lies on the inside which is the child who was filled with the wonder and imagination that led them to choosing this costume.
Today's Gospel is concerned with what going inside of our hearts and souls. No matter how many times we want to place a costume over ourselves, so that nobody will know what is going inside, we are reminded how important it is to dwell here to evaluate why we do what we do. We live in a society which is concerned about number one. Who is myself; who is yourself. Our society wants to ignore the importance of those who are around us and desires us to become more and more of an individual. When this becomes our motivation we are concerned only with ourselves and want the world to see what we do so that we can receive it's praise.
In this Gospel passage from Matthew we see the scribes and Pharisees concerned about their outward appearance. They believed that the length of tassels or being seen at the head of a banquet table would make a person stop and exclaim that they must be a highly exalted individual. Christ turns the tables upon them because he was not concerned about these outward appearances, but only cared about what was going on in the inside of these people. He reminded them of the importance of these signs and how they lead them closer and closer into a relationship with God instead of these signs making them exalted in the eyes of their peers.
So my brothers and sisters "What is our motivation?" Are we motivated by the community that surrounds us right now or do we only care about ourselves and what we can get out of life? As a preacher I am asked to stand before this community and make the readings of the day come alive in the life of the Church. It can become easy for me to enjoy the power and authority that comes along with preaching and do it for the sake of fueling my own ego. It is nice to hear that I have done a good job, but this affirmation cannot be the sole purpose of my preaching. This same example carries over into all of our daily lives. We do many great things daily, but what is the driving force behind what we do? Are we tackling this because we are able to see the importance of the community or is the driving force behind us feeding our own ego and not caring for those who surround us? Do we want people to stop when they see us and exclaim that you must be an highly exalted individual?
When we place this costume of pride over our souls we are feeding the fuel of our individualism. The only answer to this comes at the end of the Gospel passage when we are instructed by Christ to act with humility. Humility is the only way that we can tear this costume away and begin to become an authentic person. In this manner we are present in all of our strengths and weaknesses. We will realize that there are other people who surround us and we desire to do what we do not only for ourselves, but also for them. We realize that in some places we are to weak to do this alone, and that we actually need the aid of another.
Our second reading shows the humility that even the apostles had. They acknowledged that they were not preaching the word of humans, but were instead preaching the word of God. May we to acknowledge that we are limited by our own humanity, and yet can be strengthened through the graces of God. In order to grow in humility we must trust in the grace of God instead of trusting in ourselves. We must understand how we are truly powerless without our connection with God. It is in the Lord alone that we will be able to find our peace.
If we look towards what is to come in this upcoming week we will see many examples of humility played out in the life of the Church. On November 1st we celebrate the Solemnity of All Saints. On this day we come together as a community to recall the lives of a countless amount of men and women who have laid down all the actions of their lives for the service of God. These men and women who we now call saints each had their own strengths and weaknesses, but used them for the greater glory of God the Father. These saints were not caught up in serving themselves and their own needs alone, but were concerned with the needs of the entire community. May these holy men and women continue to inspire us to grow in humility for through this virtue we may finally be exalted.
We can also look to November 2nd when we commemorate All Soul's Day. On this great day we pray for all who have died in hope that they may one day be welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven. All Soul's Day gives us a reminder of our own mortality and that this life is fleeting. We cannot accept this knowledge with pride, but must do so with humility. If we can humbly accept this now we may be exalted on the day of our death, but if we do not heed this knowledge and live life to be exalted we will first need to be humbled.
Let us therefore become exalted through and ever growing strength in humility. Let us especially remember this as we approach the Altar of God to receive the Sacred Body and Blood of Christ. We do not come to receive Christ as an individual, but come to receive Him as piece of this community. Yes we have many areas where we acknowledge that we must grow, such as the virtue of humility, but we know that the grace will be given to us through the reception of this great Sacrament. As we leave this Church today and encounter the many trick or treaters of the world may we call to mind the costume that we place over our souls. May we realize that humility will be the only way that we can truly become exalted.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Sunday, October 2, 2011
27th Sun OT Year A Homily
The seminary that I have attended for the past four years has chosen Saint Meinrad to be it's patron saint. Meinrad of course is an odd name and I am sure that many of you do not know his story. I believe that the story of his life sums up this Gospel reading well and will continue to challenge us along the spiritual path that we strive to live out in our everyday life.
Saint Meinrad was a hermit meaning that he went away into solitude to spend time drawing himself closer to God. As a hermit he lived a simple life that was always focused upon God. Word of this holy man spread throughout the surrounding area. People knew him as a man of God and they realized that he had a lot to offer them spiritually. They knew with great faith that spending time with this holy man would make their faith so much stronger. Eventually a couple of robbers heard of the riches that Meinrad owned. They did not realize that his riches were his connection to God, but thought about worldly treasures of gold instead. They made up their minds that this treasure would be their's and so they made the trip to his home with the desire to kill him and take the treasure that he owned and to keep it for themselves. That day in prayer an angel came to Saint Meinrad and informed him about the intentions of these men. He knew that he would die this day, but accepted it fully and decided that he would welcome them into his home and treat them like Christ. When they arrived and knocked on his door; as Christ is how he welcomed them. He fed them and spoke with them, but in the end their greed seemed to prevail and they put him to death to find the treasure that they were in search of.
Today's Gospel gives us a parable from the Gospel of Saint Matthew which forces us to examine the Kingdom of God and ask ourselves if we do enough work inside of the vineyard to bear enough fruit to be worthy of this kingdom. It seems like we have been given a rough story with a rough conclusion. In reality we need to examine the reality of these scriptures. God has placed us upon this earth as the landowner planted the vineyard, and many prophets have come who have proclaimed the Father, but were put to death just as the servants in this parable were treated. Eventually God sent his own Son to us and He to was put to death which parallels the death of the landowner's son. Despite how we continue to fall into sin and turn away from God we are still able to draw closer to the Kingdom of God. I with great joy rejoice because despite the sin that we have brought into the world we may still be forgiven. We must hold steadfast in our faith!
Saint Meinrad definitely held steadfast when he looked death in the eyes. He had resolved to spend his life being a representative of Christ's love to all people. And he did just this when despite his knowledge he continued to treat his guests as Christ. I am sure that he was filled with fear, but he did not allow this fear to win over him as he continued to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.
It will be a sad day when we can say that it is easy to be a Christian. Yes I am sure that most of us will not be put to death over our beliefs, but that still does not get us off the hook of living out the faith that we have committed ourselves to living out. Daily we need to commit ourselves to the Father resolving to turn away from the sins of our past and thus to follow after Him with a new found vigor. As soon as we walk outside the doors of our homes the reality of the size of the vineyard should hit us in the face. Despite the fact that we live in a highly Christian area we should realize that there is still work that needs to be done inside of the world and therefore we cannot fail to live up to our faith.
We need to be challenged to live out our Catholic faith beyond the hour that we put in on Sundays. Maybe some of the great work that needs to be done inside of the vineyard needs to be done within our own homes. As our world has gotten so busy it seems to be to much to conceive that the family can possibly come together to pray even if it is only before a meal. How many times do we allow our own jobs to compromise our own system of beliefs? As important as work may be our faith is so much greater. There truly is a lot of work that needs to be done inside of this vineyard and may we fear not to begin to work hard for the greater glory of the Kingdom of God.
Pulling up to the drive way of this Church today we were surrounded by the graphic symbol of the cross. The juniors and seniors of our parish placed 240 crosses to symbolize the abortions that happen each hour in our country. This small act was their way to bring about the fruit of the vineyard to the world around us. These crosses should serve as a reminder to us of the work that exists outside of our own homes. May we not continue to work as those inside of today's parable who failed to see the many blessings that were given to them and thus put them to death. May we not join with them and send Christ out from our own midst. May we embrace Christ now and forever and allow Him to work His grace within each of us.
We will be unable to do any work inside of the vineyard of the world if we do not allow the God of peace to dwell with each of us. The Sacraments that have been given to us by the Church can aid our souls in this quest. At this Mass we will receive Christ preset in His Body and Blood. The Eucharist is the way that we come together as one body and allow our souls to be nourished by this great gift of love. Even when we fail along this path we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation that we can turn towards with trust. We must remember that in this parable no matter how many times the tenents failed the lamdowner did not lose hope, but continued to reach out to them with his mercy. Through trusting in the sacraments may God guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Saint Meinrad, pray for us. Help us to go into the massive vineyard of the world and fear not as we bear great fruit from among it.
Saint Meinrad was a hermit meaning that he went away into solitude to spend time drawing himself closer to God. As a hermit he lived a simple life that was always focused upon God. Word of this holy man spread throughout the surrounding area. People knew him as a man of God and they realized that he had a lot to offer them spiritually. They knew with great faith that spending time with this holy man would make their faith so much stronger. Eventually a couple of robbers heard of the riches that Meinrad owned. They did not realize that his riches were his connection to God, but thought about worldly treasures of gold instead. They made up their minds that this treasure would be their's and so they made the trip to his home with the desire to kill him and take the treasure that he owned and to keep it for themselves. That day in prayer an angel came to Saint Meinrad and informed him about the intentions of these men. He knew that he would die this day, but accepted it fully and decided that he would welcome them into his home and treat them like Christ. When they arrived and knocked on his door; as Christ is how he welcomed them. He fed them and spoke with them, but in the end their greed seemed to prevail and they put him to death to find the treasure that they were in search of.
Today's Gospel gives us a parable from the Gospel of Saint Matthew which forces us to examine the Kingdom of God and ask ourselves if we do enough work inside of the vineyard to bear enough fruit to be worthy of this kingdom. It seems like we have been given a rough story with a rough conclusion. In reality we need to examine the reality of these scriptures. God has placed us upon this earth as the landowner planted the vineyard, and many prophets have come who have proclaimed the Father, but were put to death just as the servants in this parable were treated. Eventually God sent his own Son to us and He to was put to death which parallels the death of the landowner's son. Despite how we continue to fall into sin and turn away from God we are still able to draw closer to the Kingdom of God. I with great joy rejoice because despite the sin that we have brought into the world we may still be forgiven. We must hold steadfast in our faith!
Saint Meinrad definitely held steadfast when he looked death in the eyes. He had resolved to spend his life being a representative of Christ's love to all people. And he did just this when despite his knowledge he continued to treat his guests as Christ. I am sure that he was filled with fear, but he did not allow this fear to win over him as he continued to bear much fruit for the Kingdom of God.
It will be a sad day when we can say that it is easy to be a Christian. Yes I am sure that most of us will not be put to death over our beliefs, but that still does not get us off the hook of living out the faith that we have committed ourselves to living out. Daily we need to commit ourselves to the Father resolving to turn away from the sins of our past and thus to follow after Him with a new found vigor. As soon as we walk outside the doors of our homes the reality of the size of the vineyard should hit us in the face. Despite the fact that we live in a highly Christian area we should realize that there is still work that needs to be done inside of the world and therefore we cannot fail to live up to our faith.
We need to be challenged to live out our Catholic faith beyond the hour that we put in on Sundays. Maybe some of the great work that needs to be done inside of the vineyard needs to be done within our own homes. As our world has gotten so busy it seems to be to much to conceive that the family can possibly come together to pray even if it is only before a meal. How many times do we allow our own jobs to compromise our own system of beliefs? As important as work may be our faith is so much greater. There truly is a lot of work that needs to be done inside of this vineyard and may we fear not to begin to work hard for the greater glory of the Kingdom of God.
Pulling up to the drive way of this Church today we were surrounded by the graphic symbol of the cross. The juniors and seniors of our parish placed 240 crosses to symbolize the abortions that happen each hour in our country. This small act was their way to bring about the fruit of the vineyard to the world around us. These crosses should serve as a reminder to us of the work that exists outside of our own homes. May we not continue to work as those inside of today's parable who failed to see the many blessings that were given to them and thus put them to death. May we not join with them and send Christ out from our own midst. May we embrace Christ now and forever and allow Him to work His grace within each of us.
We will be unable to do any work inside of the vineyard of the world if we do not allow the God of peace to dwell with each of us. The Sacraments that have been given to us by the Church can aid our souls in this quest. At this Mass we will receive Christ preset in His Body and Blood. The Eucharist is the way that we come together as one body and allow our souls to be nourished by this great gift of love. Even when we fail along this path we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation that we can turn towards with trust. We must remember that in this parable no matter how many times the tenents failed the lamdowner did not lose hope, but continued to reach out to them with his mercy. Through trusting in the sacraments may God guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Saint Meinrad, pray for us. Help us to go into the massive vineyard of the world and fear not as we bear great fruit from among it.
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