13th Sunday of OT Year A Homily

This past Tuesday was the funeral Mass of Monsignor Mankel at the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Knoxville. Please continue to pray for the repose of his soul and as well as the souls of all the faithful departed. At this funeral as well as all Catholic funerals that you attend you will see a tall white candle known as the pascal candle placed near the casket. This is the same white candle that was present for your baptism from which a small candle was lit which many of you may still have, either your own or children's.

Saint Paul instructed the Romans: “Are you unaware that we who were baptized into Chris Jesus were baptized into his death?”

As we see from the presence of the pascal candle at a baptism as well as a funeral we can begin to see how this statement is true. For many a baptism is solely a celebration which is a reason to bring family and friends together and to celebrate. Baptism is something more then a simple celebration which is without meaning. Rather baptism plunges us into the life of Christ and into the life of the Church.

Christ instructed in our Gospel: “Whoever does not take up his cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

Thus in baptism we die to sin and are sent forth from the sacrament’s life giving waters created anew. Now we must deny sin and its grasp upon us and thus begin to take up the cross of our Blessed Lord for ourself as we set out to follow Him always.

At times our definition of being a good person is that we haven't killed anyone. Instead of making a serial killer the mark to which judge ourself as good we should instead use Christ as the mark for which we should strive. If Christ is the mark of our life then we must be truthful with ourselves and realize our need to surrender ourself to His infinite mercy.

With Christ as the mark of our life we must be willing to take up the cross and follow Him. There is no other way in which we can follow if we truly desire to be His follower.

The cross reminds us to put to death that which is found to be disordered within our life. The cross thus reminds us of the need to deny ourself. As we set out upon this week which is now before us may we remember the cross of our Blessed Lord. May we be willing to find ways to embrace it by how we come to order our life. May we take upon ourselves practices of penance and mortification in order that our life may be ordered towards virtue rather then vice.

To be a Christian is a big deal to which our life has been ordered since baptism may we thus be willing to take up this charge and faithfully embrace Christ and come to proclaim Him unto the world.