26th Sun of OT Year B Homily

In our Gospel of Mark we hear three times about the punishment that can be found inside the fires of Gehenna. We are told that fire and worms will consume the flesh of the sinner and therefore a soul should do everything in its power to cut off what leads it to sin while on this earth. When a living creature dies it quickly returns to the earth from which it came. As the flesh begins to rott away the animal will quickly begin to smell and be taken control of by worms. This grotesque imagery should be the same thing that we think about when we think about sin and its effect upon the soul. It is not pretty! Christ is warning us within this Gospel to examine our lives and to pray for conversion of heart if it is necessary within our lives. To live a life of conversion we are not commanded to chop pieces of our body off, but are being warned that now is the time to do away with sin and to turn our hearts towards the light of Christ. Through our relationship with Christ we will not rott away, but will be preserved for eternal life.

If we were to continue reading from our Gospel passage we would be told: "Everyone will be salted with fire. Salt is good, but if salt becomes insipid, with what will you restore its flavor? Keep salt in yourselves and you will have peace with one another." Salt is able to bring purification to meat, so that it will not rott away and be consumed by the worm. The meat after being salted can also pass through the flame and be ready for consumption. May we allow the salt of wisdom to enter our hearts and souls, so that we may begin to turn away from our sinful desires. May each of us be cleansed by the fire of the Holy Spirit who gives grace to our soul, so that we can move away from our sinful desires and the death that it brings to our souls. In this manner we can be led away from all of our temptations to sin because we are allowing wisdom and the grace of the Holy Spirit to enter into our lives. In the light of these two objects we cast off all that leads us into sin and trust in Christ all the more.

The Epistle of Saint James is giving this same warning to us. In this epistle we are being instructed to turn away from all things which we place before Christ. Money, our job, sports, lust, food, gossip, and all sins that disconnect us from God. All of these sins that seem so easy to fall into must be turned away from if we will ever be able to desire to receive the gift of eternal life that has been bestowed on us through Christ's sacrifice upon the cross. To the cross we are able to look and see that at the point of death Christ was concerned with more then storing up treasures for Himself. He instead was concerned with offering Himself as a sacrifice of love for each person who continues to fall into sin. From the cross we realize that eternal life has been granted to all of us, and therefore we should feel compelled to turn away from sin's grasp all the more. Through having the strength to turn away from sin's grasp we will turn totally into relationship with the righteous one who loves us dearly.

Yes the task may seem to be burdensome, but it can be accomplished if we are willing to give ourselves totally to Christ out of love. Out of love we are able to be preserved from death through wisdom and the grace of the Holy Spirit. In our Responsorial Psalm the wisdom of The Lord was mentioned that gives joy to out hearts and leads us towards being blameless and innocent in the sight of The Lord. In our first reading from Numbers we encounter Moses and see that Spirit of The Lord that was bestowed upon him was also given to the seventy elders as they were moved to prophesy. Moses did not desire to silence the Spirit that was given to these souls because he realized that the Spirit of The Lord should be bestowed upon all people. Here and now the Holy Spirit desires to come into our hearts and souls to aid us away from the grasp of sin. Sin's hold may seem to be very powerful, but the grasp of the Holy Spirit and that of wisdom is much stronger.

If we find ourselves this day to be on the outskirts of God's grace due to our participation in sin; we should not feel as if no hope lies in store for us. Christ continually desires us to turn away from sinfulness and thus always extends His hand of mercy to us. In both our first reading and our Gospel we see documented proof of this invitation that is being given to us. In Numbers a controversy broke lose because people were receiving the grace of the Spirit. In the Gospel of Mark controversy broke lose because people other then Christ were bringing healing into people's lives. Moses was able to see the necessity of allowing these people to share in the grace of the Spirit. Christ was able to see that division should not exist because He is at the center of all things. May we allow Christ to lead us away from the division caused by sin and allow us to enter back into unity with Him. Through our cooperation with the grace of the Holy Spirit and that of wisdom this goal can be possible for each of us to accomplish.

On this day may we continue to move ourselves away from sin and the death that it brings to our souls. Only through placing our trust in Christ will we be preserved from its influence within our lives. With trust fully placed upon Christ we will be led forth in wisdom and by the Holy Spirit to conquer all of our sinful influences. The more that we purge ourselves of these influences and draw ourselves towards Christ's love the less we will dwell in the state of sin. Sin is powerless compared to the cross of Christ which conquered it for all of us to receive salvation if we are willing to embrace it. May we be willing to embrace the mercy of God on this day as we prepare ourselves for the day of judgment when we desire to inherit the treasures of Heaven.