Sunday, January 24, 2010

Homily – January 24, 2010 – Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

+ In today's gospel passage we have Jesus' very first homily – and it only contained nine words! After reading a specifically chosen passage in the scroll of the Prophet Isaiah: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord – rolling up the scroll, and handing it back to the attendant, he sat down and said: "TODAY THIS SCRIPTURE PASSAGE IS FULFILLED IN YOUR HEARING!" That was it! That was Jesus' first homily! And it was probably the most powerful homily ever delivered by anyone at any time.

This homily was announcing not only to those gathered, but also to the whole world: I AM THE ANOINTED SERVANT OF THE LORD! I AM THE LONG-AWAITED MESSIAH! I AM YOUR SAVIOR! It is I who will bring amazing glad tidings of happiness to the poor. It is I who will proclaim loudly liberty to those held captive by sin. It is I who will provide recovery of sight to the spiritually blind. It is I who will let the intellectually, emotionally and psychologically oppressed go free. It is I who will announce the jubilee year of amnesty and grace. I AM GOD'S SON! – I CAN DO THIS! I AM HERE FOR YOU – DO YOU BELIEVE IT?

Everyone there stared at him intently – and looked around at one another – and they were astonished at what they heard. This does not mean that they believed any of it, but there were dumbfounded at the way in which he spoke!

Another lesson that can be drawn here is that a good homily is often the short homily! My New Year's Homiletic Resolution is to get more quickly to the point and then sit down. I will begin this NEXT WEEK!

And so the first point of my homily today is: JESUS IS THE ONE! He is not only the one for his own people, but he is the one for all people.

The second point refers to the period before Jesus came when all the people of God had to know they belonged to God was the law that was given at Mt Sinai to Moses and all of the prescriptions that were derived from it. The heart of the matter here is that the people were willing to be in a relationship with God based on an external set of rules: this, though not ideal, was at least something for them to hold on to. And we can see from the first reading today that they took the reading of the law very seriously. But it was Nehemiah and Ezra who told the men, women children old enough to understand that when they heard the law of God read they should not be sad and weep (mostly thinking about how they disobeyed it continually), but rather on that day they were to rejoice – for the day was holy – and they were to go and have rich feast – because from then on "rejoicing in the Lord must be their strength!" This scene has everything to do with Jesus as well. He is not only the law of God in the flesh – but he is also the new and simplified law of God: which is simply LOVE. When we love God and love others as we love ourselves – as we have been loved by God in the dramatic way in which we have been – then we experience what being redeemed and saved is all about.

The third point of today's homily is this: Jesus set up a way for us to live out the new law, his command of love, in a very personal way. He had the wonderful idea of actually making us spiritually a very real part of his very real spiritual self. This happens initially at our baptism. We become among other things an integral and necessary part of the very Mystical Body of Christ: a holy and spiritual but very experiential and tangible sort of Body – that manifests itself as the Church. The Church is the Body of Christ,
because we are the Body of Christ. And unless we celebrate that fact and live that fact that we are truly the Body of Christ, then the Communion, the Body of Christ made present in bread, does not really mean anything at all.

Each member of the Body of Christ is necessary to it; the Church depends on our active commitment to our Baptismal and Confirmation duties and responsibilities. Our second reading today tells us that just as the body has many members, they are all of equal value because they form the one body, and the body would be incomplete and less than it could be without it. Each of us has a gift or two to share with everyone else – out of love for God and one another. May we help Jesus in his mission as Messiah, Liberator, Healer and Constant Friend to All by being his Body, by being willing to be used by him in any way he wants when we leave here today.

Yes, this day is holy to the Lord! The reading of the scriptures ought not make us weep and be sad because we do not live up to what it says. It ought to instead inspire us to take the hand of Jesus and walk through our days doing great things for him and his Father with the help of their Spirit.

The Lord sent YOU to bring glad tidings to the poor, and to proclaim liberty to captives! And the end of this Mass GO in peace to love and serve God as you love as serve any brother or sister in need!

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