Saturday, January 30, 2016

From the archives: Homily for this weekend originally offered in 2013; all about Love!

Homily for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time
In the aftermath of the 9-11 terrorist attacks, the great country & western superstar Alan Jackson recorded the song: Where were You.  His lyrics to this profound song included these:

I'm just a singer of simple songs
I'm not a real political man
I watch CNN but I'm not sure I can tell you
The difference in Iraq and Iran
But I know Jesus and I talk to God
And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

Love indeed is that great gift from God because after all, God is Love!  (1 John 4:8).

As people of faith we are called to proclaim God is Love and we are called to love like God!!

How can we possibly love as God loves?  Today there are more than subtle hints in the Scriptures to show us the way.  Jeremiah, one of the great Old Testament prophets, in this very opening chapter of the book that bears his name, tells us: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet I appointed you.  This relationship that God has with Jeremiah is intimate, personal and loving.  By the way, that is the kind of relationship He has with you & me.  And it is because God is Love!

Now God did not intend this love to be reserved for a few.  Back in the day of today's Gospel, that was the prevailing belief among the Jewish people.  Despite being faithful to God and the Law, the Jews, including the religious leadership of that day, only wanted to hear that God loves us; the rest of you, not so much.  It's like that old running joke that the Smothers Brothers made famous some 40 years ago when one of them always told the other, mom loved you best!  Well here we have Jesus, coming back home, to His local synagogue, to let the people know He is the Messiah and He wants them to know that God loves everyone; not just the Jewish people.  Jesus uses two examples from the Old Testament, Elijah with the widow of Zarephath and Elisha with the Syrian called Naaman.  We should recall these stories too.  The widow, about to starve along with her son, uses her meager supply of flour and oil and feeds Elijah and she is blessed by God and hungers no longer.  Elisha, in a time of great leprosy among the people was present as only one, a foreigner, was made clean and blessed by God.  This teaching in the synagogue, in His very own home town, made the locals mad and they drove Jesus out of town, to the edge of a hill, intending to do Him great harm.  Yet, he escaped from their midst.

This is the great teaching of "comfort the afflicted and, when necessary, afflict the comfortable".  These people from the Gospel were comfortable in their own blessings as long as they had a God that not only blessed them,but withheld His blessings from others; especially others that they did not like, or care for, or agree with.

And this begs the question, if God is Love, and He is, why do we , His creatures, not love the same?  St. Paul was confounded by this too as he wrote to the people in Corinth.  This second reading should be recognized by many of us, if we have ever attended a Catholic wedding.  Having witnessed many a wedding now as a Deacon, I can tell you that nine out of ten couples select this reading for their wedding, and it is beautiful to hear.  Understand though, St. Paul did not write these beautiful words of love for some romantic reasons.  No, St. Paul wanted to share with the Corinthians, and ultimately all of us, that we the Body of Christ (remember last week's second reading about the body and it's many parts?) must Love like the Body of Christ; to reflect "God is Love"in who we are and what we do.  St. Paul goes to great lengths to tell us one and all, what Love is and what Love is not.

So naturally we ask, what does this all mean for us this week and in our lives?  How can I take today's readings and grow in intimate relationship with God and be a person of Love, with both God and my brother and sister?  Let's read that second reading and change one word a few times over.  Say this out loud during the week, over and over again:

I am patient, I am kind.  I am not jealous, I am not pompous, I am not inflated, I am not rude, I do not seek my own interests, I am not quick-tempered, I do not brood over injury, I do not rejoice over wrongdoing, I rejoice with the truth.  I bear all things, I believe all things, I hope all things, I endure all things.  Why?  Because Love never fails = God never fails!!  Can we pray with this all week, throughout our lives?  Can we pray with this when we celebrate our love for our spouse, say on an anniversary or special occassion or any day for that matter?  Yes, we can because Love never fails!

And it goes without saying that fortified by these readings and God's intimate Love for us, can we make an extra effort to reflect that Love today, this week, in our lives, to those we encounter, those we live with, and even those who are perfect strangers?  Can I focus this week on reflecting God's Love to pray and care for the unborn, the elderly, the poor, the homeless, the forgotten, the prisoner, the spiritually lost?  Yes, we can because Love never fails!

Remember way back at the beginning of this homily and Alan Jackson?  Well, I know Jesus and I talk to God and I remember this from when I was young: faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us, and the greatest is Love!

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