My homily for the 26th Sunday of Ordinary a Time
Do you ever feel like you’re in exile as a Catholic Christian in our American society? Or do think of people in exile being only from Old Testament days? In our first reading, the prophet Ezekiel is hearing the cry of the people in exile, exiled to a country far from their temple, their culture, their language. Imagine the people in exile crying out to Ezekiel that “God is not treating us fairly”! And, there’s Ezekiel yelling even louder that the Lord’s ways are not only fair, but the people’s sins are what are not fair!
As you look at the description of the sins of the wicked in the first reading and that of tax collectors and prostitutes in the Gospel, can you relate this to your own sinfulness? Most of us are “minor” sinners, aren’t we? Do we relate to these words about “tax collectors” who cheated all the people and betrayed their neighbors? Or can we see ourselves in the actions of the prostitutes? I’d dare say that we look at the sins we commit as minor, and we want to compare our struggles with those who have committed far “more sinful” actions than us. But, we don’t judge, do we?
Ezekiel speaks of the salvation of those corrupted by their wicked ways! And, aren’t we tempted to jump in and tell Ezekiel, yeah, those wicked people! Can you believe the awful things he has done? Can you believe that she is doing such and such? But what does Ezekiel say of those who turn from their wicked ways? He says that when she or he turns from these wicked ways and does good and loves others, their lives are preserved! Shouldn’t we hear this and raise an “Alleluia, praise God, my brother or sister was dead in sin and his life has been saved”! But, let’s be real, we aren’t usually impressed are we? We are skeptical and we enjoy judging others. Maybe, it makes us feel better about the minor sinfulness we have toward our family members and co-workers.
The Apostle Paul writes to the Phillipians about how they are to conduct themselves and take care of their community. Paul encourages and corrects the actions of communities throughout the Gentile world in all his writings. In today’s second reading, Paul speaks to the community at Phillipi and exhorts them to “complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.”
And, then, Paul quotes the Kinosis hymn (the emptying hymn) that was surely sung by the community in the early Church in Phillipi during Eucharistic celebrations. What does it mean to empty oneself? It means as Paul has said to act out of humility. We see glimpses of how we “do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory”, don’t we? When our young child is sick and nauceous, we think nothing of holding our precious baby as he or she vomits on us late at night. We will hold the hand of our elderly parent as they near death often in cases where they have forgotten who we are. But, we are there, aren’t we?
But then, we look at the immigrant family who may have members who are undocumented. And, we might be swayed by our political background to forget that we are talking about human beings, brothers and sisters, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters. Does our rhetoric often tend toward selfishness or vainglory even as we present economically-sound reasonings for why we should not have complete love and compassion for those seeking to live as families and care for others?
And then we listen to the emptying hymn and we hear the beautiful words speaking of how Jesus emptied Himself. Our Lord and Savior, the Word made flesh, Emmanuel, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped, something to boast about, something to lord over others. No, Jesus emptied or humbled himself in the form of a slave. Wow, a slave! Think of the images that brings to your mind. God, in the person of His Son, made himself a slave to mankind, becoming obedient even to death. But, not just death,
DEATH ON A CROSS!!!
And, I, this man of minor sins, don’t I carry some pretty major Crosses throughout this life? But, how many crosses have I laid on the shoulders of others? I need to become more aware of how I burden others with crosses. I need to allow others to come alongside me to help me bear the weight of my cross, and when I am able, I can be the Simon the Cyrenian and carry the cross of my neighbor. Or I can at least help carry the yoke of another’s pains by walking with them. Not, judging and tearing them down! Not, being too stubborn or defeated, to not allow a friend or
family member to help me!
But, God does not simply ask us to act humbly, without vainglory, does he? God the Father didn’t just say “Well, Jesus, thank you Son, you did a great thing for my children on earth when you died Jesus”. What did he do for Jesus, and what might he want to do for you and me?
God greatly exalted him!
And he and bestowed on him the name which is above every name!
That at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth!
And please exclaim with me what every tongue will confess "That JESUS CHRIST is LORD” , that “Jesus Christ is Lord” to the glory of God the Father. AMEN!!!
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