Homily for Sunday, 7 August 2016

19th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings of the day: Wisdom 18:6-9; Psalm 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22; Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-12; Luke 12:32-48

This homily was given at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Sherwood Park, AB, Canada.

Imagine if you were stranded on a faraway island. You have all you need to survive for the time you will be on the island: Water, food, shelter, warm clothing, and so forth. You have your family and closest loved ones with you. But on top of these minimal necessities to survive, you are only able to keep with you one thing. What is this one thing you would keep with you? What is your greatest treasure; the thing your heart most desires?

Jesus says this in our Gospel reading this evening [morning] from Luke about our greatest treasure; the thing our hearts most desire: “For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” And so what is our greatest treasure; the one thing we would keep with us on this faraway island?

Children, maybe the treasure you would keep with you would be a favourite toy, or maybe a favourite children’s book, or video game, or equipment needed to play your favourite sport. For older children, teenagers, and adults, maybe our treasures would include what we need for our favourite hobbies: Craft material, a musical instrument, a good novel, unless you’re into non-fiction… Some of us might want to bring a television, or your dream sports car. Some of us who are handy might want to bring along our best power tool; after all, the shelter provided on the island is good enough for survival, but could always use some upgrades. For many of us, thinking more of spiritual survival, maybe we would bring a rosary or a Bible…

These (and others I have not mentioned) would all be great treasures we might consider bringing to a faraway island if we were only able to take one thing there with us. But in Luke’s Gospel Jesus is asking us to consider something more as our greatest treasure: The Kingdom of God. Jesus says “to his disciples…, ‘It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.’”

We have only a small problem: Would it not be a bit far-fetched to fit the entire Kingdom of God on one faraway island? It would have to be a very large island! This is where we need to use our imagination… After all, if we were stranded on a faraway island, God would have had to make the island. God, as maker of the island, makes the rules as to the one thing, our hearts’ greatest desire, which we could bring to this faraway island. And so God could make this island as large as he wants, even large enough as to fit the whole Kingdom of God on it.

Trust me on this or, better yet, as God invites us, trust him! God constantly invites us to have faith in him; to accept this gift of the Kingdom of God that Jesus says the Father wants to give us. This treasure, God’s Kingdom, is worth selling “our possessions” and giving of our time; our talent; our treasure to help people who are poor, sick, troubled, or otherwise in need. If we had God’s Kingdom we would be ready for anything, on that island or here at home. And is this not what Jesus asks of us? “Be dressed for action and have your lamps lit… You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour,” Jesus says.

How many of us are still not convinced; still trying to imagine the great big Kingdom of God somehow fitting on this little faraway island? Fair enough; the Kingdom of God is enormous and the island is probably tiny. And so God does not give us his whole Kingdom all at once. We will only have and be in the fullness of the Kingdom of God at the end of time, when there will be no worry about having to cram the entire Kingdom of God onto a little (imaginary) faraway island.

For now, God gives us small yet important (not imaginary, but real) signs of the future fullness of God’s Kingdom. What are these signs? First, God gives us the sign of his being with us in history. This history is spoken of especially in our readings today from Wisdom and the letter to the Hebrews. God was with God’s people, making freedom, “deliverance from Egypt” under Moses, possible. God shows himself in our history, the events of our world, as great and powerful, destroying Israel’s “enemies” in the time of Moses, but also as good and merciful, calling Israel; calling us “to himself,” back to the glory of our creation, when God made us and called us “very good.”

God then gives us the gift of faith; the faith God first gave Abraham; the faith or “conviction of things not seen.” Faith is especially important. Let us be honest: Can it not be difficult to perceive signs of God’s Kingdom; of God’s presence in our world through acts of violence and of terror; through brokenness of human relationships that many of us experience; through the suffering of innocent people? How many of us know somebody with the faith of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, and then some, through sometimes the most awful situations in their lives? This faith God gives us is a sign of God’s “promise,” a sign that God is working in our world to bring us the fullness of God’s Kingdom; God’s reign of mercy and peace over our world, even when God’s action is not easily seen through our world’s events.

God gives us the gift of faith. God is with us in our world and its history; in our story; our lives. Even better, God has personally become a part of our world’s history. God has shown himself to us as human in every way we are human except without sin, in the person of Jesus Christ. This is God’s greatest sign yet of the Kingdom. And this greatest of signs, God made human, Jesus Christ, asks only one thing of us in today’s Gospel: “Be ready.” Be ready for the fullness of God’s Kingdom.

But how can we be ready for the fullness of God’s Kingdom, a reality of peace; of goodness; of mercy; a treasure that surpasses even our wildest desires or imagination? It is absurd enough to imagine ourselves stranded on a faraway island, able to keep only one thing with us. The fullness of the Kingdom of God is still more beyond our understanding; we have never experienced anything like it. Yet it is real. It is Jesus’; God’s promise to us.

God gives us signs that point us to the “treasure” of the Kingdom of God: God’s actions in our world (in the unexpected, in miracles, but most often in little, everyday occurrences); God’s gift to us of faith; God entering our world as human in the person of Jesus Christ. And Jesus gives us, until he comes again, another sign; a sacrament of himself really present here in our Eucharist; our action of thanksgiving to and communion in God; in Christ...

I pray for all of us that, through this celebration, the Table of the Lord; our Eucharist, sign and sacrament of the fullness of God’s Kingdom, our greatest treasure and our hearts’ greatest desire will become nearer to you, little by little; not imaginary like a faraway island or even hoped for in the distant future, but real and present.

My sisters and brothers in Christ, we celebrate, here and now, signs that are real of the promise of the fullness of the Kingdom of God that is real: God’s action in our world and its events and history, our story; God’s gift of faith to us; God having sent his Son, Jesus Christ; Christ who gives himself to us in our Eucharist. Here is where our treasure is. Here is where our heart is. We are “dressed for action”; dressed for celebration. And we are ready.

Homily for Friday, 5 September 2014– Ferial

Friday of the 22nd week in Ordinary Time

St. Kateri School Mass

Readings of the day (Adapted for Mass with children): Proverbs 2:1-12; Psalm 25; John 14:15-22, 27

This homily was given during the first Mass of the 2014-2015 school year for St. Kateri, a pre-Kindergarten through Grade 6 school within our parish, St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

Who here likes treasure hunts? When I was living in Toronto, Canada, preparing to become a priest, I also worked in a parish like this one to prepare children to receive their first communion. When we learned some of the important things that happen during Mass (how Mass starts “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; when we pray the “our Father”; when we receive communion, and so on…), we would learn by going on a treasure hunt. The “treasures” were little cards with parts of the Mass written on them. The children would find these cards in different parts of the church, then bring them to the front of the church and put them in the right order of the Mass.

What if we were to go on a treasure hunt right now? We won’t go all over the church this time. But who here noticed a card sitting on your pew when you came in? There should be three cards. What do they say? [The three “treasure” cards are knowledge, insight, and One Lord, One faith, one baptism.]

Why this treasure hunt during our first Mass of this new school year… besides the fact that treasure hunts are fun? Our first reading, from the Book of Proverbs, says this: “Beg for knowledge. Plead for insight. Look for it as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure.”

You will receive and give one another a lot of knowledge and insight this school year. We will learn and grow through this year. Our readings that we have just heard ask us to enjoy learning; look forward to and treasure growing. “Look for knowledge and insight as hard as you would for silver or some hidden treasure.” Learning and growing; looking for knowledge and insight from each other; from our teachers; from our parents may be hard work. It may not always be as easy as finding a card on your pew, but it is worth it when we find these treasures.

And there are more treasures than knowledge and insight that we are asked to look for. Someone here has a very important treasure on her or his pew. Who has the card that says, “One Lord, one faith, one baptism”? We have received this treasure of one Lord; one faith even before most of us remember: When we were baptized. Baptism is the first treasure we find and receive, and this brings us into the Church, where we can look for other treasures: More faith; deeper faith; knowledge; insight…

And our Gospel reading from John says that there is somebody very special who is in and all around us who helps us to find all these treasures. Jesus promises us “another helper” in our treasure hunt! Who is this special helper? The Holy Spirit is this special helper whom Jesus promises us.

Who has the Holy Spirit? Where is the Holy Spirit? St. Kateri students, do you have the Holy Spirit? Teachers, do you have the Holy Spirit? Parents, do you have the Holy Spirit? [When called, one student, one teacher, and one parent show cards with an image of the Holy Spirit.]

Yes, we all have the Holy Spirit, who helps us to find all the treasures we need: knowledge, insight, one Lord; one faith; one baptism. May God bless you in this new school year; in your searching for and finding treasures that are from God; as you learn and grow in the love of God and of one another.