Homily for 30th Sunday

Cold and wet, dark, and cloudy. The weather on this early autumn day didn’t do much to lift the spirits of Chip and Dale. So, they decided to take a walk around town hoping to find something to lighten their mood. If nothing else would lift their spirits, perhaps a pumpkin spice latte and an apricot Danish pastry would! On their way to the coffee shop, they saw that there was a demonstration in front of the courthouse.  College-aged young adults were protesting the war, condemning Israel’s shelling the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. Absent were protestors in support of the Israelis who suffered atrocious, barbaric attacks on innocent Israelis who were killed, their women raped, babies and children decapitated, and many who were rounded up and held hostage as prisoners of the militant Hamas soldiers.

Chip said to Dale, “It’s really sad that the holy land, the home of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, is now filled with so much hate.” Dale replied, “The Hamas militants who control the Strip are determined to kill every Jew just as Hitler tried in the last century. If they succeed in killing all the Jews, they will hunt down Christians. I’m sure God is not pleased. He sent his son, Jesus, who preached that love, not hate, would be a true source of peace.”

Let’s face it. We live now in a very troubled time. Pessimistically, many people are frightened and worried that evil is more predominant than good. This need to dominate and control could lead to world war. The study of both ancient and present history shows this ever-present danger. Many look to God to solve the problems that modern cultures presently suffer and have brought on us.

Optimistically, Love has the power to overcome adversity. As Christians, we believe that God, who is Love, has overcome evil through the death and the resurrection of Jesus. What a shame it is that there are some people, not all but some, who seemingly lack a sense of compassion when faced with the sufferings of others around them. Their sense of importance and self-righteousness has blinded them to the values that have long guided Judeo-Christian peoples. The violence that we see daily on the television news has blinded us as well. We expect and hope that God would intervene in our lives to restore peace. We wring our hands, imploring God to listen to us and stop the violence. But our compassionate God did intervene. God sent his only-begotten Son, Jesus. His love for us through his passion, death and resurrection is not limited to those in the holy land three thousand years ago. The paschal mystery is as real today as it was then. Listen and know that the Lord expects us to heed his advice.

In the Book of Exodus, the Lord says:

You shall not molest or oppress an alien, for you were once aliens yourselves in the land of Egypt. You shall not wrong any widow or orphans. If ever you wrong

them and they cry out to me, I will surely hear their cry. My wrath will flare up and I will kill you with the sword. … If you lend money to one of your poor neighbors among my people, you shall not act like an extortioner toward him by demanding interest from him. … If he cries out to me, I will hear him, for I am compassionate.

The Lord warns us. What are we to do to have peace and an end to the hate and violence that dominates our lives today? The Pharisees, who were skeptical and wanted more than ever to silence Jesus, considered Jesus’ answers were too simplistic, and therefore unrealistic. So, they asked Jesus, Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?

Jesus said,

You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment. The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.

Love for God always presupposes a prior experience of God’s goodness. While God offers us an abundant evidence of such goodness, it is usually mediated through the kindness of others and the beauty of creation. Nonetheless, this awareness of divine love may seem to disappear at times. God’s love then becomes trust, which is especially pleasing to God. The experience of God’s loving goodness makes such trust possible and causes us to be intensely aware of the gratuity of divine love.

Love is the foundation and goal of our lives as Christians. Love is not, primarily, a feeling or an emotion. Love is action and, when shown to neighbor, it creates freedom, confidence, and beauty. If you truly want to overcome violence, then learn to love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Chip and Dale were moved to action. Right then and there, they pulled out their rosaries and prayed that the Spirit of Love would descend upon all who were struggling under the violence that made them feel helpless and hopeless even in their boisterous shouting. What will you do to end violence in our society?

God be blessed! Now and forever. Amen.