Homilies

John the Baptist appeared preaching in the desert of Judea saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” What image comes to mind when we envision God’s kingdom? For the early church, there was the hope that Jesus would soon restore the sovereignty of Israel but with the destruction of the temple and the passing of time, that dream faded. The anticipation then became the majestic return of Jesus Christ and the last judgment at the end of time. The idealism painted by Isaiah some 700 years before the birth of Christ, which many call the peaceable kingdom, provides yet another image of God’s kingdom.

Doesn’t that sounds so nice? Isaiah paints for us a world free of violence and bloodshed; a world that brings together traditional enemies in the animal kingdom will also bring together traditional enemies among humans: Israelis and Palestinians, Muslims and Christians, Native Americans and Americans of European descent, to name but a few.

On that day, there will be peace on earth! But what needs to happen before God’s kingdom actually arrives on the scene? John the Baptist tells anyone who would listen, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” That sounds like a disturbing dire warning since he then adds, “every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” But actually, he is giving us a lesson in logic. If we truly repent, we will experience the kingdom of God! So long as we remain mired in our sinful ways, however, God’s peaceable kingdom remains an elusive dream.

Paul points out, “Whatever was written previously was written for our instruction, that by endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” So true, everything necessary for our salvation has been done. There is no need for any new revelation from God but we can be such slow learners to grasp what has already been revealed! Imagine how different our world would be today if Christians of past generations had continually endeavored to set an example of repentance for others to follow. How different could our world become now if we would repent in the manner that John the Baptist has in mind?

We are fooling ourselves if the reprimand that John the Baptist levels at the Pharisees and the Scribes does not concern us. Matthew knew that all Christians, including you and me, needed to hear the same message. “Your brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce good fruit as evidence of your repentance.”

The repentance that he calls for demands more than an apology. John is calling for the reshaping of our inner self. Prayer is an essential tool for doing so, helping us to chip away at whatever we cling to that blocks us from God.

There are serious consequences if his call to repentance is not heeded. John points out that any tree that does not bear fruit will be cut down at its root and thrown into the fire. Such strong language is meant to get our attention. Like a mother warning her child not to touch the hot burner on the stove, John speaks in shocking ways to startle us into action.

He has no patience for those who are not sincere in their quest to repent. Isaiah describes what good fruit looks like: all creatures and the whole creation existing in peaceful harmony. There is justice and compassion for all, especially for those most afflicted. The kingdom will emerge when the followers of Christ the King endeavor to advance it.

The Greek word that Matthew uses for repentance is metanoia, which means to “change the mind.” This is not a shift of preference among choices, as the phrase means today, but is best understood as “change your attitude.” Take on a new mindset. That may seem like a tall order but it can be done. Total repentance, as these readings point out, can be achieved but it takes time and effort like breaking bad habits do such as smoking, gossip or pornography to taking on a new routine like exercise and daily prayer.

Complacency toward our need to repent could describe the mindset of many Catholics, who think that being one is the key for getting into heaven. Are we riding on the coattails of tradition like the Pharisees did whom John rebuked? Just as he cautioned the Pharisees, we are not to do so. Ignore John’s call to repentance and you could find yourself swept along with the chaff into the unquenchable fire.

A traveling artist was painting portraits at an art festival. One of his customers was the town drunk. Despite his dirty unshaven face and crumpled clothes, he sat for his portrait with all the dignity he could muster. After much time, the artist presented the finished painting. “This isn’t me!” the astonished drunk slurred as he studied the smiling, well-dressed man in the portrait. The artist, who had looked beneath the exterior and seen his inner beauty, thoughtfully replied, “But it is the man you could be….”

The artist’s reply offers us a message of hope, doesn’t it? Imagine who you really could be if you followed John’s plea and repented. Old anger and bitter resentments litter our paths, as do potholes of pride and jealousy, which impede our safe faith journey. If we want to welcome salvation into our troubled world, we must first clear our paths of the obstacles that prevent Jesus from entering into our hearts. In the weeks ahead, repent, prepare the way of the Lord and make straight his paths.

Last weekend, we encountered a tax collector in the temple, humbly seeking God’s mercy. He knew he was a sinful man so he stood in the back of the temple praying, “Lord, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Today, we encounter another tax collector, Zacchaeus, who climbed a tree to see Jesus.

In Jesus’ times, tax collectors were lumped together with prostitutes and other sinners. They were judged sinners because they collected taxes for the Roman oppressors. Some became rich without doing anything more than sitting behind a table imposing taxes on their fellow Jews, keeping a percentage of what was collected as their salary. Since the money was being collected for the emperor who considered himself a god, Jews judged this activity scandalous.

Zacchaeus must have been shocked when Jesus looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house.” Having a meal with someone is a gesture of friendship, and some times, intimacy. Clearly, Jesus wanted to be part of Zacchaeus’ life. Many people grumbled when they heard this, saying, “He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner.” No self respecting Jew would think of being a guest in the home of such a sinner.

Zacchaeus repents then and there and tells Jesus, “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone, I shall repay it four times over.” While we cannot buy our salvation, his change of heart was a sign of true repentance. Jesus responded, “Today, salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost.”

Notice that Jesus’ goal wasn’t to scold Zacchaeus but to show him God’s love and forgiveness. In turn, he responded to the mercy that Jesus was extending to him. Jesus could have easily passed him by. After all, he intended to just pass through the town. But Jesus reached out to Zacchaeus to offer him salvation and that gesture touched this short man profoundly.

Against the vastness of all creation, or just thinking how lost we can be in a crowd, we might easily dismiss the notion that God notices us, much less our sins, but that is the point of this story. God does notice us, loving each and every one of us unconditionally, even though due to our human nature, we are sinners. Just as Jesus did with Zacchaeus, so he does with each of us; he extends his divine mercy. Do we take God’s mercy for granted and go on with our lives, continuing to sin, or do we really try to change our lives as Zacchaeus did? Saying, “I’m sorry,” is good, but only if we intend to respond with a change of heart.

A couple who had a problem with their marriage once came to see their pastor. The problem was that the husband kept misbehaving, spending money foolishly, not coming home when he said he would, not doing his part of the household chores, etc. After the wife had her say, the pastor asked him if he had anything to add or subtract. He said, “I always tell her I’m sorry.” She spoke up, “Yes, he does, but he is not serious about being sorry. He just says the words and then continues to do these things.”

As you can see, it is not enough to say that we are sorry and receive forgiveness. We have to also change our actions. When we go to confession and say the act of contrition, we express our intent to amend or change our lives. Sometimes, when I say to the Lord, “I’m trying,” I hear him saying, “Well, try harder.”

Some of us treat the sacrament of Penance like a shower. Get in, get washed, get out and don’t worry about getting dirty again. Pope Francis has said, there is no limit to God’s mercy but we are not apt to experience that mercy when we are not contrite, much less remorseful.

When Jesus entered his home, I imagine Zacchaeus said, “Things have got to change.” That’s the reaction we have when we realize that all the surpassing good we have been granted in Jesus Christ,” (to paraphrase St. Paul).

The story of Zacchaeus challenges us to respond to the Lord’s mercy by waging war against sin in our own lives. The line from Wisdom about God overlooking sin is misleading. To the contrary, God “sees” our sins. No matter what the sin may be, we cannot hide our sin from God. God sees us as being scarred by life and our sins yet God also sees us as a person made in the image of God and unconditionally loved. God wants to say to us, “Salvation has come to this house,” but first we have to confront our sinfulness, which we do ideally through the sacrament of penance.

This sacrament, unlike the others, has three names: confession, penance, and reconciliation. Alas, many avoid this sacrament for any number of reasons, seeing no need to confess their sins to a priest. Yes, we can tell God our sins, but only a priest can extend the words of absolution, thus granting pardon for the wrong we have done. On behalf of Jesus, he can say to the penitent, “Your sins are forgiven, go in peace,” meaning that we have been reconciled to God and the Church. Often the suggested penance is a spiritual prescription to foster the needed change of heart to avoid future temptations, so that Jesus can say, “Salvation has come to this repentant child of mine,” just as he did to Zacchaeus.

Years ago, I saw a fascinating exhibit at the Pacific Science Center in Seattle that featured many relics from the Titanic, even a section of its hull. She was the most majestic ship of her day. 882 feet long, the HMS Titanic weighed 46,328 tons. With a crew of 400 and a hotel staff of 518, the world’s largest ship could carry 2,433 passengers.

On the night of April 14, 1912, the “unthinkable” happened to this “unsinkable” ship. Near midnight, the great Titanic hit an iceberg that ripped open five watertight compartments. Two and one half hours later, she sank, claiming 1513 lives. They died because the crew had ignored warnings that the ship was speeding into an ice field, the radio operator of a nearby ship was off duty and there were not enough lifeboats on board. Would the unthinkable have happened had the White Star Line realized that no ship was unsinkable?

With the confidence of the Titanic, we breeze through life confident that we will reach the port of heaven. After all, we are Christians and Jesus has assured us that our faith is the way to salvation. Follow the rules and you have it made. Observe the commandments, attend Mass each weekend, celebrate the sacraments, support the parish, and you will surely experience eternal life.

This is what the Pharisee believed, boasting in the temple that all his deeds ought to be pleasing to God. He was outstanding in his observance of the law. For example, Jews were only required to fast once a year on the feast of Yom Kippur, but he fasted twice a week. He set himself apart from others with his holier than thou attitude, “O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity, greedy, dishonest, adulterous, or even like this tax collector.” His pride was his undoing. Compared to the penitent tax collector, his attitude is arrogant to say the least.

He may have been highly regarded by others in public, but as Jesus makes clear in this parable, being self-righteous does not make one righteous in the sight of God.

Jesus cautions his listeners that the unthinkable could happen to them if they did not heed his warnings to change their attitude. So far as the self-righteous Pharisee was concerned, he was doing all the right things, unlike everyone else. So, he voiced no regrets. There was no sense of contrition in his prayer, or should I say, his speech. The tax collector, on the other hand, was quite remorseful. Too embarrassed to look up, he asked for the one thing that God wants to give us: mercy. He, not the Pharisee, went home justified. Undoubtedly, the outcome of this parable startled his listeners.

Unlike the Pharisee, the tax collector went home a changed man. He left the temple with a clean conscience, thus in good standing with God. The Pharisee on the other hand came to the temple an arrogant snob and he left for home still an arrogant snob.

Are we hearing Jesus’ warning loud and clear? However good we deem ourselves to be, do we see ourselves as sinners in need of repentance? The tax collector did. Unlike the Pharisee, he faced the truth about himself. Approaching prayer with humility, he knows that he can do nothing apart from God and if he was to change, he would need God’s help, so he confesses, “O God, be merciful to me a sinner.” Humbling himself meant facing up to the truth.

A highly regarded biblical scholar, Fr. Raymond Brown, once said that if no change happens as a result of prayer, then we haven’t really prayed. Can you see how one prayed and the other didn’t? The manner in which we pray, the words we speak, the posture we assume, and our willingness to listen reveals how readily we relate to God.

This well-known parable challenges us to realize how vital prayer is if we really want to be with God. No matter how “holy” we become, even if we do every good thing and avoid every bad thing, we cannot save ourselves. Only God can for salvation is God’s gift to us.

Love and repentance, not self-righteousness, is what matters in nurturing our relationship with God. They increase our love of God, others and self, while self-righteousness blinds us to our sinfulness. Quite simply, we cannot be self-righteous and faithful at the same time.

If you are at a loss for what to say when you pray, consider the tax collector’s prayer. His prayer became the basis for what is known as the “Jesus prayer,” which I pray daily. “Lord Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” Breathe in as you say his name, and breathe out as you express your plea. That prayer along with a good examination of conscience is a fitting way to end each day.

The tax collector was justified because he discovered, like Paul, that the race we call life can’t be finished without God’s help. Paul proclaims that God was there to give him strength in his trials and would ultimately bring him safely home to heaven. The same is true for us but first we must be willing to let God change us. The good news of this parable is that every one of us can go home justified. All we need to do is take an honest look at ourselves, repent of our sin and pride, then rely on God’s wisdom and mercy to change us for the better. With God’s help and grace, we too can fight the good fight and not allow the unthinkable to happen to us.

The message today is simple enough: we must persevere in our prayer; otherwise, our faith will likely wane. In the battle against Amalek, so long as Moses kept his arms up in prayer, Joshua and his men were winning, but when Moses let up in prayer, Amalek got the upper hand. What kept Moses going was the help of Aaron and Hur and in the end, Israel prevailed. This wasn’t magic. They knew their help was from the Lord who made heaven and earth.

Paul cautions his listeners to remain faithful to what they have learned and believed, so how are we to do that? Well, that doesn’t happen from watching sports, working overtime, surfing the Internet, or being a coach potato. Remaining faithful comes from praying and Paul provides an excellent suggestion for anyone who finds prayer difficult: reflect on the sacred scriptures, for the Bible provides us with God’s tools for becoming and remaining an upright and moral person.

Often we find ourselves struggling with issues that demand a choice. What values do we use for making moral choices in our lives? When making a choice, are we seeking to be spiritually correct or politically correct?

Being spiritually correct demands that we listen to God through the different ways God communicates with us. One, as I just mentioned, is sacred scripture, which is capable of giving us wisdom for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Another would be the teachings of the Church handed on to us by her bishops and its catechism.

I presume you belong to the Church because you believe in what the Church stands for. Historically, we believe Jesus founded this Church and for 2000 years it has endeavored to keep his message of salvation visible for all to see. Granted, like any human institution, the Church has had its ups and downs and its share of good leaders and bad. But through the power of prayer and the tireless energy of countless missionaries and evangelists, the Church has stood the test of time, proclaiming the Good News and upholding the moral values conveyed to us in the Sacred Scriptures.

Being politically correct sometimes means hiding one’s convictions lest you offend others. Consequently the values we hold publicly as a society do not always reflect what we believe privately. Seeking to be politically correct, the Supreme Court has ruled that public prayer is not allowed in our schools yet prayer is what has drawn us together as a nation, especially in challenging times.

On our currency, we proclaim our country’s motto, “In God we trust.” We adopted this motto because our nation was founded on Christian principles. Today, do we trust that God will care for us or is our confidence lacking? Thrusting in God implies that we believe what help we need comes from the Lord.

But if the Lord is to help us, we must do our share as well. Like Moses and the widow in the Gospel, we must persist in prayer. We must pray without growing weary, as though our lives depend on it for indeed our eternal lives do.

St. John Henry Newman, our newest saint, noted, “Going often to prayer is an act of faith…Trying to be attentive in your prayers is an act of faith…These are acts of faith, because they are acts that you would accomplish if you saw and understood that God is present, though your eyes and ears neither see nor hear him.”

In this parable, Jesus has good reason for using a widow as the star. In biblical times, widows were quite powerless. To support themselves, they usually had to beg. Like a widow, how often do we feel powerless or intimidated before God? Or overwhelmed? Or inclined to think that God doesn’t care?

The fact is God very much cares about you. Even though God knows us intimately, we must continually articulate our needs along with gratitude. Jesus assures us that justice will be done for those who call upon God day and night. That demands persistence on our part, something we aren’t likely to do if we are inclined to be politically correct, forgetting that this nation owes its origins and success to the many immigrants who came yearning to be spiritually correct.

I suspect most of us feel deep down that we ought to do more in our prayer life so we promise to do more. Yet, with so much else demanding our attention, finding time to pray can be challenging. Consequently, we could be denying ourselves the real experience of intimately getting to know Jesus and experience his love. Heed Paul’s advice and find quiet time daily to read the Bible and ponder its message. Meditate on a sentence that catches your eye.

 

In the cemetery of St. John’s Abbey in Minnesota there stands a simple solid massive majestic wooden cross. What is so unusual about this cross is that two granite pillars hold up its arms. They are like Aaron and Hur whom we met in the first reading holding up Moses’ arms as he prayed. As one monk noted, the visual power of this cross is a reminder that we Christians need to uphold each other in faith. Or else, we might despair or lose heart.

To me, the pillars of this cemetery cross also suggest that through prayer and the sacraments, God sustains us through our trials and tribulations, giving us the peace of mind that being politically correct could never provide.

While in town to pick up some supplies, a farmer stopped at a local café to have a bite to eat. He sat down near a group of rowdy young men who were acting up, shouting at the cook and heckling the waitress. When his meal was set before him, the farmer bowed his head in prayer. One of the smart alecks then shouted loudly enough to be heard by everyone else, “Hey pop, does everyone do that where you come from?” Calmly, the farmer turned to the lad and in an equally loud voice, replied, “No son, the pigs don’t.”

Nor did nine certain lepers. Naaman, a Syrian general afflicted with leprosy, and the Samaritan, the only one of the ten lepers cured by Jesus to return and give thanks for being healed, are both obviously very grateful for the miracle.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran minister who died in a Nazi Concentration camp, once observed, “In ordinary life we hardly recognize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich. It is very easy to overestimate the importance of our own achievements in comparison to what we owe others.”

The indifference of the nine lepers isn’t so unusual. How often have we done the same thing? As this gospel story suggests, not all of us really go out of our way to express our gratitude, especially to God for all that we have been given.

Quite likely, the nine ungrateful lepers did appreciate what Jesus did for them. Why they didn’t return to offer him thanks is anyone’s guess, but what was evident to Jesus was the cure did not touch their hearts. The Samaritan, on the other hand, had a conversion experience. Once he realized that he had been healed, he returned, glorifying God in a loud voice. He humbled himself before Jesus, thanking him for making him whole again.

In ancient times, leprosy was a disease with a stigma. If you had leprosy or another dire skin disease, you were alienated from your community and you had to warn others, “Unclean, unclean!” What happened to lepers happens to us when we commit a grave sin. When we sin, our conscience leaves us feeling unclean before God. Like the leper, a sinner, weak and burdened with guilt, may feel hopeless before God for only God can deliver lepers and sinners from their plight.

When we alienate ourselves from God by committing a grave sin, we aren’t allowed to fully participate in the liturgy. When we can’t receive communion, we feel cut off from God and like the lepers, we cry out, “Jesus! Have pity on us!”

And when we do, Jesus would tell us, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” In biblical times, by certifying that a leper had been cured, priests gave the now healed leper permission to return home to the community. Likewise, going to a priest and receiving absolution for our grave sins through the sacrament of reconciliation restores us to full membership in the Church. Now forgiven, we are again in full communion with the body of Christ. Unfortunately, pride gets in the way for some of us sinners, just as it did for Naaman, from seeing the wisdom of what God offers in this sacrament.

Our primary manner of worship has always been the Mass, known also as the Eucharist, which in Greek means thanksgiving. The Mass is our ideal chance to thank God for all that we have been given: life, love, forgiveness, compassion, and mercy, along with the material goods that keep us alive.

Like the nine lepers who didn’t voice their gratitude for being healed, many of the baptized do not appear to be so grateful even though God has generously blessed them. Statistics reveal that the largest religion in our country is Catholic and the second largest are fallen away Catholics.

We tend to take God for granted, including God’s gift of salvation. Despite the caution voiced by Paul in his letter to Timothy that God will deny us if we deny him, we don’t really think that our sinfulness could cause us to forfeit his gift of eternal life. Instead, we presume that God “will understand.”

When God does come to mind, we are likely to be asking a favor or demanding something. Give us this or that; heal someone who is ill, bring us peace, save this marriage, perform a miracle. Sometimes our prayers are made with little expectation of success but when our pleas are heard, is our faith impacted or like the nine lepers, do we remain unchanged on the inside?

I recall that in the days following 9/11, churches across our nation were filled with many seeking solace, comfort and assurances. In turn, we were told, “Stand up and go, your faith has saved you.” Following his words of absolution, a priest says in effect those same words. Faith is what always pulls us through our most difficult times but faith is not a gift to be taken for granted. Faith demands a right relationship with God. Like any plant, faith must be cared for. We nurture our faith best through reconciliation, prayer, and the Eucharist.

 In his unconditional love, Jesus doesn’t need our gratitude any more than he needed the spoken gratitude of the nine lepers, but he knew they needed to be grateful, and so must we if our faith is to remain vibrant. So long as we remain grateful, we will never deny God nor take for granted what God has given us, especially his gift of salvation.