Homily – July 30, 2017 (17th Sunday of Ordinary Time - A)
There’s a story told of a young woman who had been appointed President of the bank in which she worked. She'd never dreamed she would one day be president, much less at such a young age. So she approached the venerable Chairman of the Board and said, ''You know that I've just been appointed President. I was wondering if you could give me some advice.’'
The old man came back with just two words: ''right decisions!'' The young woman had hoped for a bit more than this, so she said, ''That's really helpful, and I appreciate it, but can you be more specific? How do I make right decisions?’'
The wise old man simply responded, ‘'Experience.''
The young woman said, ''Well, that's just the point of my being here. I don't have the kind of experience I need. How do I get it?’'
The wise, elderly chairman simply replied, ''Wrong decisions!’'
I wonder if the same could apply to our call as disciples sharing the Gospel? I mean, if the key steps to leading a bank are making the right decisions based on learned experience, which is gained by paying attention to and learning from the wrong decisions made along the way, I believe I can make the case…
In Matthew’s Gospel, after the Sermon on the Mount, and the call of the disciples, I wonder if someone came to Jesus and said, “we’re all in Lord, but could you tell us what we’re supposed to do?” Christ must have nodded, and said have a seat…
First of all, the disciples were not the “best of the best,” nor were they mistake-free in their lives before, during and after their call from the Lord. The same can be said of us here today. We are not called and chosen because of a great interview, or a perfect score on the test. In fact, I might even argue that it is because of our nature, and our experience gained from the mistakes we’ve made along the way, that make us perfect for the job. Remember a few weeks back when we overheard Christ praying to his Father, proclaiming that, “although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones?” THAT”S US! Christ also said to us, blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”
In Matthew’s Gospel, a call to discipleship comes with a job description of sorts. It asks us to be a loyal subject who is willing to obey the king, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be students who learn from the teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are expected to be righteous, that is, living in right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and one another. We are asked to put our faith in action, as illustrated in the parables. We know that we will be judged by the Lord, but we also know that His judgement will come with mercy and forgiveness. And finally, we must embrace that discipleship is not lived individually, but also lived in community, with other believers!
Notice in today’s Gospel that Jesus, the teacher, concludes his teaching of parables with a simple question… “Do you understand all these things?” Their answer, and maybe ours as well, is “YES,” acknowledging the fact that “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven have been granted to us,” calling us to serve loyally and to learn as students of the Master!
You see, as disciples, we understand that sharing the Gospel is about putting our faith in action, scattering the seed to grow where it will. We understand that in the midst of the harvest, we will have to let the Lord, the Master of the field, be our judge, and the one who separates the wheat from the weeds. And if you’re not a farmer and you don’t understand the concept of the harvest, and you’ve been fishing all your life, throwing your net into the sea to haul in a good catch of course demands that you sort the fish, good from the bad. We understand that the smallest of mustard seeds grows into the sturdiest of bushes, and therefore understand our life in this community, the church, created to be a haven for all to live in its branches. We understand that like yeast is added to dough, adding the Good News of Jesus Christ to our hearts, empowers us with his divine love and mercy, calling us to recognize those mistakes we’ve made, be forgiven, and learn. We get that if you find a fine pearl of great value, or if you know that a piece of land has treasure buried on it, you buy it… Right? You sell everything if you have, and you buy it!
You see, a key foundation of our faith is the age old Hebrew tradition of the pursuit of wisdom. In the biblical tradition, seeking wisdom is life’s best calling, bringing with it all other goods. Such seeking aligns us with God’s purposes and desires! Therefore it makes sense that today’s parables underscore the great value of being a part of God’s kingdom. One is willing to sacrifice all for its sake. Solomon’s simple request from God is for “an understanding of heart to judge and distinguish right from wrong.” Today’s psalm proclaims that God’s law or wisdom is more precious than all the world’s riches. The Lord’s decrees are wonderful, shedding light, giving understanding to the simple. Again, that’s me and you!
Finally, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that many hearts are on this journey and pursuit of wisdom. Paul writes that, “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Our role is share the image of Jesus Christ through our love, service and willingness to teach, knowing that ours is not to judge, or to limit, or to decide who is wheat or weed.
Figuratively speaking, I guess you could say that we have a bank to run, but in all actuality, this is Church and we are its disciples! Many have come to depend on its resources, and the experience and right decisions made by its faithful. Remember Jesus’ question as he concludes the teaching: “Do you understand all these things?” When the disciple say, “Yes,” Jesus praises their response and confirms them as scribes and teachers, disciples of a newer understanding of the old wisdom of those on whose shoulders they stand.
There’s a story told of a young woman who had been appointed President of the bank in which she worked. She'd never dreamed she would one day be president, much less at such a young age. So she approached the venerable Chairman of the Board and said, ''You know that I've just been appointed President. I was wondering if you could give me some advice.’'
The old man came back with just two words: ''right decisions!'' The young woman had hoped for a bit more than this, so she said, ''That's really helpful, and I appreciate it, but can you be more specific? How do I make right decisions?’'
The wise old man simply responded, ‘'Experience.''
The young woman said, ''Well, that's just the point of my being here. I don't have the kind of experience I need. How do I get it?’'
The wise, elderly chairman simply replied, ''Wrong decisions!’'
I wonder if the same could apply to our call as disciples sharing the Gospel? I mean, if the key steps to leading a bank are making the right decisions based on learned experience, which is gained by paying attention to and learning from the wrong decisions made along the way, I believe I can make the case…
In Matthew’s Gospel, after the Sermon on the Mount, and the call of the disciples, I wonder if someone came to Jesus and said, “we’re all in Lord, but could you tell us what we’re supposed to do?” Christ must have nodded, and said have a seat…
First of all, the disciples were not the “best of the best,” nor were they mistake-free in their lives before, during and after their call from the Lord. The same can be said of us here today. We are not called and chosen because of a great interview, or a perfect score on the test. In fact, I might even argue that it is because of our nature, and our experience gained from the mistakes we’ve made along the way, that make us perfect for the job. Remember a few weeks back when we overheard Christ praying to his Father, proclaiming that, “although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned, you have revealed them to little ones?” THAT”S US! Christ also said to us, blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.”
In Matthew’s Gospel, a call to discipleship comes with a job description of sorts. It asks us to be a loyal subject who is willing to obey the king, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are called to be students who learn from the teacher, the Lord Jesus Christ. We are expected to be righteous, that is, living in right relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and one another. We are asked to put our faith in action, as illustrated in the parables. We know that we will be judged by the Lord, but we also know that His judgement will come with mercy and forgiveness. And finally, we must embrace that discipleship is not lived individually, but also lived in community, with other believers!
Notice in today’s Gospel that Jesus, the teacher, concludes his teaching of parables with a simple question… “Do you understand all these things?” Their answer, and maybe ours as well, is “YES,” acknowledging the fact that “knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven have been granted to us,” calling us to serve loyally and to learn as students of the Master!
You see, as disciples, we understand that sharing the Gospel is about putting our faith in action, scattering the seed to grow where it will. We understand that in the midst of the harvest, we will have to let the Lord, the Master of the field, be our judge, and the one who separates the wheat from the weeds. And if you’re not a farmer and you don’t understand the concept of the harvest, and you’ve been fishing all your life, throwing your net into the sea to haul in a good catch of course demands that you sort the fish, good from the bad. We understand that the smallest of mustard seeds grows into the sturdiest of bushes, and therefore understand our life in this community, the church, created to be a haven for all to live in its branches. We understand that like yeast is added to dough, adding the Good News of Jesus Christ to our hearts, empowers us with his divine love and mercy, calling us to recognize those mistakes we’ve made, be forgiven, and learn. We get that if you find a fine pearl of great value, or if you know that a piece of land has treasure buried on it, you buy it… Right? You sell everything if you have, and you buy it!
You see, a key foundation of our faith is the age old Hebrew tradition of the pursuit of wisdom. In the biblical tradition, seeking wisdom is life’s best calling, bringing with it all other goods. Such seeking aligns us with God’s purposes and desires! Therefore it makes sense that today’s parables underscore the great value of being a part of God’s kingdom. One is willing to sacrifice all for its sake. Solomon’s simple request from God is for “an understanding of heart to judge and distinguish right from wrong.” Today’s psalm proclaims that God’s law or wisdom is more precious than all the world’s riches. The Lord’s decrees are wonderful, shedding light, giving understanding to the simple. Again, that’s me and you!
Finally, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that many hearts are on this journey and pursuit of wisdom. Paul writes that, “all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Our role is share the image of Jesus Christ through our love, service and willingness to teach, knowing that ours is not to judge, or to limit, or to decide who is wheat or weed.
Figuratively speaking, I guess you could say that we have a bank to run, but in all actuality, this is Church and we are its disciples! Many have come to depend on its resources, and the experience and right decisions made by its faithful. Remember Jesus’ question as he concludes the teaching: “Do you understand all these things?” When the disciple say, “Yes,” Jesus praises their response and confirms them as scribes and teachers, disciples of a newer understanding of the old wisdom of those on whose shoulders they stand.
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