Episodes
Sunday Aug 22, 2021
Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time
Sunday Aug 22, 2021
Sunday Aug 22, 2021
I am a huge fan of the late comedian Jack Benny. I really enjoy listening to recordings of his radio show from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
One of Mr. Benny’s running jokes depicted him as an extreme tightwad, always looking for ways to make money and even more ways to avoid spending it. Mr. Benny and his writers used this gag in every program.
One classic scene has Jack walking down a dark alley on a rainy night. Suddenly, a figure comes out of the shadows approached Jack and demands, “Your money or your life!” This is followed by a long and unexpected silence. So, the robber yells even louder, “Hey Bud, I said, ‘Your money or your life!’” Jack, clearly annoyed, says, “I’m thinking it over!”
Of course, the idea is that everyone hearing this encounter is incredulous that the answer isn’t so obvious to Jack Benny.
Jesus, too, must have been incredulous that some of the people He encountered in His ministry could not recognize and appreciate the offer He was giving them. He wanted them to choose between life and death, and they really didn’t know which one to choose. In the end, many refused and turned and walked away from Him, returning to their former way of life. They preferred not to know the truth rather than to live up to the challenges - and thus, the rewards - of the truth. It was easier.
Others, though, did not want to turn away. Recognizing that Jesus had the words of everlasting life, that He was the Holy One of God, they knew they had nowhere else to turn.
So often, people look at the ways of faith as a burden, and, in some ways, faith can seem to be burdensome. Jesus even acknowledges this fact. However, the truth and what it leads to for eternity immeasurably outweigh even our greatest sacrifices.
A few years ago, Christmas fell on a Saturday. The previous weekend, I was talking with a parishioner after Mass and another parishioner approached me and asked, “Do we have to go to Mass twice next weekend?” The other parishioner jumped in and said, “You get to go to Mass twice next weekend!” Clearly, one saw celebrating Mass twice as a burden, while the other saw it as a gift.
Indeed, some people look at religion as a burden, as something that ties us down, as a list of rules and checks and balances, and, to be honest, some people, even religious leaders make it just that.
Jesus always followed the laws of His faith but not the “laws” that others made up for the people to follow. It was the “breaking” of these human-made laws that found him in conflict with the Pharisees and Scribes who simply could not accept the offer of life that He came to bring to us.
Let us recognize in the Scriptures, in our celebration of the Mass, in our practices of faith the incredible offer Jesus gives us in His invitation to His Father’s kingdom. May we recognize the great sacrifice He made on our behalf, and may we be willing to make sacrifices that lead us to an acceptance of that offer all while inviting others to do the same.+
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