Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is a story about an auctioneer selling a neglected old violin. A young man offered ten dollars, and the bidding stopped. The auctioneer asked if anyone wanted to play it. An older man stepped onto the podium, took the violin, and began playing. He pulled such an enchanting melody and sound from the old instrument that the entire auction hall was almost in tears. As the beautiful strains subsided, a few seconds of silence followed. Then, a burst of thunderous applause erupted from the entire crowd.

The bidding began again and climbed up to three thousand dollars. The master's touch brought out the value of that shabby violin, a value that no one else could see.

Similarly, when we allow it to move freely in our lives, God's grace reveals our true value, the value we have always had in God's eyes, even though no one else may be able to see it.

In the Our Father prayer, we say, "Thy Kingdom come" and "Thy will be done." These two phrases basically mean the same thing.

When we ask for God's Kingdom to come, we humbly ask for His law of love and redemption to rule over our lives and the lives of all people.

This phrase also makes us think of Christ's second coming, which will occur at the end of human history when all resistance to God's law of love and redemption will be destroyed forever. However, right now, in our sinfulness, we still experience this resistance. When we pray "thy Kingdom come," we ask God to send His grace so we can Conquer that resistance. 

When we speak of God's "law of love and redemption," we speak about what He wants. Our faith tells us that God wants only what is best for each of us - this is His essential wish for us. That is what we mean by "God's will": His desire for our salvation and eternal joy.

This is motivation behind the Commandments, the Church's teachings, and the guiding hand of divine Providence. God wants to give us the grace to ask for His will for us, not only in our words, but in our hearts, minds, and choices. Let's be open to Him giving us the opportunity to make that happen.