Fr. Roger J. Landry

Monday of the 32nd Week in Ordinary Time, Year II

Votive Mass of the Holy Eucharist

Alverna Center, Winona, Minnesota

Retreat for the Priests of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester

November 7, 2022

Ti 1:1-9, Ps 24, Lk 17:1-6

 

To listen to an audio recording of today’s homily, please click below: 

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/catholicpreaching/11.7.22_Homily_1.mp3

 

The following text guided the homily: 

* At the beginning of our retreat together, we make our own the words of the apostles in today’s Gospel: “Increase our faith.” And Jesus reminds us of the power of faith, that if we have even a little faith, we can do the impossible, like transplanting mulberry trees into the sea.

* The apostles were provoked to ask Jesus for that gift because of his words about scandal and then forgiveness, and we can ponder them a little together, but we can also apply this petition to the theme of our retreat, dedicated to imitating what we celebrate and becoming catalysts for the Eucharistic Revival of the Church in the United States.

* Jesus begins the passage talking about scandal and the damage it causes for others’ growth in faith. “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,” the Lord says, “but woe to the one through whom they occur. It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.” Jesus is clearly describing the punishment scandalous behavior warrants. But at the same time that he mentions a millstone, he wants to help unshackle someone from that millstone through mercy. One of the most important parts of our life of faith, is our recognition that just as God never tires of forgiving us, we should never tire of asking him for forgiveness and of sharing a similar mercy with others. This is hard. It requires great humility to ask for forgiveness. It requires greater humility to give it. Jesus is calling us not merely to give people a second chance, but an eighth chance. And in another part of the Gospel he says, depending upon the translation, that we need to give a 78th chance or a 491st chance. In order to be capable of doing this, we need his help, we need the strength that comes from faith. That’s why we humbly beg, “Increase our faith!”

* In the first reading, St. Paul describes the qualities for the discernment of priests and bishops precisely so that they won’t cause scandal but rather bring people to imitate God. He says that they need to be blameless, which is the opposite of scandalous; married only once, meaning that they can live chastely and not be men who had to marry after the death of a first wife, because then probably they wouldn’t be able to live the continent chastity required; with believing children who are not accused of licentiousness or rebellious, because if a father can’t raise his own children in the faith, how can he raise others’ children in the faith?; not arrogant, because he must be a humble servant like Christ; not irritable, because he must love even those who annoy him; not a drunkard because he must be sober and alert; not aggressive, but meek; not greedy for sordid gain, but poor in spirit because the kingdom he seeks is the Lord’s; hospitable because he sees Christ in the stranger saying, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me”; a lover of goodness, so that his virtue is not just in seemingly virtuous needs but comes from a good fruit-producing tree; temperate since he must have self-mastery; just, since he should be right with God and fair with others; self-controlled since he must be disciplined to be a disciple and help form other disciples; hold fast to the true message as taught so that by his life he can exhort the faithful and refute opponents; and in short, holy,