St. Joseph Church Homilies

It’s unusual to hear Jesus speak about hate, especially to promote hatred towards anyone. Elsewhere, our Lord has commanded us to love our neighbour and even our enemies; and life is supposed to be something sacred. So, the Saviour’s command to hate family or life itself just seems out of place. We might even imagine how those who listened to these words of Jesus might have been shocked.

We’ve been reflecting on our Lord’s command to, “Strive to enter through the narrow door…”[1]. Disciples are expected to do more than ‘try’, we’re called to ‘strive’, to pass through the door into the Kingdom because being left out in the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth is a real possibility. Christians aren’t afraid to consider the reality of hell because Jesus often spoke about it. We believe in the existence of terrible things: Death, war, injustice and pain: we wish these things didn’t exist, but they do. We also wish hell wasn’t real, but Jesus has told us it is, so we acknowledge it.

But, though descriptions of hell sound horrifying, our faith doesn’t revolve around that because the thing about terrible things is that God didn’t create any of them, we did; and that means terrible things can never be as powerful or as lasting as what God can make. Most important though, we remember that the door Jesus mentions is currently wide open. It may be narrow, but there’s nothing preventing anyone and everyone from passing through it and into the Kingdom. While mentioning the place of weeping and gnashing of teeth, Jesus reveals what he’s going to do about it: he’s going to throw a banquet and it’s that heavenly banquet we focus on.

A banquet is a great image for Heaven, though it falls short in many ways. Our banquets must eventually end and someone has to clean up after. God’s banquet, however, has no limits. It’s where we’re truly lifted up. We keep our focus on this great banquet because it helps shape our thoughts and actions. When we recognize Heaven as our true home, we’re going to surround ourselves with as many reminders of Heaven as possible, we’re going to do our part to fulfill the petition of the Lord’s Prayer, “…thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Heaven isn’t just for some future moment, it makes a difference today.

One linguistic tool sometimes used in scripture to emphasize a point is hyperbole or extreme exaggeration. We still use this tool today. After a trip to the Costco, someone might exclaim, “I’ve bought enough food to feed an army!” or a child coming home with a poor report card might say, “my parents are going to kill me!” Neither of these statements are true, it’s exaggeration that adds emotion to a fact. We’ve witnessed Jesus use this tool too: “…first take the log out of your own eye…”[2], “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out…”[3]. We know a log could never fit in an eye and that Jesus doesn’t endorse mutilation; it’s an exaggeration to capture attention.

We know Jesus wants us to love our families and that life is sacred; these are good things, great gifts God has given. But we also know that in the heart nothing, not even parents or children or spouse or even life itself should be given a higher place than God. To highlight this truth, Jesus uses the word ‘hate’ towards all things that could potentially come between God and his disciples

“Strive to enter through the narrow door…”. The door to the Kingdom may be wide open, but we still need to strive to pass through it. It’s not possible to pass through accidently; it’s going to take effort; it’s going to take putting God first in all things; and this is th...

In the Gospel, we heard of a question someone asked Jesus, “…will only a few be saved?” The unnamed man basically asked Jesus if, at the end of time, the Kingdom will be full or empty. Will most make it into Heaven or will many be condemned. The question continues to be asked today because Jesus didn’t really answer it. Instead, Our Lord flipped it around: “Strive to enter through the narrow door…”. The question about how many will get into Heaven isn’t nearly as important as the question, “will I get into Heaven?”

Now, I don’t know any Greek, but I’ve read that in Greek, the word Jesus used for striving is the same that’s been used to describe Olympic contests or fights. Jesus doesn’t tell his followers to ‘try’ to enter through the narrow door of the Kingdom but to ‘strive’ to do so.

For the next few weeks we’ll reflect on this task of ‘striving’ that Jesus has set before us and we’ll look at what it is that we’re to strive for. Of course, we’re not going to be able to answer that question, “…will only a few be saved?”, but we can reflect some on Heaven, hell and how those truths make a difference today.

We’ll start with the most important truth. That narrow door Jesus mentions: it’s an open door. It may be narrow but there’s nothing preventing anyone and everyone from passing through it. There’s no mention of a guard or bouncer at the door. There’s no key or secret password needed to get in. The door to the Kingdom is open for all those who wish to pass through and we definitely want to keep that in mind, especially in light of one important truth: at some moment, the door will close and it’s very possible for some to be left outside.

Jesus spoke many times about hell, so Christians have never been afraid to consider its reality. We believe in the existence of terrible things. Death is terrible, as is war, injustice and pain. We wish these things didn’t exist, but they do and as a people of truth we acknowledge their existence even if we’ve never had firsthand experience of any of these things. Likewise, we wish hell wasn’t real, but Jesus has told us it is, so we acknowledge it.

The thing about terrible things is that God didn’t create any of them, we did. Death and war, hunger and poverty, even natural disasters and disease, are all man made and that’s good news. It’s good news because it means all terrible things are limited. No part of God’s creation can ever make anything as wonderful or as powerful as what God can make. Once, I was in Barcelona where there’s this great basilica that’s been under construction for nearly one hundred years. The tour guide went into great depth describing the efforts of so many engineers, artisans, architects and others while building this masterpiece using the latest and best techniques and materials known to man. It is incredible. But, even if that building captures the attention and awe of many for thousands of years, it’s nothing compared with what God has made.

Terrible things, including hell, are nothing when compared to God and what he’s made. So, as people who have been invited to pass through the narrow door into the Kingdom of God, we acknowledge the existence of hell, we wish it didn’t exist, but we don’t have to fear its existence. However, maybe we do need to fear ourselves.

Jesus has given several descriptions of hell and they’re all terrible, of course. A more modern description I’ve read illustrates hell as a city so huge that the residents never ever have to see one another nor do they want to. They are so self-absorbed, so concerned about themselves that they want to keep entirely to themselves. They’re willing to give up all joy, they’re willing to exist in isolated misery to protect themselves from any possibility of pain.

Personally,

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve been reflecting on the need to be ready. It’s something we’re all very familiar with; we spend much of our lives getting ready. Maybe some of the youngest of us here are beginning to get ready for a new school year. An engaged couple, expectant parents, someone going on a vacation or preparing for a job interview will spend considerable time and energy getting ready. When the risks and rewards are higher, the need to get ready is more important than ever: we might think of someone preparing for a trial or for the Olympics. It should be no surprise that our need to ‘be ready’ would spill into our spiritual lives as well. “Be on your guard…”. Jesus tells his disciples, hinting that the eternal joys of the Kingdom of God will be best experienced by those properly prepared for its coming.

We started by considering how knowing and following the moral will of God is how we get ready. God’s moral will is his plan for how he wishes us to live our lives, how he wants us to act and use the gifts he’s given and it applies to everyone everywhere. It makes sense too that being ready for God’s Kingdom, the place of eternal love, peace and joy, would call the disciples to act and behave in ways compatible with those ideals.

We also looked at how knowing and following the providential will of God helps us to get ready for his Kingdom too. The providential will of God is his ultimate goal for his creation and people; it’s what our all-powerful God is going to do no matter what because God always gets his way. To Abraham, God revealed that his chosen people would inherit a promised land. Knowing this, Abraham could courageously set off for a strange land because he knew God would guide him and his descends. Through Jesus we learn how God establishes a Church, renews creation and calls his followers to citizenship in a great Kingdom: this is God’s providential will and knowing this helps us to get ready for what God has in store to his people later.

In the first reading today, we hear about a moment in the life of Jeremiah, a great prophet. But, he wasn’t especially liked. When the people refused to listen to his God given message, he predicted that the Babylonians would surround the city and it happened. Then he prophesized that the king would be captured by the Babylonians and was arrested for it. While imprisoned, he told the guards that those who remained in the city would die by the sword, disease or famine. This tempted the soldiers guarding the city to desert and really attracted the attention of the royal officials in all the wrong ways and Jeremiah was thrown into a pit and left to die.

Now fortunately, the story has a good ending: Jeremiah is rescued from the pit. But if we could, we might ask Jeremiah about why he kept on talking, why he didn’t just give up the whole prophet business. Every time he spoke God’s word, things just got worse for him. Jeremiah remained solid in his role as a prophet because he knew the personal will of God. 

The personal will of God is all about what God wants for you and your life and it’s going to be different for everyone. For each of us, for me and for you, God has a personal will or plan for your life, a vision for who you could be and who you should be, no matter what stage or state of life you’re in. Earlier in his life, Jeremiah came to realize that he was called to be a prophet. It’s what God wanted for him and from him. Oh, he could have ignored this call and just worked at being the nicest, most generous and prayerful person on earth, he could have perfectly followed God’s moral and providential will, but something would be missing so long as he ignored God’s personal will.

During times of struggle, Saint Paul encouraged his listeners to look to the example of Jesus,

We started last week reflecting on the need to be ready. It seems we spend much of our lives getting ready. An engaged couple will use a lot of energy getting ready for a wedding. Expectant parents will spend many months getting ready for new life. Even a vacation or holiday takes planning. When the risks and rewards are higher, the need to get ready is even more important. Young people spend years in school getting ready for adulthood because adulthood is filled with risks, challenges and great rewards. I can’t imagine the preparation needed to be ready to earn an Olympic gold medal.

It should be no surprise that our need to ‘be ready’ would spill into our spiritual lives as well. “Be on your guard…”. To the disciples Jesus hints that the eternal joys of the Kingdom of God will be best experienced by those properly prepared for its coming; the best way to be ready for the coming of God’s Kingdom is to be familiar with the expectations of our maker.

We explored how knowing and following the moral will of God is how we get ready. God’s moral will is his plan for how he wishes us to live our lives, how he wants us to act and use the gifts he’s given and it applies to everyone everywhere. It makes sense too that being ready for God’s Kingdom, the place of eternal love, peace and joy, would call the disciples to act and behave in ways compatible with those ideals.

The second reading this weekend mentions Abraham, a figure from the Old Testament, introduced in the first few pages of the Bible. Now, when Abraham and his wife were getting on in years, God revealed himself to Abraham with a promise: that if he remained faithful, God would make of him a great nation with descendants more numerous than the stars of the sky. But this promise called on Abraham to take a huge risk: with his family he was to leave all he knew and move to a new and strange land, the land God would eventually give to this new promised nation.

Imagine the worries: would he be able to understand the language spoken in this new land? Would his family be accepted? Would they be safe on their journey? Imagine the ridicule Abraham may have faced along with the challenges of living with his family in a tent. What words could he use to explain this to his family? It seems that Abraham had been living according to the moral will of God, that he lived and acted as God intended. But by trusting God and setting out for a new promised land, Abraham also followed the providential will of God.

The providential will of God is God’s master plan, his ultimate goal for his creation and people, it’s what our all-powerful God is going to do no matter what because God always gets his way. To Abraham, God revealed that his chosen people would inherit a promised land. Later, to Moses, God demonstrated that his chosen people would be free from oppression and through Jesus we learn how God establishes a Church, renews creation and calls his followers to citizenship in a great Kingdom: this is God’s providential will.

Abraham could courageously set out with his family to a new land because he understood how God’s providential will ultimately determines history. As long as he lived his life according to that will, Abraham could set out on his journey with nothing to fear. Those who truly wish to follow in the footsteps of Abraham, to have his kind of courage, need to be familiar with God’s providential plan, his ultimate goal and plan. When we know what God’s aim is, it’s easier to shape our view and choices to match and easier to trust that God is truly with us.

On September 10th, everyone here is invited to make a journey too, a pilgrimage to the Martyr’s Shrine in Midland. A pilgrimage is a trip to a place of spiritual or historical significance.

Saw some boxes, Fr. Isaac is getting ready for his new ministry. Seems like we’re always getting ready for something: job interview, students, engaged couple, expectant parents. When the risks are higher, getting ready is more important.

Earlier this month, I went sailing for nine days, checking out some spots between Sandbanks and Presquile. Of course, I had my own plans for where I wanted to go and what I wished to do each day. But, in this case, ‘being ready’ obliged flexibility and knowledge of weather forecasts and safe harbours from threatening weather. We strive to be ready because we know there are many powers beyond our control. I may have had my own plans but being ready demanded respect for those things more powerful than I: the winds and waves; it required planning to ensure enough food, supplies, fuel and power for a pleasant and, most importantly, safe experience.

It should be no surprise that our need to ‘be ready’ would spill into our spiritual lives as well. In the Gospel for the next few weeks, Jesus encourages those who listen to him to be ready. He says to his disciples, “Be on your guard…”. Something is coming and our Lord wants his followers to be prepared for it. In fact, he hints that the eternal joys of the Kingdom of God will be best experienced by those properly prepared for its coming. So, for the next few weeks, we’re going to look at how God’s will helps disciples to be ready for the coming joys of the Kingdom.

In today’s Gospel, someone approached Jesus with a simple request, “…tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.” The situation, hurt and frustration is easy to imagine. This individual seems to have been seeking justice, for his or her fair share. Perhaps the request came from a genuine need so the petitioner could provide for their own family. Indeed, God does want us to approach him. He loves our prayers and welcomes us to set our needs before him. Last week we heard how God has even taught us how to pray by giving a model for prayer: the ‘Lord’s Prayer’ or ‘Our Father’. This God given ideal for prayer does include a petition for ‘our daily bread’, but that’s not all that’s contained; it doesn’t even make up the bulk of the prayer.

The commandments, the beatitudes, the words and message of God and the examples of so many holy men and women found in scripture reveals that God has a moral will, a plan for how he wishes us to live our lives, how he wants us to act and use the gifts he’s given and it applies to everyone everywhere. His will is a kind of manual for living. The best way to keep your car running well is to follow the directions of the designers and builders, to follow the guidance of the manual. Likewise, the best way to be ready for the coming of God’s Kingdom is to be familiar with the expectations of our maker. Being truthful is God’s will as are the commands to honor parents or refrain from theft. It’s God’s will to love and respect one another, seek reconciliation and look out for those in need.

“Be on your guard…”, Jesus says. Sometimes God’s will opposes our own plans or seems extra burdensome in light of the particular challenges of life. We might think of the trials that arise when faith is shaken or despair takes root, when a relationship becomes burdensome or injustice threatens. We may ask, ‘does he really wish me to forgive someone who has hurt me?’, ‘does he really want me to be kind to my cruel boss?’, or, ‘does he really expect me to go to church each week after working so hard to feed the family?’

Maybe the request made by the individual who sought Jesus’ assistance in obtaining their share of a family inheritance was fair, but it also reveals what was going on in their heart. Coming before the maker of all, standing before the author of life itself,

Quite some time ago while serving at another parish, I was called to anoint an elderly lady who was dying. Now, in many ways she was lucky because she was able to remain at home surrounded by loved ones. She was also lucky because she was conscious and could receive Communion.

After Anointing her, offering Communion and praying with her and her family, I asked if she would like to make a Confession. Before she could answer, her daughter called me aside to express her feeling that my invitation was judgemental. How could her loving mother be a sinner in need of Confession, especially while bedridden? I suggested that the decision should be left to her mother alone, promising that I wouldn’t judge her mother to be a sinner or saint. When asked again, the elderly and dying mother said she would like to make a Confession and received that very day a healing no doctor could provide: the forgiveness of sins and a restored relationship with the source of all life.

The familiar parable Jesus tells in today’s Gospel, of course, clarifies who we should consider our neighbour, who it is we should care and be concerned for. But, the climax of the parable tells of a healing, it contains a lesson not only about who our neighbour is, but that being a good neighbour involves healing.

Jerusalem, the city the poor victim left, symbolizes the promised land, the place where God dwelt with his people, a place of joy where every need was met. It makes no sense that someone should ever want to leave Jerusalem, especially for Jericho, a symbol for this fallen world and the final obstacle between God’s people and the promised land.

Because they carry God’s message, will and law to the people of the world, lawyers and priests can travel freely between Jerusalem and Jericho; it’s part of their job. But in this parable, we hear of another who, perhaps believing life apart from God would be somehow better, leaves Jerusalem for Jericho, paradise for this fallen world, and it doesn’t take long before they fall victim to bandits who rob the unprotected of faith, health and even dignity.

The lawyer and priest who pass by the suffering man aren’t necessarily cowards, bad or unsympathetic. Maybe they pass by because, on their own power, they’re unable to heal or help the stricken man. We’ve all been there. In our weakness we’ve also walked past the evils of homelessness and addiction, poverty, injustice and war, disease and death. Sometimes it seems as though the road between Jerusalem and Jericho, where we often find ourselves, is filled with those who have been beaten by these powers. Maybe we even find ourselves to be one of those in need, one of those left half dead by bandits who have forcefully taken and crushed.

Finally, the parable introduces the Good Samaritan, one who does have the power to do something for the wounded. The Good Samaritan offers healing and the work begins. First, the beaten victim brushes aside all fear and pride to reveal his wounds and accept the Good Samaritan’s help, a symbol for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Oil and wine are then poured over the injuries of the stricken, a symbol for the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

But he’s not to stay; if the afflicted man is to have his faith, health and dignity restored, he cannot remain in that space between Jerusalem and Jericho. So, using his own animal, a symbol for the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Good Samaritan brings the wounded man to the inn. The inn is the Church to which we all belong, the place where faith is nurtured and the wounds of sin are healed. The innkeeper who welcomes in everyone, may not be the owner of the inn. It’s possible that the Good Samaritan brought the injured man to his own inn and placed him under the care of the innkeeper, a kind of manager,