Beyond the Beginning

Homily Outline for the 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Today the details of God’s call to us are made more specific and more challenging. Before Christ, the prophet Zephaniah reminded the people of Israel to seek God, “Seek the Lord, all you humble of the earth, who have observed his law; seek justice, seek humility; perhaps you may be sheltered on the day of the Lord’s anger.” Judgment will come, we will stand before the Lord who sees all things, and Zephaniah encourages us to seek justice and humility. Notice that he directs himself to those who have observed the law… Having obeyed the Law, the journey is not complete.

In our second reading, Paul speaks to the Corinthians who have already been called by Jesus Christ. He reminds them that Jesus didn’t call them because of their worldly status, but in sheer generosity. He even emphasizes rhetorically that those who have been called are precisely the weak, the foolish, the lowly and despised. That’s us! Are we comfortable with that… do we see that about ourselves? God didn’t call us because we’re so great, but because He’s so great! Having called us, He wants to do beautiful things in us and through us, all in His mercy! We are not to boast in ourselves, but in the Lord.

So this is the pattern… having signed on, so to speak, with God, the journey is just begun, not finished. This brings us to the Gospel, the Beatitudes. These are poetic, familiar, but let’s listen to them very clearly and hear how paradoxical they are. Here are two examples: “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land… Blessed are the merciful for they will be show mercy.” Is this true empirically? Do we see these promises fulfilled clearly in this world? I don’t know… often it seems that the meek and the merciful get trampled, left in the dust. Quite a few of those who are meek and merciful seem to get the short straw! What is Jesus talking about?

These invitations and promises are being made not just in light of this world, but also in light of the world to come. To be part of Christ’s Body is not to guarantee worldly blessings in our lives, or worldly success. It is, however, to open ourselves up to eternal mercy and grace. We don’t see God’s justice played out completely in this life, but we are assured that His justice reigns in eternity. All that is hidden and unseen will come into the light. This is very clear in the last two promises: “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.” This is not the “so-called” prosperity gospel… follow God and everything in this life will go smoothly! This is the truth. God will reward us, and if our fidelity leads us into persecution, God will be faithful to us eternally.

Think of it this way… the Ten Commandments lay out for us the boundaries… that which must not be done, that which we must do. Surprisingly, this is the minimum. Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” “What must I do to gain eternal life” says the young man, Jesus says, “Keep the commandments.” But that’s not the whole project, just the beginning, and that’s already pretty tough. That’s why our Mother the Church offers us the beautiful gift of confession, entrusted to Her by Jesus. Our breaking of the commandments need not burden us perpetually – our sins can be forgiven.

However, to have avoided and turned away from flagrant sin is only the beginning. The Beatitudes chart the course from there… Not only do we reject sin, but we embrace poverty of spirit, we surrender our sorrow to the Lord, we seek to be meek, hungry for righteousness, merciful, and clean of heart. This is not a path calculated to bring worldly success, but rather eternal joy.

Jesus is very realistic… to walk this path will often bring opposition, a lack of understanding, even persecution. Do parents who really guide their children and place faith first meet with praise and adulation from other parents? Do medical professionals who are faithful to moral truth necessarily advance quickly? Does someone in business always get ahead the quickest by being scrupulously honest and fair? Is the most popular student in high school or college the one who avoids sin and seeks humility? There are many other examples. To seek Christ faithfully, to receive His teaching with joy and to use it to configure our lives will bring us blessings now… chiefly a peaceful conscience, the riches of divine grace, the peace of knowing we are seeking the Truth Himself. These blessings can sustain us in world that may or may not recognize and honor virtue and faithfulness. This is what Jesus calls us to… May we hear His call, and with the constant help of His grace, may we respond courageously and generously. We are offered eternal life, eternal joy, eternal blessings. May we have the courage to accept this gift!