Worship God or His gifts?

Homily Outline for the 8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Last week we heard from the preceding chapter in the aGospel of Matthew. Jesus told us to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect… this is a tall order, but it truly is our calling in Christ: holiness, perfection. I asked a bunch of rhetorical questions, but I think the most important was this: Are you satisfied? If we listen to the hunger God places in our hearts, we won’t shuffle our feet or shy away from God’s call.

This week St. Matthew continues by recounting the rich encouragement Jesus gives us to stay the course, to seek the Lord. We are not yet perfect, and sometimes our brokenness and weakness can be very discouraging. That was very vivid for me this morning – I went to check a beaver trap in a very large and thick swamp. As I strode away from the car on my snowshoes, the sky was blue, the air was crisp (about 4 º) and I was VERY content with myself, the mighty trapper! 40 minutes later I was at the empty trap with a broken snowshoe. I tried heading back without the snowshoes, and it was quickly apparent that would take me several hours as I floundered along breaking through the crust. I put both snowshoes back on, and ignoring further damage I got back to my car after missing my trail for an extra mile or so. As I struggled through the brush, I was reminded how precarious one can be… I did have a cell phone, signal, a knife, hot coffee, a lighter… and yet I realized how easy it would be to be lost and cold and afraid. I was also hoping there were no mountain lions or wolves noticing my uneven step and heavy breathing… I might have looked very vulnerable and tasty, not to mention filling!

What does God have to say to us when we’re vulnerable and afraid? Far more than being lost in a swamp, on any given day many of us may feel scared, or sad, or discouraged… perfection, if it’s still visible at all, seems a very distant glimmer. Our first reading reminds us that we’re not alone, “Zion said, ‘The LORD has forsaken me; my LORD has forgotten me.’ Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Since God called Abraham 4000 years ago it has often been the case that we feel as if God is far away. Speaking through Isaiah, God tells us that He NEVER forgets us.

Different things may lead us to feel far from God. Sometimes it may well be that we have walked away from Him. As we seek to find satisfaction and peace, we may attempt to fulfill that desire in ways that are doomed to fail. If we seek worldly peace and security, are hearts will continue to be restless and yearn for more. A friend once shared a dream he had with me… in the dream he was told that Jesus would come again in one week. He began to think of all the things he would do for his family: a shiny new SUV, some really sumptuous restaurant dinners, sparing no expense… then all of a sudden he realized how off base his heart was! Faced with the end of time, he was seeking to do good, yes, but in a way that was almost entirely material, and even superficial. Only in God will our souls be at rest! God is the rock of our strength, our refuge.

The worldly things we desire are not bad in and of themselves… but they must come after God, or they will lead us to hell, both here and in eternity… “Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides.” Food, drink, clothing, shelter, love, family, joy… God will give us what we need, but we turn our back on God if we seek His gifts instead of seeking Him! These gifts are good, but they must not be first!

Here’s some ways to test where your heart is: What do you spend most of your time doing? What do you think about most of the time? What do you talk about most of the time? How often do you turn to God in prayer? What are most of your emails, phone calls, or texts about? If God’s far down the list, or not even on it, it’s time to re-evaluate! Most of us have to spend a lot of time at work, but do we offer that to God as a gift, or do we strike out on our own? Many of you are responsible for your retirement, your children, your spouse… It is not true that this is only up to you! God will help you. Perhaps worldly success is the most dangerous of all, even more dangerous that discouragement. If we’ve found our place and built our barns, we might begin to believe that we don’t need God.

Jesus mentions the beauty and joy of the birds of the air and the flowers of the field. We cannot extend our lives by a single moment through worry and self-sufficiency. We CAN be filled with God’s joy and help if we will turn to Him and ask… that most joyful of men, St. Francis, had nothing and was filled with peace. Our various vocations may not lead us to follow this literally, but each one of us must surrender our lives and cares to God if we want to walk with Him. May the Eucharist we are about to receive fill us with an abiding knowledge of God’s love and presence, and help us to surrender all to Him.