Iron Man vs. the Holy Spirit

+ J. M. J. +

Homily Outline for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C

Jesus speaks in our Gospel of faith the size of a mustard seed, and the power and impact even this tiny kernel can have. It is important for us to be reminded of this in the midst of the storms and opportunities of our daily life! God has given us precious gifts… do we recognize them, do we use them?

This same theme is very beautifully echoed in our 2nd reading, from St. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy. Paul wants to encourage and empower this young bishop to serve, and to serve well. He says to him:

Beloved: I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.

Through the imposition of Paul’s hands Timothy received the gift of Holy Orders… St. Paul called down the Holy Spirit upon him. The fire and power of Love, the Holy Spirit nestled into his heart and soul at this minute. This verse is particularly close to my own heart because I used it on my ordination prayer card, desiring that God would help me to remember the gift I received when I was ordained a priest, so I would not forget what was given to me.  This doesn't only apply to those who are ordained, but also to every baptized and confirmed person… in those essential sacraments we received the gift of the Holy Spirit, the spark and fire of love, the Spirit of Truth. That spark burns in our hearts and souls, even if at times it burns very faintly. We are reminded, we are exhorted, we are invited, to fan that little spark into a flame, even into a raging fire of love!

This is what happens in the lives of the saints… by God’s grace the recognize the gift of life, the gift of new life in Christ, the gift of each day, minute, and hour, the gift of each person in their lives. Recognizing those gifts, they begin to cherish them, to give thanks… as they give thanks, their hearts open wider and wider still to the fire of God’s love. God’s love begins to purify and burn away their sin and fear. God’s love begins to draw them to service, and love, and truth. Other people begin to notice the warmth and light that flow from the saints words and deeds. Have you ever been warmed by the charity, the kindness, the encouragement of a friend? That spark in you and in them flared up!

St. Paul continues… we are to stir up this flame, this gift. How does the Holy Spirit go to work in our lives, what is this gift like?

For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control.

The Power and Fire of the Holy Spirit leads us to love, and to self-control. It leads us to virtue and discipline, and to charity and the gift of self. We are empowered, strengthened, equipped, and moved to serve the Lord and our neighbor.

Perhaps many of you have seen the Iron Man movies, where Robert Downey, Jr. plays Tony Stark. Through a series of highly improbable but entertaining events, he ends up with this throbbing energy source plugged into his heart, an energy source which powers his carefully engineered Iron Man suits. Maybe the Holy Spirit
is a little like this… only MUCH more powerful! Think of Mother Teresa impacting the lives of 100s of thousands of people, and calling thousands of women around the world to follow her. Right now, on every continent, they are caring for the least among us, for the hungry, for those dying from AIDS, for those most in need. Think of Blessed John Paul II and Blessed John XXIII who will be canonized saints this spring, and how they touched and enlivened so many lives. Think of Venerable Frederic Baraga who set our diocese on fire in the midst of such hardship. Think of St. Therese of Lisieux who feast we celebrated this past week, with her little way of great love. She lived a hidden and cloistered life of prayer and died in her 20's... and yet she is known and beloved around the world.  Think of the Blessed Mother, whose simple yes to the Angel unleashed the entire mystery of salvation!

All of these saints, and especially our Lord Jesus Himself, show us the way to be set on fire, they show us the rich fruits of allowing ourselves to be set on fire! We will face obstacles, challenges, failures… and St. Paul acknowledges as much as he encourages St. Timothy:

So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.

Each of us carries our share of hardship… our share of sin, our wounds caused by our own choices and by others. But in God we can bear them with strength that He promises us and gives. Each one of us here at Mass today carries some portion of grief or sorrow or frustration or boredom or anger. We encounter obstacles to living our faith and sharing our faith. Let us not be ashamed to come before the Lord, whatever we carry, let us not be ashamed to beg him for the strength that we need!

In the midst of national struggles, and personal struggles, God calls you and me to move forward with courage, never forgetting the gifts of faith we have received. St. Paul continues:

Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

We have heard the word of God, we have been entrusted with the fullness of Christ’s teaching in the Church. May we cherish this, may we allow it to penetrate our hearts and lives, a glowing coal of love and truth that will warm us, and all those around us. If you gather several glowing coals together, they may even burst into flame… as we are gathered here in this church, before this altar, the Holy Spirit wants to set our love ablaze.

We prepare to approach this altar now, to receive the Fire of God’s Love made Flesh, the glowing coal of the Eucharist, a spark that can set us ablaze. May we lay all our fears and burdens at the foot of this altar, and receive the power and grace that we need. May we bring this fire of love with us as we venture forth from this church today.

+ A. M. D. G. +