Homily: Sixteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Homily: Sixteenth Thursday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 13:10-17) “The Mysteries We Hold Close.”

In the time of Jesus, there were religions that were known as mystery religions. Mystery was not something that was unknowable, but a mystery was knowing about something because you were part of a certain organization or group.

If someone wanted to join a mystery religion in the Greco-Roman world there was a long period of instruction. Also, there was spiritual preparation. People would fast and spend time in solitude for days until the time of initiation would come about.

Usually, the initiation would involve attending a play that would explain the story of the God that was going to be worshipped. The story of the God was presented in a most dramatic way with all the extra effects that a theater could offer. The legend would often present the tragic fall of the God, but then there would be a restoration. The play was only attended by adherents to the religion. Once a person went through the steps of initiation it was said that they understood the mystery.

Jesus was alluding to all this when he said that his followers should understand the mystery of the Kingdom of God. He had been with his apostles for a long time. He had explained many things to them. We could say they had been presented with information that remained a mystery to others.

New people would join the Jesus movement. But they could not just instantaneously become followers. They had to go through a period of preparation. New followers of Jesus would have to study. They would have to fast and pray. At Easter they would go through Baptism and hear the story of Jesus’ life death and resurrection. In the end they would attend Mass for the first time with full knowledge of what was going on. They would have a new mysterious knowledge which would be a treasure of infinite worth.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Did I ever think of myself as having mysterious knowledge that others don’t? How do I feel about that?

2.    What would church be like if Mass could only be attended by those who had been fully initiated? Would this be a plus or minus?

 Dear Parishioners,

           During the last few weeks some parishioners have asked when we might be able to receive from the cup again. This is a difficult question. There is no solid evidence that COVID is passed by drinking from the same glass as someone else. It does not seem to act like a typical virus. But health professionals would err on the side of caution.

          COVID cases are rising once again in our area. Several parishioners have contracted it recently. This makes me hesitant to offer communion from the cup.

         If no one chooses to drink, we also have an issue with trying to consume a lot of consecrated wine. We can’t store the precious blood.

         The answer to the original question is that we still must wait and see. Hopefully, we see a decrease of COVID some day soon and then we can receive from the cup again.

          May Our Lady of Peace pray for us.

          Fr. Mark