Homily: Twenty-second Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Twenty-second Tuesday of Ordinary Time (1 Corinthians 2:10b-16) “Body, Soul, Spirit”

Ancient Greek Philosophers were the first people who came up with the idea of living things having a soul. Plants had a soul. Animals had a soul and people had a soul. There was a distinction between types of souls, but the main idea was that anything that was alive had a soul. Rocks, for example, did not have souls. The soul, then, was the life force that animates all living things.

If we are Christian, we probably think that the Christian faith deduced there was a soul, because we believe in life after death, so the soul lives on in human beings after we die. But Saint Paul, being the good missionary he was, drew a parallel between what the Greek people he was preaching to believed and what Christ taught.

St. Paul, in his Letter to the Corinthians says that believers are different that others. What animates a Christian is not only the fact that we have souls, but also the fact that the Spirit of God is within us. There is divine indwelling of the Spirit.

Because a Christian is made up of body, soul and spirit we can be attune to the mind of Christ. This can cause us to act in a different manner than a non-believer. We can be attuned to what God wants us to do in our life. But this does not happen automatically.

For a Christian to move with the Spirit we need to be committed to prayer and discernment. A lot of people are baptized but they act like everyone else. Why is that? Perhaps they do not actively search out the plan of God for their life. St. Paul says that because the Spirit of God is within the Christian, we can cooperate with Christ as we live our life.

How many of us think of this in our daily living. Do we consider this before we make choices. The wisdom of God is there for us because we are brothers and sisters of the Lord.

Reflection Questions:

1.    Before I make major decisions do I pray about them? Would it be better for me if I did?

2.    What is different about humans? What does it mean to be made in the image and likeness of God?

 Dear Parishioners,

           We are often asked about the possibility of a couple being married in our church. Sometimes those that ask do not belong to our church. At other times a couple is not even Catholic. Couples like the beauty of our sanctuary and that is the reason they want to have their wedding at Sacred Heart.

          Non parishioners can get married at Sacred Heart. We do try to give preference to those who are members of our church, but we also try to be flexible. The priority is to encourage couples to have a sacramental marriage and a valid marriage.

          Non-Catholic ceremonies usually do not take place in a Catholic Church. There would have to be extenuating circumstances for this to happen.

          If you would like to get married at Sacred Heart, the first step is to make an appointment with me. Sometimes I can help couples discern if a wedding at Sacred Heart is appropriate for them.

          May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over our troubled world.

          Fr. Mark