Homily: Twenty-fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time

Twenty-fifth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Proverbs 21:1-13)

A proverb is a short pithy saying that proclaims some obvious truth. When I think of proverbs, I think of Poor Richards Almanac. Benjamin Franklin had a talent for proclaiming proverbs. One of his famous proverbs was, “We are all born ignorant, but we have to work at remaining stupid.”

We probably had mentors who have given us some proverbs or wisdom to live by. My mother had a favorite proverb when she met a couple that seemed to be very different but were happily married. She would say, “There is a lid for every pot.” I had a priest friend who always said the key to living a good life was to, “Be where you need to be, doing what you should be doing, when you need to be doing it.”

Unfortunately, it seems like such bits of wisdom are not valued much today. Older wiser persons are not sought out. The young it seems only believe that people their own age have any worthwhile knowledge.

It is wonderful that we have a book of proverbs in the Bible. This is part of what we call “Wisdom Literature.” Psalms and the Book of Sirach are other examples of this type of writing. These books were compiled at the time of the Exile. The Jews believed their culture was being subverted by the Greek culture. Greek Philosophy was studied and revered. The Jews believed that their culture was just as good if not superior, so they recorded the wisdom that had been passed down from generation to generation.

The Book of Proverbs is a good place to begin our prayer. We can just open this book of the Bible and find a pithy proverb and then meditate on it awhile asking how we have seen this truth played out in our life. If we study the Proverbs, we can have a game plan for our day to day living. This was the wisdom that Jesus learned at young age, and it is what he tried to use as a basis for much of his teaching.

Reflection Questions:

1.    What is my favorite proverb? Where did I learn it?

2.    Does the church have wisdom we need to proclaim louder? Are people listening? Do I listen?

 Dear Parishioners,

           I have announced several times at Mass that we need to take precautions as the construction goes on next to the church. Currently, we have part of the street blocked off. On Sundays, people are parking to the east of the church on 17th street beyond the construction fence. This is fine, but we need to be wise about this. I am asking that people cross over to the sidewalk on the south side of the street and then walk to the church so you will be safe walking to church.

           If you come late, you can always go down 13th street and turn right into the alley and park behind the church. There is always plenty of room and it is safe alternative. Once parked, you can walk to the west entrance and enter.

          May Our Lady pray for the people of Puerto Rico and all those who are the victims of natural disaster.

          Fr. Mark