Homily: Tenth Thursday of Ordinary Time

Tenth Thursday of Ordinary Time (2nd Cor. 3:15-4:1,3-6) “Tear the Veil Away.”

It is said that Moses wore a veil after he saw God face to face. The reason he did is because his face reflected the glory of God. The light was so bright that people could not look at his face because they were blinded. Therefore, he had to keep his face covered.

In a way, the veil over true holiness is something that we must deal with all the time. We see the evil of the world and that can lead us into a kind of pessimism. We look at our present political polarization and see people fighting in the streets and we can despair. We see the war going on in Ukraine and the senseless destruction and we find it hard to imagine a loving God. The evil of the world veils the glory of God.

We have the same feeling on a personal level. We struggle to live virtuous lives. We try to be the holy people that we are called to be, and we fail. Perhaps we feel like all the rules and commandments of Christianity are something that we will never be able to apply to our lives. We again might despair.

Paul says that if we have a conversion experience and allow the Holy Spirit to come into our life the veil of evil will be torn away. The evil we find in the world at large and the sins that we struggle with on a personal level can obscure the reality of God.

If we can trust God fully and turn our lives over to the Lord grace will be poured into our lives. We will be filled with divine light. Our face, like that of Moses will reflect the light of God. More specifically, we will reflect the light of Christ.

We often see saints with a halo. The halo glows around their head or sometimes around their whole body. The glow we see in the saints is what St. Paul is talking about. They have become Christ in the flesh. When we look at their lives, we see Jesus himself.

Reflection Questions:

1.    What events taking place in the world cause me to question God’s goodness? What might I do to regain my optimism?

2.   What personal sin do I struggle with the most? Do I believe God’s mercy will restore my Spirit?

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 Dear Parishioners,

          We had a wonderful Altar Society luncheon today. Marie Grigsby and Don and Connie Bookman were thanked for their work on the historical pictures that have been installed in the Gathering Space. Marie provided the negatives for the pictures and Don and Connie suggested where they might be placed and what size they should be. The Altar and Rosary Society provided the funds for the project. Thanks to Pami Triebel for chairing the whole project.

          I would also like to thank Connie and Dan Morris for donating back a pew that they had from the church for the hallway of the Gathering Space. People can sit on the pews there as they wait to Celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

          May Our Lady pray for us today,

          Fr. Mark