Homily: Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Homily: Eleventh Sunday of Ordinary Time
What is the reign of God like? Jesus has a strange way of explaining what the Kingdom of God is like. He tells parables. Parables are short stories. We realize that. But they aren’t stories, whose messages are crystal clear. A parable is an analogy. Jesus always says that the reign of God is like this experience or that experience from everyday life.
So, what is the reign of God like? Our readings use two plants to describe what the Kingdom of God is like. One plant is a tree (a cedar of Lebanon). Cedar trees are the most majestic of all the trees of the Middle East. A cedar tree can grow to be 130 feet in height. The trunk of a Cedar of Lebanon can be up to 8 feet in diameter. The tree can live up to 600 years. The crown of the tree is extensive. We can imagine that there are many creatures who live in its branches.
In the first lesson, the Prophet Ezekiel uses the Cedar of Lebanon as symbol for a universal Kingdom. Ezekiel wrote to an oppressed people who were struggling to maintain their national identity. He tried to give them hope. He says a sprout will be taken from a cedar tree and will be planted on a high mountain. The majestic cedar that grows from this shoot will be a sign that the People of Israel will be restored. The God of Israel will be the God that all people come to worship. This all represents the ultimate triumph of the one true God. Injustice will be wiped away. Peace will reign. Everyone will joyfully live in the shade of the Cedar that represents the reign of God.
Jesus, our Messiah, uses another plant as he speaks of the reign of God. The plant couldn’t be more different than cedar tree. Jesus says the reign of God is like a mustard plant. His whole example seems like complete absurdity. The mustard plant wasn’t a majestic tree, but it was a weed that would grow into a short bush. No farmer would ever plant the seed in his fields. No self-respecting bird would ever nest in the branches of a mustard plant. The first good windstorm would blow a nest to the ground.
What was the one strength of the mustard plant? The mustard weed was like any weed we deal with in our flower beds and gardens. You pull out one weed, but usually there are many other weeds that sprout in place of the weed that is removed. You’re never going to eradicate a weed completely.
The reign of God exists in our world. The church is a sign of the reign of God, but it isn’t the sign that we would expect. Some church leaders have preached about the church triumphant at different times in Christian history. Usually, this has happened right before the church has had to live through humiliation.
A number of bishops preached about a triumphant church in the 1970’s, but the church has been chastened over the last 50 years. The main humiliation has been the ongoing sexual abuse scandal. Every time the church has seemed to get ahead of the story a new aspect of the scandal has come to light. Many innocent people have been taken advantage of. Unfortunately, the sins of the church haven’t been freely admitted to. The moral failings of the church have only been admitted to only after adverse publicity.
In the end the church doesn’t look like a majestic cedar tree, but more like a lowly mustard plant. The good news, again, is that if the church is like the mustard plant in that it will never be wiped out completely.
During the last year and a half, we have struggled with another challenge that revolves around the pandemic. We haven’t been able to have activities to keep our parishioners connected. The next few months will be an important time for the church. We now look like a weed growing in the crack in the sidewalk, but at least we have life.
Is it bad to be compared to a mustard plant? Jesus doesn’t seem to think so. If we are a humbled church, perhaps, we have a greater chance to be a holy church.
Reflection Questions:
- Pope Francis prayed for a poorer, humbler church when he became Pontiff. Why would he do that?
- Am I ashamed to belong to a sinful church? What does that say about me? What does that say about the church?
Dear Parishioners,
Much has been going on around Sacred Heart these last few weeks. We have the old rectory torn down. We probably are all shocked by how this makes the church look. The church now stands out in all its magnificence. Funds for this demolition have come from our TTT Capital Campaign.
We also are working on the north roof of Culemans Hall. We have moved ahead to replace this roof. The leaking was doing too much damage to the inside of the building. We will be using appreciation from our endowment fund, savings, and the profit from our recent raffle to pay for this project. It will cost us $71,000.
Earlier, we had new downspouts installed and gutter repairs made on the East side of the church. This will be paid for with monies from the memorial fund. The final cost should be less than $15,000.
Finally, you will probably notice that remodeling is happening in the grade school office. This project, again, is being paid for with monies from the TTT Capital Campaign.
I appreciate all those who continue to support us financially. Without your generosity, we would not be able to improve our facilities as we look toward our future.
May Our Lady and All the Angels and Saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark
P.S. Over the last week the governor of the State of Illinois has moved us to compete reopening. The Pandemic has subsided. We pray that it will not surge. Here are some adjustments have made this past week.
- The strings have been removed from the pews (please give others their personal space and try to stay six feet away).
- Holy Water is back in the stoops at the door. Obviously, you may use the water at your discretion. Hand sanitizer will continue to be available. You might want to sanitize your hand after you use the Holy Water.
- We have gone back to our usual communion pattern. Please follow the direction of the ushers. (We will not have communion on the tongue or from the cup for the time being).
- We will be trying to get other ministries up and running again, please be patient with us.