Homily: 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mk. 8:27-35) “Can I Give Up Control”
24th Sunday of Ordinary Time (Mk. 8:27-35) “Can I Give Up Control”
The call to Christia discipleship is a call to make a sacrifice. We could ask, do we ever understand all the implications of that call? Someone once said that we need to be given a gift twice in order to fully embrace the gift.
We see that in the story of the Apostle Peter. Peter was given the privilege of being an Apostle of Jesus, but he really did not understand that call until he was confronted with the choice a second time. We might remember Peter’s first call. In Mark 1:14-22 we read how Jesus is walking along the seashore. He sees Peter and the other fisherman casting their nets into the sea. He calls them to be his disciples. The men drop their nets. We do not detect any hesitation. We get a sense that there was great enthusiasm on their part. Maybe they felt special. To be a disciple of Jesus was a great privilege. And it was heady stuff. After all Jesus was performing miracles. He was preaching to great crowds. He was a popular religious figure.
But then Peter’s second call comes, which we read about today. Jesus shares the prediction of his passion. He reveals his apostles face two realities. An apostle must be willing to make sacrifices as they live in the Kingdom. The other reality is that if we follow Jesus we are going to suffer. The worst part of this suffering is that we will lose control of our lives. When Jesus was nailed to the cross, there was a physical suffering, but there also was a sense of helplessness. He was at the mercy of his enemies. Jesus could not escape his fate.
Most of us Christians accept the idea that we need to make sacrifices for the Lord. We need to serve others, offering our time. We need to share our God given abilities. We also must be willing to give away material things in order to help those less fortunate than us. We, like Peter, do not balk at that. But then the day comes when we are called to suffer. None of us likes that. Suffering can be something we choose, but most often it is something that just happens. We must learn to let go and to trust if we are going to follow Jesus.
Who can forget the suffering of the last twenty years? As citizens of the United States, we were comfortable with being the nation that was called upon to help the world in the last century. We did that well during two world wars at other tough times. In 2001 we were the lone superpower. The world looked to us for leadership. We could be very benevolent. We escaped most of the world’s struggles.
But then 9/11 happened. We were attacked. We asked why? We were sad. We were depressed. We also were angry. We lost the feeling of being in charge of our own destiny. We were asked to carry the cross of suffering as a nation. And a big part of the suffering revolved around losing control. The last twenty years we have fought to trust in the future. How have we done? Will we learn how to be leaders in the present reality? Time will tell. Right now, a lot of us are examining our conscience which is not a bad thing. As Christians we ask, “Can we abandon our will and embrace Christ’s will?”
As a parish we need to make sacrifices as a community. This is the Sunday we ask for your support for the Annual Diocesan Appeal. Last year the Annual Diocesan Appeal was shifted to September. The appeal was held during the worst of the pandemic. Our parish responded. We made our goal of approximately $121,000. The money went to support the ministries of the Dioceses of Peoria. It is time to make this appeal again.
Our goal this year has dropped to $115,000. The fact that we made goal last year was of great benefit to our parish finances. We did not have to find an extra $35,000 from our regular contributions to give to the diocese because we were short of our obligation. Our ADA amount is something we do not choose but is a sacrifice that we are asked to make. If everyone responds generously, we can achieve our goal again.
I will leave it there. Thanks again for your generosity last year. You should be receiving a pledge card in the mail this week. Please return it next Sunday with your gift. Discipleship is never easy, but if we pull together as a community, we can be vibrant witnesses for Jesus.
Reflection Questions:
- Are sacrifices I choose to make easier? What is a gift I have chosen to give to others?
- What is a sacrifice that I had to make that I did not choose? Did I resent it?
Dear Parishioners,
On October 17, 18, and 19, we will be having a parish mission here at Sacred Heart. We will try to make the event as safe as possible. We might all agree we need a spiritual shot in the arm after the last two years.
One of the things that we need to recapture is our understanding that the Eucharist is a central part of our Christian life. We were encouraging people to stay home for many months, and we still do not have the Sunday Mass obligation back in force. It is understandable since COVID is still lurking. Maybe we have grown used to staying away on Sunday. Why should we return? The mission will hopefully remind us of the many graces the Eucharist affords.
Fr. Britto Berchmans will be leading our mission. Some people may remember him from 2015. He came and presented a mission here at that time. He is a priest of the Arch Diocese of Chicago. He has a PHD in communications and he has taught at the graduate level in Rome and in Chicago. He has been a pastor for many years at St. Paul of the Cross for many years. This is a 4,000-family parish in Park Ridge. He knows about parish life and parish liturgy. I know him personally. He is an inspirational presenter. I would encourage everyone to mark out these days on your calendar.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you this week.
Fr. Mark
P.S. I asked couple weeks ago if someone wanted to donate $4,000 for a ramp that would extend from the parking lot on the East side of the property to the door of the Culemans Hall. Someone has stepped forward with the donation. They wish to be anonymous. Thanks to that person the ramp will soon be put in. I would also like to acknowledge Jesus Vargas and Cliff Zerull who have done a lot of manual labor this summer taking out trees and shoring up sidewalks and making drainage better around the property. Please thank them when you see them. They have really worked hard.