Homily: 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (James 5:1-6) “Blessed are the Lowly”
25th Sunday of Ordinary Time (James 5:1-6) “Blessed are the Lowly”
Humility, unselfish service, simplicity. Our readings today emphasize that these are the values that Christians are to strive for. When we covet these things, we will have wisdom.
A story is told of St. Bonaventure that illustrates how he felt about holding power in this world. Bonaventure lived in the thirteenth century in Italy. He was part of a noble family. He was probably going to live a very comfortable life, but he entered the Franciscan Order where he would live an austere life. He was quickly recognized for his intellectual ability. He was sent to Paris to study. Soon he was the master of the Franciscan School in Paris.
As a theologian, he emphasized the affective over the rational approach to theology. The ultimate goal of the Christian, Bonaventure said, was to pass through three stages; purification from sin, illumination that leads to the splendor of the truths Christ taught, finally, one achieves union with God which allows us to enjoy the sweetness of love. Bonaventure’s reputation grew. He was considered the second founder of the Franciscan order. He was elected to lead the order at a very young age. He had every reason to be proud of his accomplishments, but he realized the spiritual danger of this.
Pope Clement IV wanted Bonaventure to be a bishop of York, but he refused the appointment. He believed Franciscans shouldn’t be part of the power structure of the church. Pope Gregory X didn’t believe this. He appointed Bonaventure a bishop and a cardinal. The Pope ordered Bonaventure not to refuse. The papal messenger bearing the red hat found Bonaventure visiting a Friary near Florence, Italy. He was in the kitchen washing the dishes. When he was told that the Popes messenger was outside, Bonaventure sent word that he would be out when he was through. If the messenger didn’t have time to wait, he could hang that hat on the tree by the door. Bonaventure would get it later.
Bonaventure seemed to understand what Jesus taught about humility. The Letter to James puts it well today when the writer makes the statement that “where selfish ambition exists there is disorder and every foul practice.” A lot of us do not ever hold high office or ever have the opportunity, but the deadly sin every human being can struggle with is pride. Whether we are rich or poor we can let our ego rule our life. Wisdom and humility go hand in hand. We all need to go through a process to come to the point of wisdom.
In a religious sense, someone once said that we all live our life out of one of three boxes. Box one is living with a sense there is an order in everything that needs to be maintained. Many people feel like if they learn all the rules of religion, they have obtained wisdom. People are often admired who can recite the Ten Commandments from memory or seem to have a Biblical quote for every occasion. A smugness can come from this that turns others off.
The second box people live out of is that of disorder. People can believe that true wisdom is about deconstructing everything. Such people feel like knowledge from the past is unimportant. We need to simply free ourselves from all constructs and rules. A pride can come from being a rebel, a person who questions everything.
The third box people can live out of is the box of reordering. This is the box Jesus lived out of. He was constantly bumping into religious rules he disagreed with, but he never stopped being Jewish. He was always about finding the deeper meaning in his religion. Jesus didn’t live his religious life based on commandments; he based his life on the beatitudes. The beatitudes teach us that there is incongruity of life that always keeps us humble. If we accept that fact and remain open to new insight, knowing that we will never completely arrive until we see the beatific vision, we will find peace.
Where do conflicts in religion come from? Usually, it is when the forces of order and disorder are in competition with each other. The question always revolves around who had the power. When that is the all-important issue, being religious will not lead to peace. But when everyone who lives in a Christian community strives to serve their neighbor peace reigns. Jesus’ words ring out to us today, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Reflection Questions:
- Was Bonaventure foolish not to accept church promotions? Does this make sense to me?
- Which box do I live out of most of the time? Is it work to live out of the third box?
Dear Parishioners,
We have made a lot of progress collecting pledges for the Gathering Center we are planning. We now less than $400,000 away from our original goal. This seems like an achievable amount. If everyone commits to a fourth year on their pledges, we can get where we need to be.
What would such a space for our church offer us. It would be a place to build community. We could have a safe door for the physically challenged to enter our church. We would have bathrooms where people in wheelchairs could enter and where babies with diapers could be changed.
This would be a place where people could gather for large liturgical celebrations. This would also be a spot to have fellowship afterwards. We could also have adult education opportunities as well.
If you have not made your pledge yet, you will soon have an opportunity. We continue to have information meetings. If you would like to attend, just give our office a call.
Most importantly, pray that we will succeed with our efforts. This can help our parish grow stronger. In 1922 we dedicated our present church building. Wouldn’t it be nice to dedicate our new gathering space in 2022?
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark