Homily: Twenty-sixth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Luke 9:51-56)
Twenty-sixth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Luke 9:51-56) “The Hard Path”
(Last week I labeled some of my reflections as the 26th Week. This is the 26th week. Sorry for the confusion)
In several translations of today’s Gospel we read, “He set his face toward Jerusalem.” This represented a turning point in the Gospel. When Jesus decided to go to Jerusalem, he knew it would lead to trouble. The journey and its consequences are recounted in the rest of the Gospel of Luke.
Jesus could have stayed in Galilee. He was having success in his ministry. He was relatively safe since he was far from the religious and governmental authorities in Jerusalem. An old expression the Jews had said it all, “Prophets go to Jerusalem to die.”
Jesus’ message was one that challenged the way his society was organized. No one in authority ever likes their status challenged. Jesus wanted something different for his people including leaders who were virtuous.
He knew when he went to Jerusalem he would be persecuted, threatened, ridiculed, perhaps killed. Yet, he went anyway. The mission and the message, he believed, was more important than his very life.
Heroes and Heroines have imitated Jesus throughout Christian history. Who can forget people like Fr. Stanley Rother who grew up in Oklahoma and was a missionary to Guatemala? Fr. Rother was born in 1935 on a farm. He was a good farmer, but he wanted to be a priest. After being a parish priest for several years, he joined the missionary team for his diocese in Guatemala. This was a dangerous assignment. The church in Guatemala was a threat to the government because it stood for peace and justice for the poor.
Fr. Rother was targeted for death. He saw several of the lay people he worked with murdered. Fr. Rother went home for an ordination celebration in 1981. His family and friends begged him to stay in the United States. His response, in the end, was, “The Shepherd does not desert the flock.” He set his face toward Guatemala. In the end, he was assassinated in his home. He shared the fate of the savior he followed.
Reflection Questions:
- Should Fr. Rother have tried to stay alive? What good did he do when he chose the course he did?
- Is Christianity about getting into trouble or is it about keeping the peace? When do we refuse to quibble about what we believe?
Dear Parishioners,
As we begin October, we always celebrate the Feast of St. Francis. On Tuesday October 5th in observation of that feast we will be blessing animals at the end of the school day. Last year we did not have the blessing because of the COVID pandemic.
October is prolife month, so it always seems good to have this blessing which reminds us that Jesus came to redeem all of creation. We are also reminded that all life is precious. One of the greatest threats to life is the disregard people have for the environment that all creatures live in. Pope Francis has tried to remind people of this throughout his pontificate.
The pet blessing will be in the grassy area in front of Culemans Hall. Please watch the bulleting for further details.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you.
Fr. Mark