Homily: Twenty-eighth Thursday of Ordinary Time
Twenty-eighth Thursday of Ordinary Time (Rm 3:21-30) “Does the Law Keep Me?”
“We are justified by faith, not by works.” This is central to the message of St. Paul. What does this mean? As Catholics we believe in doing works of charity. Does that put us at odds with other Christians? At the time of the Reformation these questions framed the debate between Christian groups.
The controversary really has little to do with charity. What St. Paul was reacting to, was the whole idea of keeping the law. Most Jews believed that religion was an exercise in self-improvement.
I went to seminary at St. Meinrad in Indiana which was owned by the Benedictines. The Benedictines lived in community, and they followed the rule of St. Benedict. The rule has been around for well over a thousand years, as have the Benedictines. The longevity of the rule speaks of the wisdom it contains.
Each part of the day is regimented. A Benedictines day revolves around joining in community prayer at dawn, for Mass, at midday, in the evening and before retiring. In between there is time for work. At certain times the monks have a time for self-reflection. Other times there is recreation scheduled.
I learned many good lessons from the Benedictines. The primary one in my mind was the need for balance in human life. If our life is not balanced between the primary activities of work, prayer, play and leisure we will not feel like we are in a healthy place.
I often heard it said at St. Meinrad that “if you keep the rule, the rule will keep you.” I can imagine the Jewish faithful saying the same thing when St. Paul lived. But there is one important thing we need to understand and that is what St. Paul came to believe.
The rule is not kept nor is the Jewish law kept in order to earn points with God. The law was kept so that Jews could live an ethical life which they believed would lead to a satisfying life. Salvation is a gift. We live ethically as a way of expressing our gratitude to our creator.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I have a schedule that I try to keep? Is that a good thing for me?
- How do I feel if my schedule is disturbed? What is my motivation for living an ethical life?
Dear Parishioners,
We are continuing to receive TTT pledges. We hope to have our fund raising wrapped up by Halloween, but we need your help. So far, we have received over a hundred pledges since we announced our fourth-year pledge drive. Have you committed yet? We need your help so we can build the gathering space that would be the most advantageous for our parish.
If you have not gotten your pledge in yet, please do so. We will be making financial decisions based on our final numbers. This is an important moment for our parish. Thanks to all those who have made a pledge so far.
May Our Lady and All the angels and saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark