Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 10-12, 17-20) “Melt Some Ice today.”
Fourteenth Sunday of Ordinary Time (Lk. 10-12, 17-20) “Melt Some Ice today.”
If we want someone to get a message, we want it to be clear. In today’s Gospel the disciples are sent out two by two to invite others to follow Jesus. But we could ask if the message they were to proclaim was well defined?
Jesus tells them twice to say that the “Kingdom of God is at hand.” The disciples are to proclaim that message if they want to send a friendly greeting. The missionaries are to declare that message if they are rejected. The message of the Kingdom can be reassuring. But it is to be seen as a warning.
Just what is the Kingdom about? We might think of the Kingdom of God as something that will be in the future. Quite often, we think of it as an eschatological message. We think it has something to do with the last things. When the world ends, we will see the advent of the Kingdom.
But Jesus says to his missionaries, “tell them the Kingdom is at hand.” The Kingdom has something to do with the choices we make today. Some theologians would say that the Kingdom can be chosen by adhering to the moral code of Jesus. We study that ethic, we then make a choice. The Kingdom is something we are constantly choosing. The Kingdom unfolds slowly in our lives. People who aren’t patient can’t abide living in the Kingdom.
C.S. Lewis, a British scholar, wrote a series of books called the Chronicles of Narnia. The first book is a book called the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. The stories are fiction. Some would call them fairy tales, but the Kingdom is being proclaimed in an entertaining way.
The main characters are children. We could say these children are called to embark on an adventure. Four children pass through an old wardrobe located in the attic of a home they are staying in. It is revealed to them that they have a mission to free a distant land from the grip of a wicked witch. The Land that they enter is a land of perpetual winter, but once they begin their mission the snow and ice begin to melt. Throughout their quest the warming of the land continues.
C.S. Lewis, it is said, describes his own conversion through this fairy tale. Lewis was a devout atheist. But through his study, the witness of his friends, his own human experience, his ice-cold heart begins to melt until finally he left his intellectual arrogance behind. He entered a relationship with Jesus. He became one of the greatest Christian apologists. It is no accident that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was written right after World War II. The world had passed through a moment of crisis, but a nuclear winter threatened. A message of hope was needed to help melt the doom and gloom.
We are living in a moment when it seems like our world is becoming a colder place. We have endured a pandemic. Now we watch a war rage in Europe. Our democracy also seems to be teetering. Our economy is faltering as well. Now more than ever we need to hear of the Kingdom.
Isn’t it interesting that Jesus didn’t give the disciples he sent a lot of words? He gave them a way to live. What was that way? First, he sent them out two by two. The Kingdom is not about walking alone. We are to share the journey. He instructs them to live simply. Being materialistic is not a way to live in the Kingdom. A constant pursuit of possessions will just weigh us down. He tells his disciples to accept the gifts from others graciously. Finally, he says, not to worry about rejection. If we live as Jesus taught, there will be those who make fun of our naivete, but we aren’t to worry about what others think. We are only to care about what Jesus thinks.
Each Christian is sent. If we don’t feel sent, then somehow, we haven’t understood what Jesus taught. Too often we retreat from the world. The goal we are presented with by the society is to insulate ourselves from want, to take care of ourselves, to try hard to fit in, to be constantly afraid of life. All of this can leave us feeling very cold. Doesn’t it seem like we have the power to change nothing?
But we can live in the Kingdom of Jesus today. Jesus wants us to proclaim a message by the lives we model. If we live as Jesus lived, Satan will fall from the sky as the Lord said. We will find a power greater than ourselves that will melt hearts and transform our life and others lives.
Reflection Questions:
- Is my heart closed today? How might it be opened?
- Do I feel like I am a good example to others? Why or why not?
Dear Parishioners,
On July 17th we will have a ceremony where we will be breaking ground for our new gathering space. If it seems a little late, it is. We were getting approvals until the end of May for the construction, so we delayed this event. The walls are going up, but we still have a long way to go.
This is a great day for our parish. I saw a note from someone on Facebook which seemed to express a lot of people’s feelings. It was from somebody who grew up here. They said, “It is so good to have some positive news about the church in the Quad Cities.”
Fr. Culemans dedicated our church in 1923. He wanted to have a beautiful worship space that would uplift his parishioners. We have that space. We have done significant work to renew the church building the last few years. We have tuckpointed, restored windows, worked on air conditioning, upgraded sound and done a host of other maintenance. The addition we are building will offer modern amenities that we sorely need. People will be able to come to church who have been unable to do so.
Please come to the groundbreaking and enjoy another historical moment in the history of Sacred Heart.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us this Day.
Fr. Mark
P.S. The social committee is throwing a Bingo fund raiser on July 24th. Everyone is invited. The monies raised will offset the high cost of heating our buildings this winter. We were well over budget. If you can donate a basket for auction, call our office. If you can’t come and wish to donate, simply drop an enveloped in the collection marked Bingo. Everyone’s support would be greatly appreciated.