Homily: Fifteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Tuesday of Ordinary Time (Mt. 11:20-24) “Acedia is A Deadly Sin”
When Jesus came to Golgotha
They hanged him on a tree,
They drove great nails through his hand and feet,
And made a Calvary.
They crowned Him with a crown of thorns;
Red were His wounds and deep,
For those were crude and cruel days,
And human flesh was cheap.
When Jesus came to Birmingham,
They simply passed him by;
They never hurt a hair of Him,
They only let him die.
For men had grown more tender,
And they would not give him pain;
They only passed down the street,
And left him in the rain.
These are words by the poet Geoffrey Studdert-Kennedy. They reflect on where we are today in our world. We do not necessarily have a world that is hostile to Christianity. We have a culture which is indifferent to Christianity.
Jesus seems angry in the gospel we read today. He speaks of Chorazin and Bethsaida. These are places that Jesus visited when he was making his tour of Galilee. The implication is that he performed miracles there and preached, but there was little to no response.
Jesus remarks do not indicate that his feelings were hurt. He was not lashing out at these two communities. His words were words of lament. He was sad that the people in these two villages were so apathetic about matters of faith.
We have the same situation in our society. Many do not seem to care about matters of religion. Atheism is the fastest growing denomination in our society. People are tuning out the Good News of Jesus. Apathy is the biggest sin of this age, and it is leading to despair. The voice of Jesus will not be silenced, however. The Gospel will be proclaimed until hearts are opened.
Reflection Questions:
- Am I excited about the Gospel? How do I show that?
- Do I feel like at some point religious practice will grow stronger? Are there signs of hope that I see?
Dear Parishioners,
Our Vacation Bible School is in full swing. Thank you to all who have sacrificed the time and talent and resources so that the children of our parish can grow closer to Jesus. Fortunately, it seems like this will be a cooler week so the children can be outside a little.
I was first involved in a vacation bible school in Peoria when I was a deacon. St. Peter church combined with the Methodist Church on the north end of Peoria. I remember the woman who was a Methodist minister leading the children in the song “Jesus Loves Me This I Know.” If we learn this message, we have learned the crux of the Christian message. Let’s pray that our Sacred Heart Children take that idea to heart this week.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for our world today.
Fr. Mark