Homily: Fifteenth Friday of Ordinary Time
Fifteenth Friday of Ordinary Time (Isaiah 38:1-8) “The Gift of Extra Time”
What would it be like to recover from a terminal illness and be given an extra fifteen years of life? The Prophet Isaiah informs King Hezekiah that he will have years of extra life. He is cured of a terminal illness. Hezekiah reacts with a hymn of praise. Unfortunately, we do not read that hymn at Mass today.
Part of that Hymn says:
“The living, the living give you thanks,
as I do today.
Fathers declare to their sons,
O God, your faithfulness.
The Lord is our savior;
we shall sing to stringed instruments
In the house of the Lord.
all the days of our life.
Hezekiah lived the rest of his life, giving praise to God for the life that he received. Was he a more benevolent ruler after he dodged death? We would have to imagine that he was. Near death experiences change people.
An old friend of mine had a stroke when he was thirty. When he did, he was given a year to live. But he lived to be ninety-one. The thing that I noticed about him was that he seemed to delight in every new day. He found the most mundane things interesting. The simplest things gave him pleasure. A good meal, watching birds in the early morning or catching fish on a nice day would bring him joy.
I would imagine Hezekiah had much the same experience. I would like to think that he became a more patient King. And I would imagine that he became a wiser ruler as well. Perhaps when death finally came, he was not afraid any more, but realized that he had achieved everything that he wanted to in life.
Reflection Questions:
- Have I ever had a near death experience? Have I known someone who has?
- How did that change my life or their life? What great lesson comes from living longer than I should expect?
Dear Parishioners,
I would like to invite people to our groundbreaking ceremony on Sunday at our 11 a.m. Mass. This will be an historic occasion for our parish. We are going to have a banner available for everyone to sign. We are going to put that banner in our new gathering space. Years from now our future parishioners can pull the banner out and read the names of all those who were present for ground-breaking.
We will also be handing out prayer cards asking that St. Damian the Leper pray for the success of our building project. Following the ceremonies, a reception will take place in Culemans Hall. I invite you to come and be a part of this day.
May Our Lady of Peace pray for us.
Fr. Mark