Homily 12th Sunday of Ordinary time
12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Don’t Hide Your Light
The Catholic Baptismal rite has many wonderful symbols. Some of them are easily interpreted others speak to us in a very subtle way.
One very powerful sign that is referred to in a low-key manner is the sign of the cross. At the very beginning of the ceremony the ordained minister traces a cross on a baby’s head. He says, “The Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In its name, I claim you for Christ our Savior. I now trace the cross on your forehead and invite your parents and godparents to do the same.” With this gesture, the Christian community acknowledges that the primary purpose for a Christian’s life is to imitate Christ even if they must endure hardship because of it. A baptized child will carry the cross throughout their life.
The last religious ritual that a Roman Catholic Christian participates in is the funeral Mass. At that ceremony a cross is placed on the coffin. The priest states, “In Baptism you received the sign of the cross. May you now share in Christ’s victory over sin and death.” The cross represents a way of life. The cross denotes a willingness to live as Jesus lived. When we look at the cross it is a frightening thing. We see the instrument of execution.
We hear Jesus trying to reassure his apostles in the Gospel today. In a lot of the Gospel literature, especially, in the Gospel. Jesus is constantly saying, “Do not tell anyone about who I am what I am saying.” Sometimes it seems like Christians feel Jesus is saying that to us today. We feel like we can be anonymous followers of Jesus, that it is our personal business whether we are Christian or not.
But what does Jesus say in the Gospel today? He tells his followers to acknowledge their belief in him in a very bold way. Earlier in this Gospel of Matthew Jesus says in Chapter 5 verse 15, “People do not light a lamp only to put it under a bucket.” He states blatently that he expects all of us to be his witnesses in the world. We cannot keep our allegiance to him secret if we are serious about following him.
Last week we celebrated the Feast of St. Thomas Moore. He was one of the English Martyrs of the 16th century. If we remember the story, we know that Thomas Moore lived at the time of the reformation in England. He was the chancellor of England, King Henry the VIII’s right hand man. When Moore was chancellor, King Henry decided to divorce his wife to marry another woman who might give him a male heir, but the Pope would not allow it. Because of this, Henry decided to become head of the Church of England himself. Thomas Moore did not agree with a king being becoming a leader of the local church so offered his resignation as chancellor, but he did not say why. He thought if he did not publicly say criticize the king that he would be safe. He felt his family would be safe as well. He was afraid of what might happen.
If we have seen the movie entitled, “A Man for All Seasons” which is a movie about Thomas Moore we know how hard he tried to keep his opinions about Henry VIII’s marriage secret. But Henry VIII felt threatened. He would not let Thomas Moore keep his thoughts to himself. He had him arrested, tried and sentenced to death. Moore would not compromise. He said at one point, “I am certain that my conscience belongs to me alone. It is the last thing that a man can do for his salvation; to be one with himself.” In the end Thomas Moore had to let his light shine for others to see. He cast his fears aside believing that God would give him eternal life.
We can have the similar experiences to Thomas Moore. We have many controversies brewing all around us in modern times. Our country is in the midst of a debate over health care. Do we realize, that our church believes that all people, especially those who are most vulnerable, deserve medical care? We have a controversy over environmental pollution. Our church has always taught that we should do our part to be stewards of the environment. Do we understand that the last three popes have spoken out strongly about this topic? What happens if we fail to speak when our conscience prods us?
Jesus told his disciples that they would have to imitate him. Each age has its own unique crosses. Christians must stand up for what is just. We are called to speak. Hopefully, we have enough confidence in our God’s love to do so.
Please note, this is a rough draft...grammar will not be perfect.