Homily Eleventh Monday of Ordinary time (1 Kings 21:1-16) “God is On the Right Side”
Homily Eleventh Monday of Ordinary time (1 Kings 21:1-16) “God is On the Right Side”
Power, Popularity and Possessions are the three P’s that can drive human beings. If the drive for these three things gets out of control it can cause us to lose all perspective. We will constantly be unhappy.
Ahab and Jezebel seem like very sad people. We read how Ahab, the King of Israel, wants the vineyard of a man named Naboth in the section of scripture that we read for today’s liturgy. Ahab’s desire for what legally belongs to another, drives him to distraction.
Naboth turns down his offer to buy his property. Ahab begins to sulk. His greed causes him to be distraught. He controls a whole kingdom, but he wants more. It does not make any sense. He is not thinking.
Jezebel loves power. She tells Ahab that he does not know how to use the power he possesses. The Queen abuses her station to grab control of what Ahab covets. She slanders Naboth and then she has him executed. We have here an example of state sanctioned murder.
Ahab gets what he wanted. Somehow it looks like the perfect crime. The people with power use it for their own advantage. No one seems to question what has happened. The powerless shrug their shoulders. Perhaps they believe that this is just the way the world works.
But there is someone who does see. And that someone is God. God sees the injustice and God wants fairness to be respected. Our God is on the side of the downtrodden. The despot will, in the end, pay the price for their crimes. Such has been the case throughout history.
Reflection Questions:
1. Do I make myself unhappy when I see what others own and what I don’t have? Do I always have to have the next best thing?
2. At the present time many people are protesting racial injustice. Do I seek to understand what is upsetting people or do I shrug my shoulders and say, “That’s just the way it is?”
Dear Parishioners,
It was good to see many of you at Mass yesterday. Thank you for being so cooperative with all the protocols. None of us like to be told what to do and much of what we’re doing seems annoying and pointless. But if we keep in mind, that we are trying to protect each other from infection, hopefully that motivates us to remain diligent in our efforts. The temptation is to let down our guard and stop wearing masks, washing hands, etc.
Like the King and Queen in our scriptures today we think we will be happy if we can do whatever we want. But we will only be happy if we try to accept the things that we cannot change. If we are full of resentment all the time that is not a recipe for joy.
I have known many people in my life who have had to accept many physical limitations and they have been virtuous people. When I get upset with having to wear a face shield at a nursing home or when I have to gown up one more time, I try to remember people who have to deal with discomfort all the time. I wish I could only have a smidgen of their virtue that I see in others.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark