Homily Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
Homily Twenty-second Sunday of Ordinary Time
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me……whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” The cross for the Christian represents our life struggles. Crosses come in all shapes and sizes. Our crosses are very personal. What I find burdensome you might find easy to handle.
We encounter people grappling with their life’s difficulties every day. We may say at such moments, “Boy I am glad that I do not have to go through what they are.” Perhaps we know people in our life who are fighting great illness. Just yesterday, I was called by a boyhood friend who is fighting pancreatic cancer. A year ago, his cancer went into remission. He had gone through major surgery. After that he went through months of chemotherapy. He seemed to have won the battle for his life. He was feeling fine. He was very upbeat, but a week ago he had a scan which showed his cancer had returned. Now he must face chemo again. What a discouraging thing this is. His cross is real. And it is heavy.
The cross does not have to be an illness though. The cross can be relational. Perhaps it is like the mother who has raised five children. She now lives alone. A child who lives far away comes to see her once a year. A daughter takes care of her daily needs. The other three children live nearby but do not call or visit. What a cross this is, to have children that are ambivalent towards you. Yes, the cross is often in difficult relationships.
But crosses aren’t always well defined. Sometimes we are not even aware of how crosses are impacting our lives. Right now, we are going through a public health crisis. Each day the number of infections of COVID 19 pile up. Death stalks us. Maybe what is worse is that we can’t engage in many of the activities that would distract us. Football, games, festivals, socials have been canceled. Schools are closing. Extracurricular activities are called off. What seems worse than the disease, is the social isolation. Think of all those who are in the hospital or nursing homes who cannot have visitors, people who suffer in silence. We can find that each day may blend into the next when we are stuck in our homes. We can watch old movies only so long. We could start asking the question is life worthwhile. Is there any religious wisdom in our tradition which might be helpful?
If we are lethargic right now. We might be fighting the same battle as the monks and nuns who lived in the desert in Egypt in the first few centuries of the Christian era. The men and woman I speak of went into the desert to live in caves in solitude so they might grow close to God. The desert fathers and mothers wanted to be intimate with the Lord. What was the cross that they contended with? We might think that they had to fight the deadly sins of lust or pride. The deadly sin they thought was most dangerous is no longer even on the list of deadly sins. The sin that they felt was the most hazardous to their vocation was Acedia. We probably have not heard of it before, but many of us are struggling with it right now.
The desert ascetics spent their time praying and working. A lot of them did the same things day after day. Some of them would weave baskets that they might sell. A story is told of a monk named Abba Paul. He lived in a cave in the middle of desert. Each day would weave his baskets and pray. He would make baskets until he filled his cave even though there was no one to buy them. Every once in awhile he would take his baskets outside, make a bonfire, he would then burn them all up. He would then start to weave them all over again.
Now we look at that saying, what a waste of time. You do the same thing day after day. What value is there in this? If we ask that question, we can be sure that the Desert fathers and mothers asked the same question. And when they struggled with the feelings, they called acedia. The feeling that they were having was, “Who cares and why should I care?” Abba Paul maintained his belief that even when what we do seems worthless, it is worth doing.
Holiness for the desert fathers and mothers revolved around a regard for place. Modern people, many times, have a hatred for staying in place. And this is the deadly sin of Acedia. Modern life tells us that we must be stimulated in new and different ways all the time. We are told that this is possible, but really it is impossible. Unless we learn to have a regard for the relationships we are committed to, as well as the vocations we live, we are never going to find satisfaction. We can’t keep running away.
We have been presented with a cross we did not choose. The pandemic challenges us in many ways. If the virus is lurking, the deadly sin of acedia is also stalking us. The temptation is to give up, not care, to shut down. Grace is the inoculation against Acedia. Grace assures us that we are loved, our lives are worthwhile, our crosses are redemptive. We pray today for the actual grace we need to make it through the days ahead. Grace says, God always cares what we do. Grace reminds us that God never ceases to be in love with us.
Reflection Questions:
- Do I feel like my life is boring right now? Would I describe my feelings as a spiritual matter?
- How much time do I set aside for prayer each day? When I fervently pray do I find relief?
Dear Parishioners,
We have received the happy news that Mike Maynard and Matt Martell have made it to the next stage of the diaconate formation process. On Saturday September 19 they will be installed as lectors at St. Mary Cathedral in Peoria at the 10:30 a.m. Mass. If they persevere, next year they will receive the ministry of acolyte. Following that they will be ordained as deacons. We thank Denise Maynard for accompanying Mike on his diaconal journey these last few years. She is a very important part of our parish and is very dedicated to our church community. She is a fine leader for our parish council.
This has not been an easy formation, especially the last six months. Formation has had to be done online. And the candidates and wives have not had the usual, in person, encouragement that is so helpful. As they continue with their formation, we hope that we can give them more ministry to engage in that will introduce them to the parish.
Again, Congratulations!
Fr. Mark
P.S. The Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults will be starting soon. If you know of an adult who is looking for a church home or if you are a Catholic who wants to be confirmed contact myself or Sister Kathleen at our parish office. This year’s program will offer a hybrid model that will allow us to form people online and in person.