Homily: Saturday, 16th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Jer 7:1-11 • Ps 84 • Mt 13:24-30

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Today we not only celebrate Our Blessed Mother’s Saturday memorial, but also the memorial of St. Bridget of Sweden. Bridget, the 14^th century mother of a large family was also a mystic who received divine prophecies and revelations. Her Revelation is a remarkable and quite long book of her spiritual life that is well worth reading today.

Like St. Catherine of Siena, Bridget strongly encouraged the pope to leave Avignon and return to Rome. And she, along with St. Catherine and St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (the modern martyr-saint, Edith Stein) are co-patronesses of Europe. We should pray that all three of these holy women intercede for the conversion of Europe.

Conversion is also a theme of today’s readings. Our reading from chapter 7 of Jeremiah is sometimes called his famous “Temple Sermon.” Its fame probably stems from the fact that everything Jeremiah preached 2,700 years ago still applies today.

The Jews of Judah, like so many of us today, were a spiritually complacent bunch. They trusted in the Temple sacrifices, in the outward manifestations of their religion, but ignored God’s Law, His demands of justice and charity. Theirs was a lifeless faith, their worship insincere.

Standing at the Temple gates, Jeremiah preached to “all you of Judah who enter these gates to worship the Lord.” Jeremiah warned the people that, unless they reformed their “ways and deeds,” God would no longer keep His Temple Presence.

This shocked and angered the Jews, who believed God’s Presence would never leave the Temple, that God would always be present in the Holy of Holies. But God said, No! He wouldn’t remain and protect His people in this Land unless they underwent conversion and abandoned their sinfulness.

They were a bit like those Catholics who never miss Sunday Mass, and yet assume this alone ensures their salvation. Yes, they believe they can ignore the teachings of the Church, teachings inspired and revealed by the Holy Spirit, so long as they check that box and attend weekly Mass.

Jeremiah warned the people their sinfulness would catch up with them. He called them a murderous and adulterous people, liars and thieves who also worshipped Baal and other false gods. For this, they would be carried off into foreign lands, a prophecy fulfilled just a few years later when Nebuchadnezzar razed Jerusalem and the Temple.

Centuries later Jesus called on both Jeremiah and Isaiah when He saw the desecration of the Temple:

“My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations. But you have made it a den of thieves” [Mk 11:17].

Our worship, too, won’t guarantee salvation; rather, it’s a sign of where the desires of our heart truly lie.

Our Gospel passage is also about conversion, about our willingness to persevere in hope so we can separate our wheat from our weeds. I can’t speak for any of you, but parts of my life have been pretty weedy. But then I reach out and grasp God’s forgiveness and His mercy, and it always leads to a new call, a new direction I never expected. God’s love is a sure thing, but how He delivers it…well, that always surprises.

This past Wednesday I was at the National Cemetery in Bushnell to conduct a committal rite for a 90-year-old woman, everyone called “Bunny.” A widow with no children, Bunny was deeply loved by her large extended Italian, New York family. We had a good crowd there at the cemetery

As we gathered at the committal site, I chatted with a man named Marty, who seemed to be having some trouble walking with his cane. He laughed and said, “With all my ailments, I’ll be here myself pretty soon, unless God gives me another shot.”

As I began to lead the procession I turned to see if everyone was ready. That’s when I saw Marty fall backwards to the sidewalk. He fell hard and his head hit the concrete with a loud crack. Immediately one of the family, a firefighter and EMT, was with him, along with a well-trained cemetery rep. As they went to work on Marty, we called for an ambulance. But Marty wasn’t responsive – with no pulse, no sign of respiration, the family EMT began CPR. I simply stood over them all and prayed.

Miraculously, within a couple of minutes Marty’s heartbeat and breathing returned and he regained consciousness. The Sumter County EMTs arrived, along with an ambulance and Marty was taken to the hospital.

We then conducted our delayed committal service for Bunny, adding Marty to our prayers. Everyone was saying how Marty, this 79-yeard-old good guy had also been a bit edgy, as one family member put it. And I couldn’t help but recall what Marty had said: ”…unless God gives me another shot.”

Yes, indeed, God keeps calling us, and often enough His call is full of surprises. We have a God of second chances, and how good is that, for all of us.

By the way, Marty is doing well.