Sometimes, although I intend to preach, things change and a homily gets set aside. That's what happened on Tuesday. I thought I'd go ahead and post my Tuesday homily, anyway. It follows...
Readings: Jer 14:17-22 • Ps 79 • Mt 13:36-43
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Today we celebrate the memorial of our Blessed
Mother’s parents, Joachim and Anne. Their names appear nowhere in Scripture. Indeed,
everything we know about them, including their names, comes from tradition. But
based on what we know of Mary – her courage, her decisiveness, her deep faith,
her goodness – comes not only from the grace of her immaculate conception, but
also from the example and love of her parents.
When I think of Joachim and Anne, I can’t help
but think also of my ancestors over many generations – men and women, parents, who
in far more difficult times than we face today, managed to raise faithful
children, who went on to do the same. And so, we honor this couple today who
raised the Mother of our Lord.
Speaking of difficult, challenging times, the
prophet Jeremiah describes a time of famine and death before the Babylonian
captivity in 587 B.C. As a prophet chosen by God, Jeremiah was heartbroken. He had
warned the people about what was coming, warning them also not to listen to the
false prophets and priests. We can sense Jeremiah’s distress, and hear his call
and the cry of the people:
“We were hoping for peace – no
good came of it! We wait for a time of healing – but terror comes instead!” [Jer
14:19]
And yet, at the same time, Jeremiah doesn’t
hide the cause of it all, and admits the sinfulness of generations:
“We recognize, O LORD, our
wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you.” [Jer
14:20]
Yes, “Why have you struck us a blow that
cannot be healed?” [Jer 14:19]
Have you ever felt like that? Wondering, during
difficult times, if God really hears your prayer. But it’s precisely in such times
that we need to sense God’s closeness and His love. It’s in such times, when life
seems to hang by a thread, that we turn to our God, lacking words, but trusting
in the Spirit’s inexpressible groanings…it’s in such times that God’s Presence
is almost overwhelming. It's then, too, we gaze up at the Cross and begin, once
again, to realize the depth of God’s love for us.
Yes, our lives are complicated, aren’t they? Wheat
and weeds growing together, each seeking to overwhelm the other. I have a
neighbor, a master gardener, whose yard and gardens are absolutely, beautifully
perfect. Everything’s in its proper place. It’s a showcase, the envy of the
neighborhood…unless, like me, you have better things to do. His garden might be
beautiful, but it’s so very different from God’s garden.
In God’s yard and garden, in His fields,
He lets everything, weeds and wheat, entangle. The rows are uneven, a seemingly
careless and unplanned mixture of diverse plants and weeds, all swaying in the
breeze. God’s garden is basically a mess. It’s a chaotic, apparently disorganized
collection of plants, some nice, some not so nice.
It’s really very much like our
lives, a confusing mixture of the good and the not-so-good. Oh, we’d like it to
be perfect, and as time passes, we struggle to make things better, trying to
pull the weeds, but some always remain, don’t they?
Grain ripens and bends toward the
sun. And then our merciful Sower stretches out the growing season. He
gives us, well, some of us, anyway, a little more time. Allowing us to prepare
for the harvest, when judgment unfolds.
Now, as I contemplate today’s
Word of God, I simply ask Him not to weigh our failings. For Your sake, Lord,
send help quickly. We need it.
Saints Joachim and Anne…Pray for
us.
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