EARTHEN VESSELS

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 10 Friday in Ordinary time is, “Earthen Vessels”.

For our first reading these days we’re going through 2 Corinthians - and the theme of Earthen Vessels here in Chapter 4: 7-15  is well know - especially for us Catholics after the St. Louis Jesuits singers put out a whole album entitled, “Earthen Vessels” - which ended up being sung in churches around the world - selling well over a million copies - in English and many of the songs were translated in various other languages.

The Earthen Vessel Album has 12 songs - 8 of which are in our present Breaking Bread Missalette.

THOUGH THE MOUNTAINS MAY FALL,

IF GOD IS FOR US,

BE NOT AFRAID,

TURN TO ME,

SING TO THE MOUNTAINS,

EARTHEN VESSELS,

PRAISE THE LORD MY SOUL,

SEEK THE LORD

These 4 aren’t:

TAKE LORD RECEIVE

IF THE LORD DOES NOT BUILD,

MY SON HAS GONE AWAY,

WHAT YOU HEAR IN THE DARK.

What a gift to our church and world. These songs have made it into Protestant hymnals as well.

THE COVER AND THE QUESTION

The cover of this second album of their songs, “Earthen Vessels” features just that: an earthen vessel.

 The question I ask is: Why is this theme of Earthen Vessels so popular?

Answer: we are earthen vessels. We hear on Ash Wednesday, “Remember you are dust and into dust you shall return.” [Cf. Genesis 3:19]

That message is taken right from the book of Genesis 2:7 where the author pictures God as a sculptor taking the clay of the earth and forming us out of it - and then breathing life  - the spirit of life into us.

And we know this body of ours is of the earth - being filled and fed with water and wine,  wheat and bread - as well as sheep and lamb - etc. and etc.

And we know as time goes on we crumble - bend over - creak and crack.

So we know at the end our ashes or our bodies - our earthen vessel - will turn to ashes and be buried and placed in the ground - [or sea or a shelf for some for a time].

CONCLUSION: THE BEAUTY OF WHAT’S IN THE VESSEL

But the key to the beauty of the message is what’s inside the vessel - us - God. That’s where the treasure is.

We all know about boxes and bottles and containers: it’s what inside that counts.

Paul is telling us here in his message that has been heard billions and billions of times: Christ is within. Then he adds: it’s when we ache and break - when we experience the passion, death, and crucifixion of Christ within us - it’s then that we don’t have to despair - in aging or suffering and dying.

That to me is why that message, that song, is so moving and so worth singing.

Every once and a while I spot the St. Louis Jesuits’ cassettes or records and even though the record may scratch or the tape might get stuck, the songs still sound out great songs - so too us.