KATHERINE DREXEL: 

SHE SLIPPED THROUGH 

THE EYE OF THE NEEDLE 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “Katherine Drexel: She Slipped Through the Eye of the Needle.”

TODAY’S GOSPEL

In today’s gospel - Mark 10: 17-27 - we have the famous biblical metaphor of squeezing or slipping or passing through the eye of a needle.

The man in the gospel asks Jesus the big question: “What must I do to inherit eternal life?”

After finding out that he keeps the commandments Jesus asks the man to let go of everything he has and give it to the poor and then come follow me. 

Mark tells us that he walked away sad.

It’s after he leaves and his disciples are talking to Jesus, that Jesus makes reference how difficult it is to let go of everything so as to fit through the eye of the needle.

I heard that a hundred times as a kid - and in the seminary - and heard various explanations about the camel and the eye of the needle. However, once I saw a poetic type movie on the Sermon on the Mount and got the best take for me of what Jesus was getting at. A man is walking down the street with two big leather suitcases - a back pack on his back - and a shoulder bag on one shoulder. He stops on the street - when he sees a half open door - in a narrow doorway. Without letting go of any of his bags - he tries to fit through the narrow doorway. No go. No luck. No fit.

So he steps back and the camera pans back and the viewer sees him continuing down the street.  Just then a little boy - with not bags or baggage comes running down that same street in that same direction. He comes to the same doorway and runs right inside without any effort.

That spelled out for me lots of Jesus’ messages. Unless you are like a little child - you won’t fit into the kingdom of God or Kingdom of Heaven. Unless you let go of too much stuff, you won’t fit through the doorway - or the eye of the needle - and get inside of Christ’s way of doing life.

KATHERINE DREXEL

Today we celebrate the feast of Saint Katherine Drexel of Philadelphia.

She had lots of stuff - and lots of money - as a result she got to travel - and as a result she saw the plight of Native Americans as well as African Americans.

Like the man in today’s gospel she asked a question - he to Jesus - she to Pope Leo XIII - how about some missionaries for Native Americans. Well, the pope surprised her - like Jesus surprised the man in the gospel - when he said, “How about you doing it?”

Growing up, she had seen her step mom and dad being very generous to the poor and the hungry - so that helped her to make the squeeze through the eye of the needle. In time she started her own community to help the poor and the oppressed.

We can all picture the headline of the Philadelphia newspaper, The Philadelphia Public Ledger that said:  “Miss Drexel Enters a Catholic Convent — Gives Up Seven Million"

CONCLUSION

She died this day - in our lifetime -  at the age of 96, - March 3, 1955.

If you get a chance, take one of those bus tours and fit through the doors to Bishop John Neumann’s Shrine in Philadelphia and Mother Katherine Drexel’s Shrine in Bensalem.

Both will inspire and challenge us to diet regarding stuff, let go, and squeeze through the eye of the needle into the Kingdom of God. Amen.