TO KNOW 

WHAT’S KILLING US

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “To Know What’s Killing Us.”

Have we ever said, “This is killing me!”?

It could be work - overdoing it. It could be - being out of work - and we are feeling the stress of not being able to get a job. It could be laziness, no exercise, letting our bodies sink deeper and deeper into couches or Lazy Boy chairs.  It could be our kids on their cell phones - all the time - and nobody is listening to anyone - and that causes us agita - agita. It could be alcohol or overeating. It could be addiction to solitaire - or TV - or porn - or what have you. Name your poison.

It could be aging parents - and nobody in the family is helping - and I feel stuck with that job. But helping them is not what’s killing me. What’s killing me  is that the my brothers and sisters don’t do squddily squat - and my parents are always raving how good they are.

It  could be envy, anger, fear, worry, lack of trust - negativity - negativity - negativity.

Have we ever said, “This is killing me!”?

TODAY’S READINGS

In today’s first reading from the Book of Numbers it’s the saraph snakes in the desert. They are killing folks.  People are being bit and they are dying.

So Moses orders that someone make a bronze snake and mount it on a pole and point at it and tell the folks, “This is what is killing you - being bit by this snake - this serpent. So watch where you walk and check your tent site.

In today’s gospel Jesus says sin is what is killing you. Not believing who Jesus is - is what is killing you - but if I be lifted up - if you realize that I am the Son of Man - if your realize I AM - the one sent from the Father - if you believe in me - then you will be saved - and not condemned.

TITLE OF MY HOMILY

The title of my homily is, “To Know What’s Killing Us.”

We need to know that - as well as knowing what will save us - better who will save us.

So the medical profession puts the snake on the pole as their emblem - that we go to the doctor to find out what’s killing us.

So our Christian churches put images of Christ on the Cross to tell the world, “Christ is the one who will save us.”  Christ is the great doctor and healer of our souls.

So they point to Christ on the pole saying: this is what we do to each other when we do nasty to each other - but we can also hear from the cross - the great message of forgiveness. We don’t know where we are doing.

THE PARADOX

The paradox of the cross is that awareness of what’s killing us - what killed Christ - can save us.

We are daily Mass goers, so we know the scriptures better by hearing them over and over again.

How many times have we heard the gospels say, “The Scribes and the Pharisees were looking for ways to kill him.”

Spending their time plotting venting nasty innuendos against Jesus backfired - it always does - and killed the Holy Spirit within the Pharisees. They were able to get Jesus killed - but they killed true Judaism and true religion in their own hearts and minds.

CONCLUSION

Keep your eye on Jesus - and he’ll point out what gives life and what causes the death - especially of the Holy Spirit within us.