IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE!
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily is, “It’s Not That Simple.”
There’s some good stuff in today’s three readings. Do you have your thinking caps on?
Today’s first reading makes life so simple.
The text is from the Book of Sirach – 15: 15-20.
He begins, “If you choose you can keep the commandments, they will save you; ….”
We’ve heard that before: “Keep the rules and they will keep you!”
Sirach continues: “… if you trust in God, you too shall live; he has set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before man are life and death, good and evil, whichever he chooses shall be given him.”
It sounds just like the great text in Deuteronomy 30:15 – when Moses gathers everyone together and tells the people they have two choices: life and prosperity, death and disaster. He spells each out way and then says, “Therefore choose life.”
It sounds just like Psalm 1 – where we are given two choices: to be like a tree planted near running water that produces fruit in season or to be like a dry dead leaf blowing in the wind.
Choose life!
It sounds so simple – like the choices on the menu in Burger King. You get what you choose.
Obviously we would all chose life!
The title of my homily is, “It’s Not That simple.”
REGINALD FULLER
Reginald Fuller is his commentary on today’s first reading from Sirach says something that is both profound and simple: “This is the clearest statement in all the canonical and deuterocanonical Old Testament writings on the subject of human free will. It is even clearer than Deuteronomy 30:15, whose teaching it echoes. Taken by itself, this passage would seem to be unadulterated Pelagianism. It does not recognize the bias toward sin that characterizes humanity in its fallen state. The human person appears to be a tabula rasa, having complete freedom to choose good or evil (‘fire and water’), and there is no apparent recognition of the human need for grace.” (1)
Pelagius was a Christian, a priest, in Britain from way back around the year 400 who did not believe in original sin and held that humans have perfect freedom to do either right or wrong. It’s all up to us.
That’s a very clear position on how some people think and see life – especially for others – how they should be doing life.
Haven’t we heard people say things like this:
· “Is he crazy? Doesn’t he realize that if he keeps on drinking, he’s going to destroy his marriage, his liver and his life? Can’t he say, ‘No!’”
· “Is she stupid – if she keeps on buying, buying, buying, going deeper and deeper into debt – she’s going to end up losing everything? Why doesn’t she stop the shopping and cut up her credit cards?”
· “Some people just fill up their plate – and then take seconds – and then take 2 desserts? Don’t they ever look in the mirror? Doesn’t they realize they are eating themselves to death? Don’t they know what people are saying about them?”
· “He’s into porn. Why doesn’t he just stop using the Internet? It’s as simple as that. Just turn off the machine.”
The thin and the sober, the one who doesn’t think he or she is sinning and sinking into sin – the ones who concentrate on watching and judging others – sometimes think it’s all so simple. They have it all figured out how other people can get their life right.
Life is not that simple. It's like spagetti. It looks simple - till you have to put it together or you spill it on a nice white shirt or blouse.
TODAY’S SECOND READING
Today’s second reading from 1st Corinthians talks about God’s wisdom – described as “mysterious, hidden”, which many don’t know about. Read Paul and you’ll find out that life is not that simple. But then again, Paul was quite a complex person.
Read his Letter to the Romans – especially Chapter 7. Paul says, “I cannot understand my own behavior. I fail to carry out the things I want to do, and I find myself doing the very things I hate.”
He goes on, “In fact, this seems to be the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand. In my inmost soul I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body.”
He concludes, “What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?” Then he gives the answer – the name of the one who can come and help and redeem him: it’s Jesus. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (2)
Anyone who has an eating or drinking or drug or sexual or gossip or chocolate or gambling or love or hate addiction, knows Paul knows the human heart.
The title of my homily is, “It’s Not That Simple.”
TODAY’S GOSPEL
Today’s gospel is not only very long. It’s also very complex.
I also have the Children’s Mass for tomorrow morning at 8 AM – and in the Children’s Lectionary, the gospel text is cut down to just one part of the gospel you just heard.
Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,and there recall that your brotherhas anything against you,leave your gift there at the altar,go first and be reconciled with your brother,and then come and offer your gift.
I don’t know what I’m going to preach on tomorrow morning – for the Kids Mass – as well as the Teen Age Mass tomorrow evening at 5 PM. For the little kids, I usually make up a story that tries to get at something in the readings.
Here we are at the altar. Here we are with stuff inside of us that is unresolved – unsolved. Should we all leave right now and get things straightened out so we can be pure and clean for this worship moment?
Here we are – looking at the long version of the gospel from the Sermon on the Mount – that we heard today.
We come to Mass, we come to the altar, in all kinds of states of being. Some of us think we got it all right; some of us think we got it all wrong. Some of us are righteous and some of us are “wrongsheous”. Some of us come to the altar with a picky, picky heart or personality – and some of us don’t know what we have to pick and do to be a better Christian.
We come to Mass, we come to the altar, with anger towards brothers and sisters, in-laws, co-workers, politicians, friends and enemies, drivers, noisy neighbors – classmates – some from 20 or 30 years ago. There are people we call “Jerks”, “Idiots” and worse.
We come to Mass with fantasies about how we would want our family or home or boss or priests or church to be.
We come here with fantasies about how our marriage could be if only … if only … if only – and such thinking without true listening, without deep communication and communion with our spouse – without deep honesty with ourselves – without real willingness to change – can only adulterate us – sometimes allowing lust or frustration or anger ruin our nights and denigrate our days and our best energies seem to be cut off – and we’re not seeing straight.
We come here to Mass having sworn, having lied, probably down deep to ourselves about ourselves – if we’re really honest – really honest – and that’s very difficult – and in the meanwhile, we still haven’t reconciled our life to our hopes and dreams – wants and needs – and how God fits into the mix of it all.
THE PRIMAL SCREAM
The primal scream is to become the little child again as Jesus put it – unless you become like little children, you won’t enter the Kingdom. (3)
“Help!” That’s the prayer of Paul – who found out after falling on his face in his righteousness – that he was wrong – dead wrong – in his perception about others – these Christians – whom he was persecuting. He found out he was heading down the wrong road and the right road was the very one he was killing – Jesus – who was called “The Way!” The Road to God. (4)
The primal scream is the scream for help – and that’s one thing we are doing here in Church – so we don’t have to leave right now. This is a crying room. This is a scream room. People get upset at babies crying in church. Get over it. Listen to your own screams and inner tantrums and discover Jesus ready to help you on the road to your deepest self.
Then offer your gift here at the altar today together with Jesus and the rest of us.
CONCLUSION
I conclude by saying once again, “It’s Not That Simple.”
And then to contradict myself, but to quote Jesus, there is a very simple morning prayer at the end of today’s gospel. Each morning we can wake up and say “Yes” to God and to Life and “No” to death and destruction and then throughout the day work and walk with Jesus to make our “Yes” a “Yes” and our “No” a “No”.
OOOOOOO
NOTES
1) Reginald H. Fuller, Preaching the Lectionary, The Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minnesota, 1984, page 120.
(2) Translation from The Jerusalem Bible. It was the Bible closest at hand at the moment.
(3) Confer Matthew 19: 13-15; Mark 10: 13-16; Luke 18: 15-17; Luke 9:46-48.
(4) Cf. Acts 9: 1-19; Galatians 1: 11-24; Acts 26: 1-32
