A Homily for Friday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Friday, July 19, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Isaiah 38:1-6, 21-22, 7-8, 8e-9; Isaiah 38:10, 11, 12abcd, 16; Matthew 12:1-8
Audio Recording
Friends, again and again in the Gospels, Jesus is portrayed as violating the sacred command to rest on the seventh day. For example, he often cures on the Sabbath, much to the dismay of the protectors of Jewish law. Today the Pharisees condemn Jesus and his disciples for picking grain on the Sabbath, even though they are hungry and have been working tirelessly under very difficult circumstances as they followed Jesus.
One clear lesson we can take from today’s Gospel passage concerns the temptation to judge and condemn others. I know that I often succumb to this temptation, perhaps not judging the state of the souls of others based on their actions, but certainly judging whether or not what they do, or don’t do, is acceptable.
I recently had a discussion with a wise priest regarding this temptation to judge whether or not someone is worthy to receive communion based on their actions. In this case it was about whether or not someone who isn’t attending Sunday Mass regularly should present themselves to receive the sacrament. Most of us know well that the Church teaches that it is a grave sin to miss Sunday Mass and, if we do so without good reason, we should not present ourselves for communion until we have confessed this sin.
He reminded me that while all of this is true, I simply don’t know the circumstances of the life of the person who is missing Mass. Why they do so, or if they even understand that it is something very serious.
Rather than judging the person based on their actions (or lack of action), we should meet them where they are and help them come to understand why God’s ways are so much better for them than following their own ways. As Pope Francis has taught, we must remain close to people and help them to see the error of their ways by being available to them, connecting with them, loving them.
While we must be true to our ourselves and the demands of the Church, we must also be attentive and kind to those who struggle with, don’t fully understand, or have circumstances in their lives that prevent them from following all of her teachings. This is what the wise priest I referred to earlier helped me to better understand.
In today’s Gospel story, the Pharisees didn’t even inquire into the reason the disciples were picking and eating grain. They didn’t ask if they had been without food for some time or how long they had been traveling. It didn’t matter to them that they were hungry, and most likely, very hungry.
So also with us, its common that when we judge and condemn another, we arrive at our verdict without even seeking to understand the situation. Perhaps the person is not attending Sunday Mass because they have a job that requires them to work on Saturday and Sunday. Perhaps we can help them find a Mass time that works better for them. Perhaps we can encourage them to at least attend a weekday Mass that fits with their work schedule.
The bottom line is that judging others is not our right. God doesn’t give us the authority to judge others. If someone is clearly caught in a cycle of objectively grave sin, we must do all we can to help draw them out of that sin. But even in that case, we have no right to judge or condemn them.
Dear friends in Christ, reflect today upon any tendency you might have toward being judgmental and condemning of others. If you see this tendency within yourself, spend time thinking about the Pharisees. Their self-righteousness was ugly and damaging. The negative example they set should inspire us to turn away from such acts of condemnation and to reject those temptations the moment they come.
Like Jesus, we must meet others where they are and accompany them into the fullness of the truth, rather than judging and distancing ourselves from them.
Amen?