A Homily for Friday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Friday, August 9, 2024
Prince of Peace Catholic Church – 8:00 Mass
Nahum 2:1, 3; 3:1-3, 6-7; Deuteronomy 32:35CD-36AB, 39ABCD, 41; Matthew 16:24-28
Audio Recording
Today’s first reading and responsorial psalm are really dark, aren’t they? Bloody cities, looting, heaping corpses, filth and disgrace. All the ravages of sin, which leads only to death and destruction.
But these readings also offer hope. In hindsight, we understand that Nahum’s prophecy that one who bears good news is coming announcing peace, is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, God’s own Son who comes into our world as one of us to destroy sin and death. The enemy, the scoundrel, he would destroy was not the Ninevites or even the Romans, but Satan himself…the evil one who inspires all those who do evil in the world.
Jesus came into our world as an aggressor, as a warrior, to destroy and disarm Satan by taking upon Himself the punishment due us all from the effects of the sin of our first parents. He made peace not by shedding the enemy’s blood, but by shedding His own precious blood on the cross.
Therefore, as Jesus’ followers, we too make peace not by exalting ourselves but by denying ourselves, not by destroying our enemies, but by taking up our daily cross and being crucified to THE WORLD. Today’s Gospel reading tells us this clearly that to be his disciples we, too, must deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him. We must walk the walk of the Christian life, not just talk the talk.
When we speak of “THE WORLD,” we can understand it to mean different things. First, “THE WORLD” is a reference to all the material things of this world–for example, the best of food and drink, self-indulgence, fleshly pleasures, material wealth, and all that is temporary and passing in this life. Do we always have to have the best of everything? Do we spend more time indulging our senses and our passions than we do serving others?
Second, the “world” can refer to pride and desire for attention and praise. This is when we become consumed with concern about what others think and say about us. Do we have a tendency to want to always be the center of attention?
Third, the “world” can refer to the desire for power so as to have to assert our own will. This desire for power and control can affect each person within any part of that person’s life, including family, friends, work, social circles, etc. Do we always have to be right? Do we always have to win?
It should be noted that obtaining wealth, being publicly praised, or being put in a position of power is not evil in and of itself. In fact, any one of these offers potential for good. The problem arises when a person seeks one of these worldly desires for selfish reasons and under the delusion that it will provide fulfillment. Therefore, when one or more of these are obtained, they must be handled with detachment and humility.
The bottom line is that the basis on which we will be judged will be our conduct. This will entail a judgment of our words, our thoughts, our actions, our willingness to forgive others, and our commitment to works of mercy.
This certainly doesn’t mean we can earn our way into heaven. We can’t. It is only by grace and the saving work of Christ on the cross that we are able to enjoy eternal life with him, rather than eternal death without him.
However, discipleship does have a cost and that cost is that we must lose our lives for him, following Him closely and desiring not the things of this world more than we desire the things of heaven.
Let us reflect honestly upon our interior desires and work to purify them so that we desire God’s will alone. In the end, all that matters is that we use all we have, and all we are, for the glory of God, in accord with His perfect and fulfilling will. That we, too, use our lives to bear the good news and announce peace to the world.