OT XI [A] SUNDAY (June 18) (Eight-minute homily in one page) (L-23)
Introduction: The main theme of today’s readings is that we are commissioned or sent, to transform others with the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus His Son.
Scripture lessons: The first reading gives Israel the good news that the God of Mount Sinai loves and cares for his people. God showed His continuing care for Israel by liberating the people from slavery in Egypt and by offering them a relationship in which they would be God’s “special possession,”-- “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Paul, in today’s second reading, reflects on how Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection made manifest God’s love and care for mankind. According to Paul, the greatest proof of God’s love and care for us is Jesus’ willingness to die on behalf of sinful mankind and so make possible a new and better relationship with God. Today’s Gospel is, in effect, a reminder from God to each one of us: “You have received grace and talents from Me without charge, and so you have to give without charge through your simple, responsible, sharing lives.” This is indeed the core of the priestly vocation and of the vocation of every Christian through his or her Baptism. Up to this point in the story, Jesus himself was the focus of the healing, teaching, and controversy. With the commissioning of his disciples, others began to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralded the kingdom of God. That new movement was destined to grow later, with increasing diversity, as it extended beyond the borders of Galilee, into Gentile territory, becoming the Universal Christian Church.
Life Messages: 1) Be Jesus-Presenters: Jesus continues to be active in our lives through the Bible and the Sacraments. In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the One Who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us. We are invited to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are asked to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world. If we accept this invitation and live it out wholeheartedly, with God’s grace people will look at us and say, “Jesus”
2) Be healers in the modern world: People are sick in body as well as mind. As Christians sharing Jesus’ mission, we can bring healing and wholeness to people with whom we come into contact. Although we cannot raise the dead, we can help people to recover interest and a zest for living. People can be physically alive but dead in many other respects. “Cleansing the lepers” means rehabilitating and bringing back fully into our communities all those who, for one reason or another, are marginalized, rejected, despised, and ostracized on the basis of race, nationality, marital status, religion, gender or sexual orientation. We have to help casting out from our people the demons who possess them by means of addictions to alcohol, nicotine, drugs, pornography, sexual deviations, and the like, first by getting ourselves liberated and then helping others to get liberated from their evil addictions.
OT XI [A] SUNDAY (June 18) Ex 19 2-6; Rom 5:6-11; Mt 9:36--10:8
Anecdotes: # 1: "You've come a long way, Baby" is an expression used by a popular cigarette commercial. You are shown a 19th century girl who is hiding her smoking with embarrassment. In contrast there is a 20th century girl openly, proudly smoking a cigarette. Indeed, women smokers have come a long way from public displeasure to acceptance. -- To become a saint, a sinner comes a long way, too. In June, 1977, the first American male was canonized a saint. John Neumann came to this country as an immigrant from Bohemia. He was known for his work of helping immigrants to this country, establishing the Roman Catholic school system in America, and serving as bishop of Philadelphia for eight years prior to his death in 1860. After more than a century, Neumann was made a saint. -- Our text is a one-verse biography of a man who came a long way from sinner to saint - Matthew. He was a tax collector, a publican who in that day was considered a super-sinner because he was a traitor to his country by collecting taxes from the Jews to support the Roman government. Jesus came to him where he was and made him an apostle. Now the world knows him as Saint Matthew. It was a long way for Matthew, too, from being a sinner to becoming a saint.
# 2: “Association of Lincoln-Presenters.” Homer Sewell was given the “Lincoln of the Year” award in April of 1999. Total strangers tend to call him “Abe” because Homer bears a striking resemblance to Abraham Lincoln appearance, dress, beard and speech. This all started about 30 years ago in Orlando, Florida, when Sewell grew a beard and schoolchildren suddenly began to call him “Abe.” He completed the effect by adding a black suit and stovepipe, and hat. Then he developed a show called Abe Lincoln’s America. Sewell has already made over 2,500 appearances as the 16th president, in which he has performed live before more than two million people. “As soon as I get my suit on and my hat,” he explains, “I become Abraham Lincoln.” Even without makeup you’ve got to admire his attention to details. The car he drives is a Lincoln, of course. Sewell is part of a group called the “Association of Lincoln Presenters,” a union of men and women dedicated to bringing Abraham and Mary Lincoln to life. There are currently 117 Abes and 32 Marys across the U.S. Together they form a group of passionate Lincoln-lovers, committed to presenting the former president and his wife to the world in costume and in words. -- In today’s lesson from the Gospel of Matthew, it certainly seems that Jesus is laying the foundation for an “Association of Jesus- Presenters” by choosing his apostles and training them in their preaching and healing mission.
# 3: "Friend of the bride or the groom?" At a formal wedding, an usher usually asks, "Friend of the bride or the groom?" Then he seats the party on the appropriate side of the Church. An usher once asked a lady, "Friend of the bride or the groom?" She replied, "Both." He explained, "I am sorry, lady. They did not tell me where to seat neutrals!" -- That is the way it is with Christ. There are no neutrals. If you make an affirmative decision, as Matthew did, your life is radically changed: "He rose and followed him."
Introduction: The main theme of today’s readings is that we are commissioned or sent, to transform others with the “Good News” of God’s love, mercy, forgiveness, and salvation through Jesus His Son.
Scripture lessons summarized: The first reading gives Israel the good news that the God of Mount Sinai loves and cares for his people. God showed His continuing care for Israel by liberating the people from slavery in Egypt and by offering them a relationship in which they would be God’s “special possession,” “a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.” Paul, in today’s second reading, reflects on how Jesus in his life, death, and resurrection made manifest God’s love and care for mankind. According to Paul, the greatest proof of God’s love and care for us was Jesus’ willingness to die on behalf of sinful mankind and so make possible a new and better relationship with God. Today’s responsorial psalm is permeated by a strong sense of God’s loving care for His people as “the flock He tends.” The Psalm affirms that the Lord is good, and that His kindness endures forever. Today’s Gospel is, in effect, a reminder from God to each one of us, saying, “You have received grace and talents from Me without charge, and so you have to give without charge through your simple, responsible and sharing lives.” This, indeed, is the core of the priestly vocation and of the vocation of every Christian through his or her Baptism. Today's lesson marks a turning point in the establishment of the Christian Church as presented in the Gospels. Up to this point in the story, Jesus himself was the focus of the healing, teaching, and controversy. With the commissioning of his disciples, others began to assume some of the responsibility for the new movement that heralded the kingdom of God. That new movement was destined to grow later, with increasing diversity, as it extended beyond the borders of Galilee, into the Gentile world and became the Universal Christian Church.
First reading, Ex 19:2-6, explained: All ancient religions assumed that the gods were distant from and indifferent to humans. The best people could hope for was that a few members, their priestly class, could deal with the gods on their behalf. In today’s first reading God overturns that class distinction. In the instruction given to Moses, God wants all the members of His chosen people to be a kingdom of holy priests. God expects a whole holy nation to join in worship, not just a few holy members to perform sacred duties for the rest. God says that all His people are special, set apart, and holy, and that they should pay attention to their exalted position. A religion in which all the members are to be holy was a stunning innovation. This teaching was last repeated for Catholics at Vatican II, in “The Constitution on the Church,” Chapter 5, “The Universal Call to Holiness in the Church,” paragraphs 39-42. Hence we have no right to divide ourselves into the holy group and the ordinary group and reserve holiness only to the priests and the religious.
The second reading: Rom 5:6-11, explained: Paul eloquently reminds the gathered community of Romans that God has gone beyond all limits in loving them. Paul's point is that we were quite unworthy of the gift God gave us in Christ. Notice all the expressions of this unworthiness: “helpless, ungodly, still sinners, enemies.” It's the contrast between our unworthiness and God's gracious generosity that is so remarkable. Paul argues that Jesus served and taught and healed and died for those who were sinners because they were essentially God’s people, God’s special ones, the holy nation, the ones set apart. As Jesus walked the streets and taught the crowds, he saw in each of them a sacred and holy child of God.
Gospel Exegesis: Matthew has just told us of ten miracles Jesus performed; he has cured people both physically and spiritually. Jesus has "compassion" (9:36) on the "crowds" in their leaderless state, "like sheep without a shepherd"; he has announced that the completion of God's plan, his "harvest" (9:37), to return all to godliness, is about to begin. Now he instructs and commissions his disciples. The message of today’s Scriptures is rather simple and to the point. God has moved toward us – and has loved us. God has reached out to nurture us, free us, and heal us through Jesus. We are lovable and good because God loves us and has chosen us as Jesus chose his apostles. Since Jesus loves the leaderless people, he chooses and sends the twelve apostles to awaken the people. He reminds the apostles that the harvest is very plentiful but the laborers are few. He instructs them to pray that the Lord will send laborers into His harvest.
Demonstration of God’s mercy and compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion at the world’s pain and suffering, sorrow and grief, physical and spiritual hunger, isolation and loneliness, bewilderment and confusion. The Greek word used, esplanchnithe, expresses a compassion that springs from the deepest part of one's being, heartfelt compassion. Jesus' compassion for the crowds was based on his perception that they were "harassed and helpless." Jesus uses two images to describe the common people of those days, namely, sheep without a shepherd and an abundant harvest in need of workers. The Pharisees saw the common people as chaff to be destroyed and burned up. But Jesus saw them as a harvest to be reaped and saved. He realized that volunteers were needed to teach and heal the people because "The harvest is great, but the workers are few.” and the people were “bewildered and dejected, like sheep who have no shepherd.” (I Kgs 22:17; Jer 23:1-6; Ez 34:1-10; Mi 5:2-4). Jesus calls us to pray for common laborers in his Church. While God can use talented people, most kingdom-work is done by ordinary, nearly anonymous, behind-the-scenes disciples. The “sheep without a shepherd” are called the “the lost sheep of Israel,” a phrase used by Moses when he transferred his authority to Joshua. This was a common image for Israel in the Old Testament (eg. Nm 27:17, 2 Chr 18:6). Priority was given to Jewish evangelization because Jesus realized that the most effective evangelistic strategy was first to try to reach those with whom the evangelizer already had something in common.
The selection of the messengers and special instructions: Jesus prayed before he chose the twelve apostles from among his disciples asking his heavenly Father, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (Is 6:8). Then Jesus chose them, called them apostles, appointed them to be with him and sent them to villages and towns before he visited them as heralds to prepare them to receive his “good news.” They were given his authority to love which included involvement in liberating people from the powers which oppressed them, whether physical or spiritual. The first instruction was: “Do not go out on the road to the Gentiles, and do not enter into any city of the Samaritans.” This meant that they could not go north into Syria, east into the largely gentile Decapolis, or to south into Samaria. God wanted His Chosen people to hear the Gospel first. Besides, the apostles were not well-trained for preaching to the Gentiles. Thirdly, as a wise commander Jesus limited his objectives and refused to diffuse and dissipate his forces.
The message to be preached.1) The preaching mission: “As you go, make this proclamation: 'The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’” The Kingdom of God is intended to be a society on earth, where God's will is as perfectly done as it is in heaven. Since Jesus was, and is, the only person who ever perfectly did, and obeyed, and fulfilled God's will as it is done in heaven, the apostles were to invite people to see how their long expected “kingdom of God” was made visible and tangible in Jesus of Nazareth.
2) The healing mission: “Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, and drive out demons.” The Apostles have to convince the people that Christ came to give physical healing of bodies from diseases and spiritual healing of souls from sins. The spiritually dead are resurrected and revitalized by the Good News preached to them. Cleansing the lepers includes the actual healing of leprosy, as well as the cleansing the polluting influence of sins from minds and heart. Casting out demons also included liberating people from their evil habits and addictions which led them to sin.
Free use of the God-given talents: "Freely you have received;" says Jesus, "freely give." A Rabbi was bound by law to give his teaching freely and for nothing. The Rabbi was absolutely forbidden to take money for teaching the Law which Moses had received without cost from God. Jesus' instructions mean that the man of God must show by his attitude to material things that his first interest is God. But Jesus adds that the workman deserves his sustenance. Although a Jewish rabbi was not expected to accept payment, it was considered at once a privilege and an obligation to support a Rabbi, if he were truly a man of God. What Jesus really means is that a man of God must never be overly concerned with material things. At the same time the people of God must never fail in their duty to see that the man of God receives a reasonable support. Missionaries are to depend on the local hospitality of "worthy" (10:11) people, i.e., those in favor with God, and to “greet" (10:12) them with the peace of God.
Life Messages: 1) Be Jesus-Presenters: Like Homer Sewell who presents Abraham Lincoln, we also have an “association” of Jesus-Presenters which we call the Church. From this Body we each get guidance, encouragement, discipline, and inspiration to project the same person -- Christ Jesus and his “Good News,” not in costume but in living out the Faith God has given us. Jesus continues to be active in our lives through the Bible and the Sacraments. He has promised that he will do whatever we ask in his name, meaning that he will answer us when we ask for help in revealing the power and character of God. In addition, the Lord God gives us the Holy Spirit, the One Who teaches us, and reminds us of all that Jesus has said to us. We are invited to become one with God and Jesus, and to let the Holy Spirit work through us. We are asked to perform the works of Jesus, and through these works to reveal the power and character of God to the world. If we accept this invitation and act on it, with God’s grace people will look at us and say, “Jesus”
2) Be healers in the modern world: People can be sick in body as well as in mind. As Christian’s sharing Jesus’ mission, we can bring healing and wholeness to people with whom we come into contact. Although we cannot raise the dead, we can help people to recover interest and a zest for living. People can be physically alive but dead in many other respects. Cleansing the lepers means rehabilitating and bringing back fully into our communities all those who, for one reason or another, are marginalized, rejected, despised -- ostracized on the basis of race, nationality, marital status, religion, gender, or sexual orientation. In our day, demons act through all those suffocating and enslaving forces which dominate, manipulate, and restrict our freedom to live in truth and love. They include many elements of our contemporary society: the pressures to conform to what is in fashion, whether it be in clothes, activities, food, or drugs of all kinds, both prescribed and non-prescribed, and to bend to the active and attractive tendencies to hedonism, extreme individualism, greed, addictions, and violence of all kinds which mark the modern world, particularly in the West. Our abortion/euthanasia/divorce/litigation culture of death is simply one of the symptoms and effects of all this. We have to start by casting out these demons from our own hearts first before helping others to true liberation.
3) "You received without payment; give without payment." Every thing we have is a gift of God. God's gifts to us are literally priceless, and the rest of these is Faith. All these gifts are meant to be used freely and liberally for the benefit of all. We are not in the business of sharing our Faith for the money or the admiration it brings. To paraphrase President John Kennedy: "Ask not what others can do for you; but what you can do for others." But God's freely given gifts must be used with care and responsibility. Exercised wisely, they can bring great joy and peace in life. They can be a means to care for others. We must always remember that our good works, the things in which we take pride, ultimately find their source in Christ, not in us. What gifts, both material and spiritual, have we received from God? How have we passed those gifts onto others? How have we thanked God and given Him the glory for those gifts? The passages from Matthew's Gospel present us with a challenge: to pass along the graces we have received. Jesus gave his followers this key to evangelization. (For details confer CCC #2006-2011)
4) Pray for priests who carry God’s people on “eagle’s wings.’ Priests are with us at all the most important moments in our lives -- Baptism, marriage, forgiveness of sins, celebration of the Eucharist, sickness, death. Every priest could tell you personal stories of times when he prayed with the sick and they improved, or the times when he anointed the sick and they received new strength. Every priest could tell you many personal stories about the many people he helped when they were going through a difficult time. Every priest has helped to heal broken lives and has given encouragement. Every priest has been surprised to see the power of Jesus work mysteriously through him. Hence Bishops, priests, and deacons are in need of our prayer because they, too, have the same human limitations and weaknesses and temptations as everyone. When was the last time we prayed for Bishops, priests, or deacons? If we don’t pray for them, why are we surprised if there are scandals? Bishops, priests, and deacons cannot survive without our prayers. Here are Bishop Sheen’s words to priests, "You have souls at your fingertips." It is a question of praying to the Lord to give the Bishops, priests, and deacons the energy and enthusiasm to bring them in. We need to pray also for future priests as instructed by Jesus in today’s Gospel by praying for an increase in the quality and quantity of those responding to the Holy Spirit’s vocational call to priesthood and the religious life.
JOKES OF THE WEEK
“But now he caries it under his coat." Zeke, a mountaineer, went to a revival and was "converted." Later his wife was asked if she noticed any change in Zeke since he supposedly got religion. She said, "Well, before he carried his jug of whiskey on his shoulder when he walked down town, but now he caries it under his coat."
God's Missionary People: "At a Pentecostal revival in Sevierville, Tennessee, a barber was 'saved.' The preacher told him that since he was a barber and got to meet a lot of people, he could do a great work for the Lord if he would talk to them about religion and salvation. When he asked how he could get into a conversation like that with his customers, the preacher said, 'Just do it casually. Talk to them about their soul, ask if their house is in order, if they are prepared to die, and so on.' "The first man to come in the next day wanted a shave; so the barber put a hot towel over him, talking about the weather and what-not, and then after he had lathered the man up good, he figured it was time to get down to the religion part. He grabbed up his razor, stropped it a few times, pointed at the man, and said bluntly, 'Brother, are you prepared to die?' "The man jumped up and ran out of the barbershop with the lather still on his face."
USEFUL WEBSITES OF THE WEEK (For homilies & Bible study groups) (The easiest method to visit these websites is to copy and paste the web address or URL on the Address bar of any Internet website like Google or MSN and press the Enter button of your Keyboard).
1) Fr. Nick’s collection of Sunday homilies from 65 priests & weekday homilies: https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies
2) Fr. Don’ collection of video homilies & blogs: https://sundayprep.org/featured-homilies/ (Copy it on the Address bar and press the Enter button)
3) Fr. Geoffrey Plant’s beautiful & scholarly video classes on Sunday gospel, Bible & RCIA topics: https://www.youtube.com/user/GeoffreyPlant20663)
4) Dr. Brant Pitre’s commentary on Cycle A Sunday Scripture for Bible Class: https://catholicproductions.com/blogs/mass-readings-explained-year-Biblical basis of Catholic doctrines: http://scripturecatholic.com/
5) Agape Catholic Bible Lessons: http://www.agapebiblestudy.com/
11- Additional anecdotes:
1) Commissioned by Christ to reach out: A young mother was taking a course in sociology. The class was assigned to go out and smile at three people and document their reaction. The next day she and her family were in a McDonald's on a cold, clear morning. She writes, "We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch. As I turned around, I smelled a horrible 'dirty body' smell, and there standing behind me were two poor, homeless men. One of them smiled up at me, looking for acceptance. The second man fumbled with his hands, obviously mentally deficient and totally dependent on his friend. They had a handful of coins and bought only coffee because that was all they could afford. They had to buy something in order to sit down where it was warm. Acting on impulse, I bought two extra breakfasts and took them to the table where the men sat. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman's cold hand. He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said, 'Thank you.' I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, 'I did not do this for you; God is here working through me to give you hope.’" (Coy Wylie, "Stewardship ... Laborers or Loafers?"). Here is a Christian lady commissioned by Christ to reach out “the sheep without shepherds” as Jesus sent his apostles to the shepherdless sheep with teaching and healing authority as described in today’s Gospel.
2) All about taxes: It was a simple statement but still it hurt. "See, this man eats with sinners and tax collectors." They hurt because I was one of those tax-collectors. Tax collectors are never popular. "Adopt a flat tax," said Steve Forbes in the primary campaigns, "and dismantle the Internal Revenue Service." "I'm proud to be paying taxes in the United States," said Arthur Godfrey. "The only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money." "President Clinton says he looks forward to the day a citizen can call the IRS and get the right answer to a question," says Jay Leno. "I look forward to the day I can call the IRS and get a voice that says, “Sorry, that number has been disconnected.'" And there was that famous reply that boxer Joe Louis gave when a sportswriter asked, "Who hit you the hardest during your ring career?" His reply: "Uncle Sam." -- People don't like tax collectors. Things haven't changed as much as you think. Archeologists uncovered a 3,000-year tablet in Iraq. It had on it this inscription: "You can have a Lord, you can have a King, but the man to fear is the tax collector." (SALES UPBEAT, June 24, 1993, p. 5.)
3) Saint sheep thief: Years ago, there was a man in the West who was caught stealing sheep. They branded him on the forehead with the letters ST, "sheep thief." Later his life changed and he became a model for all. People forgot that ST stood for "sheep thief" and thought it symbolized "saint." --This is what Jesus wants to happen in every person's life, including yours and mine. He associated with sinners, had dinner with them, and once explained to his enemies that he came to call sinners that they might become saints of God. How can we cover the long distance from sinner to saint? In our text we have an example in Matthew.
4) Personal confrontation with Jesus: Every person who has begun his mission from sinner to saint has had a real, personal confrontation with Christ. It may have come in different ways, but it always takes place. For Paul it happened on the Damascus Road. For Augustine it was a voice. While meditating in his garden, he heard the words, "take and read." He went to an open Bible and read, "Put on the Lord Jesus Christ ...", and Christ became a reality to him. St. Francis met Christ at a wayside shrine where as he was looking at a crucifix; he heard Christ say, "Build My House, for it is falling down!”
5) Where can I find water? There is a legend about a little fish who overheard fishermen say that a fish needed water to live. The little fish became worried and started hunting for water. He swam from creek to river to the seven seas. Finally, he met a big, old fish who saw how worried the little fish was and asked what the trouble was. The little fish explained that he was looking for water because he heard the fishermen say that a fish cannot live without water. The big fish laughed and said, "O little fish, why are you worried? Don't you know that you are in the water all the time?" -- It is time for us who have been on the Church rolls from infancy to wake up and realize Whose we are. Then we will know who we are and in Whom we have our being. We need to awaken to the fact that we are children of God by grace through Baptism, and as children of God we have a mission in life.
6) Conversion of Chuck Colson: Charles Colson, author of Born Again, was deeply involved in the Watergate scandal. It was said he was so ruthless that to accomplish his goal he would run over even his grandmother. -- Now, he tells about the love of God that turned him around.
7) “Margie needs that treatment." Some years ago, a farmer went to a big city and stepped into a hotel lobby where there was an elevator. He watched how people walked into the elevator, doors closed, and then an indicator like a hand of a clock pointed to the number of the floor where the elevator was. He noticed how people got on the elevator and shortly they stepped off it. He saw an overweight woman get on and soon there stepped off the same elevator a slender lady. Seeing that, he took off his hat, scratched his head, and was heard to say to himself, "I wish I had brought Margie with me. She needs that treatment."-- It is not an external change that is necessarily made, but an internal one: a new spirit, a change of attitude, love instead of hatred, an about-face in values, that we all need.
8) Happy Hypocrite: In Max Beerbohm's Happy Hypocrite a wicked man wore a mask of a saint in order to woo a saintly woman he loved. Years later a woman he had cast off discovered his trick and challenged him to take off his mask in front of his sweetheart that she might know the truth about him. He did it only, to find that behind the mask of a saint there was his true face which had become that of a saint. -- As we live for Christ, as we daily practice doing good, as we spend time constantly with Christ, eventually and gradually we become like Christ, a changed person.
9) Conversion of a gang member: Many years ago, journalist Lee Strobel investigated a story about a hardened gang member named Ron Bronski. Bronski found God in prison. As an atheist, Lee Strobel was skeptical of Bronski's story. In fact, he expected to use his journalistic skills to expose Bronski as a fraud. After all, this was the young man that police officers referred to as a "sociopath" or as "garbage." However, Lee heard a different story when he spoke to a pastor who met Bronski after his conversion. This man referred to the former gang member as "one of the most beautiful, loving people I know." In fact, when Ron Bronski was brought to trial for his crimes, the police officers, prosecutors, and the judge who had gotten to know him were so convinced that the former gang member was a new man that they set him free. -- Today, Ron Bronski runs an inner-city ministry for street kids. (Lee Strobel, the Case for Faith (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Zondervan Publishing House, 2000), pp. 223-225.)
10) “Follow me.” Rebecca Barlow Jordan tells a hilarious story about a friend of hers, named Neel. Neel had just finished picking up his prescriptions at the drug store. As he drove home, he noticed a little Volkswagen Bug following closely behind him. To his surprise, the little car followed him right into his own driveway. Neel got out to confront the driver. Another surprise--there was no driver. It seems Neel had accidentally backed into this little car at the drug store and locked bumpers with it. The lightweight little car stayed stuck to his bumper for the whole drive home! Neel called the drug store just moments after the Volkswagen owner had called the police and reported his car stolen. (Becky Freeman, Susan Duke, Rebecca Barlow Jordan, Gracie Malone, Fran Caffey Sandin. Eggstra Courage for the Chicken-Hearted (Tulsa, OK: Honor Books, 1999), pp. 64-65.) -- In the same way that the little Volkswagen Bug locked on to Neel's car, Matthew "locked on" to Jesus. Scripture says that Jesus said, "Follow me," and, just like that, Matthew rose and followed him.
11) A life of luxury and a life of service: There is an interesting story about the Queen Mary, one of the most luxurious ocean liners in the world back in the 1930s and '40s. The tables of this great liner bore the finest china and silver. Its private berths were spacious and well-decorated. But during World War II, the Queen Mary was commissioned to serve as a troop transport ship. All of its luxuries were stripped away to prepare it for war. The fine china was replaced by dented metal dinner trays. The spacious compartments were crammed to the ceiling with bunk beds. Today, the Queen Mary serves as a floating museum. One half of the ship is decorated to look exactly like a luxury liner of the 1930s. The other half of the ships is decorated to look like a World War II troop ship. Visitors to the ship confront the radical difference between a life of luxury and a life of service. (Ralph Winter, "Reconsecration to a Wartime, Not a Peacetime, Lifestyle," in Perspectives on The World Christian Movement, ed. R. Winter and S. Hawthorne (Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library, 1981), p. 814.) -- Jesus was calling Matthew to a life of service. He was calling Matthew to follow him--to go where he went. To live as he lived. To love as he loved. This is a tough assignment for anyone. L/23
“Scriptural Homilies” Cycle A (No. 37) by Fr. Tony: akadavil@gmail.com
Visit my website by clicking on http://frtonyshomilies.com/ for missed or previous Cycle C & A homilies, 141 Year of Faith “Adult Faith Formation Lessons” (useful for RCIA classes too) & 197 “Question of the Week.” Contact me only at akadavil@gmail.com. Visit https://www.catholicsermons.com/homilies/sunday_homilies of Fr. Nick’s collection of homilies or Resources in the CBCI website: https://www.cbci.in. (Special thanks to Vatican Radio website http://www.vaticannews.va/en/church.html -which completed uploading my Cycle A, B and C homilies in May 2020) Fr. Anthony Kadavil, C/o Fr. Jogi M. C. , St. Agatha Church, 1001 Hand Avenue, Bay Minette, Al 36507