Stay cool...
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time B
floating around in my head
when it hit me:
since it’s so blasted hot around here this weekend,
I ought to preach about nothing.
Now, before you get too excited,
I don’t mean no homily at all;
I mean a brief one on nothing.
St. John Vianney—
the patron saint of parish priests
whose image is right here beside the pulpit—
once said:
I have been privileged to give great gifts
from my empty hands.
since it’s so blasted hot around here this weekend,
I ought to preach about nothing.
Now, before you get too excited,
I don’t mean no homily at all;
I mean a brief one on nothing.
St. John Vianney—
the patron saint of parish priests
whose image is right here beside the pulpit—
once said:
I have been privileged to give great gifts
from my empty hands.
You’ll
notice in the gospel
that
Jesus sends out his twelve Apostles—
his first priests—empty handed:
no food, no money, no
change of clothes.
(Jesus
did, however, say they were to wear sandals…
…so
I’m carefully following
his instructions this morning!)
Given the crucial nature of this mission,
Given the crucial nature of this mission,
why
are they sent—apparently—with nothing?
Fr. Tom (right, with modern "sandals") and I in the sacristy before Mass yesterday evening at 90° F |
Well,
because they are sent to preach…
…but
theirs is to be
Jesus’ own message of repentance,
and
not some new teaching
which
they themselves have devised.
And
because they are sent to drive out demons…
…but
they can only do so in Christ’s name,
rather
than their own.
And
because they are sent out to heal…
…but
they are to use an intermediary—
oil for anointing—
since
they, too, are but instruments
of
Another’s power to cure both body and soul.
You
see, the Twelve go out with nothing—
nothing
of their own, at least—
to
make it perfectly clear
that what they have to give
does
not in any way come from them.
And
just what is it they have to give?
Every spiritual blessing in
the heavens,
lavished
upon us
out of the riches of God’s grace.
Like
the Apostles, all of us—
yes,
we priests in a particular way,
but
every single follower of Jesus, as well—
are
summoned and sent out to proclaim his gospel,
to drive
out the spirit of evil from this world,
and
to restore the sick to health.
So if
you’re feeling inadequate
or
ill-equipped for the job at hand,
have
no fear;
you’re
probably right where you should be,
since
what’s most needed to accomplish this mission is nothing:
not
our talents or skills or abilities,
not
popularity or power or pedigree,
but
our nothingness.
What
a privilege to be chosen to
give such great gifts
from
these, our empty hands!
1 comment:
Fr. Joe,
Thank you for such an important message, you reminded me that when I think I have nothing, it is then that God can use me the most!! I keep forgetting and having a fit instead. Great message.
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