HOMILY Week 28 05 – Yr II

Enjoying our Inheritance – Anniversary edition

(Eph 1:11-14; Ps 33; Lk 12:1-7)

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Are you aware of what your inheritance will be?

The readings today invite us into a deeper appreciation of our spiritual inheritance – the kingdom of God – and how we can live out that inheritance with faith and love.

St. Paul, writing to the Ephesians, is basically reminding them of their inheritance in Christ, the salvation they were destined to receive through their faith in the resurrection of Jesus and their hope in his second coming. One of the first communities to be evangelized by Paul, they were keenly aware they were confirmed in that inheritance by the Spirit of the Kyrios, the Risen Lord, who fills them with peace and joy.

Risen Lord, former Villa Maria Oblate retreat centre in Winnipeg

Twice in his message, Paul stresses they are now to live for the praise of God’s glory, leading us right into the message of Psalm 33 – happy to be chosen as his own by the Lord, we are now to rejoice in the Lord, praise God with lyre and harp (perhaps today keyboard and guitar), seek to do right and work for justice and fairness in all our dealings.

Jesus, in the gospels, gives us more ways we can live out our inheritance of his own kingdom so freely given to us through his forgiveness and healing. We are first of all to beware of the hypocrisy of the scribes by striving to be transparent and open, much easier to do if we let our will rest in his. This speaks of humble self-awareness, being human and genuine, grateful for the gifts and talents God has given to us, using them to make the world a better place. It also speaks of befriending our shadow, admitting our imperfections, ready to apologize if we have fallen short and hurt anyone in any way, and ready to forgive anyone who has hurt us. There is no longer any need to wear masks, to pretend or feel the need to be superior to anyone else. It means we are aware of our sins, for which we have received forgiveness from Jesus, and of our negative attitudes, for which we receive his healing.

Some of the steps of AA are very pertinent here: “admitted I was powerless over something; searching and fearless moral inventory, becoming ready to have God remove all our defects of character.” We could all benefit by working that program for our own personal growth, as a way of living today’s readings. Cardinal Bernadine of Chicago, when he was falsely accused of sexual misdemeanor, replied very simply everyone who knows him is aware the charges were false, because his “life has always been an open book.”

Jesus goes on to invite us to have complete trust in him, and live without fear, even as we “revere him”. There is so much fear and insecurity in our world today, with so many people putting up walls and building self-protective barriers, we may be forgetting this teaching of Jesus. He is in charge, and as long as we are trusting in him and doing his will, we have nothing to fear and everything to celebrate.

St, Paul of the Cross was someone who lived within the freedom of the kingdom of God. Born in northern Italy in 1694, he experienced conversion at 15 and began a lifetime devotion to prayer and austerity. He was a “walking saint”: when he walked in public, crowds pressed in on him, hoping to get a piece of his habit as a relic, or to ask for a cure or a favor. After having had several visions, he determined his vocation was to found an order dedicated to the Passion of our Lord. Officials declared the visions authentic and Paul withdrew to write a rule. He was joined by his brother, who remained with him for the rest of his life. He was known as a “walking saint”: when he walked, crowds pressed in on him, hoping to get a piece of his habit as a relic, or to ask for a cure or a favor. By 1747, the Passionists had three houses and were preaching missions throughout Italy. At his death in 1775, Paul was establishing a congregation of Passionist nuns.

The passion of the Lord has become central to my own ministry and life. Some contemporary speakers and writers, struggling to make sense of our world, have arrived at one basic truth grounding us all as human beings on this planet earth – there is suffering and we all will suffer. The key to the kingdom of God is how we deal with that suffering inevitably coming to us. We can be bitter and resentful, or like Jesus, we can accept it with no bitterness or resentment, just forgiveness. Then our suffering becomes radical discipleship and redemptive, connected to that of Jesus, and actually takes on profound meaning and purpose.