HOMILY WEEK 08 01 – Year II
Humble Faith, Living Hope and Eternal Joy:
Optional Memorial of St. Augustine of Canterbury
(1 Pt 1:3-9; Ps 111; Mk 10:17-27)
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Have you ever seen yourself as the rich young man in today’s gospel?
The readings today invite us to grow in humble faith leading us to greater hope and the enjoyment of eternal life to be shared with others.
Back in 1976, an incident occurred that opened up the meaning of today’s gospel for me. I had attended a Charismatic Conference in Calgary. At the conclusion of the conference, other participants were dancing with joy, but I for some mysterious reason felt sad and kind of down. Travelling back to Edmonton with the Grey Nuns, that bothersome feeling persisted and really puzzled me.
The next day, I presided at the Eucharist for the sisters’ community before heading back north. The gospel happened to be the same as today, about the rich young man. As I was proclaiming the gospel, it struck me – I was that rich young man! I had just attended a conference all about meeting Jesus and had come away sad. What I didn’t know at the time was the reason for that sadness, a question I took with me back home to my mission in Beauval.
Weeks later, during a Christian Ethics class I was teaching at the local high school, the answer came in an unexpected way. I had shared with the students a filmstrip (at that time) of John Powell’s book Why Am I Afraid To Tell You Who I Am? in which he lists all the masks that people wear. Just for fun, I asked the students what mask they thought I was wearing (not thinking I was wearing any) and they replied in shocking unison, the Messiah!
That jolted me, as I realized they were right. As a young Oblate missionary Oblate entering into my second year of ministry, I was trying to change and rescue a community of around 500 faithful, thinking I could fix all their problems. Shortly after that incident, I read a booklet about a young man who found Christianity easy for the first twenty years of his life – go to church and be a nice guy – no problem. Then he joined the seminary, tried to be perfect and found Christianity hard. I could identify with that as I was considering leaving the priesthood at that time. Then I read he found Christianity wasn’t easy and it wasn’t hard – so what was it, I wondered? I turned the page and read – it was impossible!
Suddenly everything made sense. In my false pride, workaholism, stubborn self-will and tendency to control, I was trying to play God. Actually, I was doing my will in God’s name – the worst kind of treason. I prayed like I never prayed before, and surrendered my will to God, and felt great relief – a spiritual experience of freedom and liberation. I had let go of those riches that I was hoarding and could now truly follow Jesus more faithfully. I was no longer the rich young man, but a humbler young Oblate priest.
Over the years within my addictions awareness work, I have learned the riches many people carry, their spiritual burden, is a mixture of anger and resentment, shock and shame, sadness and self-pity, as well as guilt and fear. These false gods are what we need to let go to not be like that rich young man and go away sad.
I also realized I was trying to earn God’s love, as I had tried to earn my father’s love for years, and in that sense, was trying to earn my way into heaven. That also is to be like the rich young man who wanted to inherit, to possess the kingdom of God. Jesus had to set him straight – no one can possess or earn their way into heaven – it is a free gift those who truly believe and surrender to God’s will can only receive.
The reading from first Peter reminds me of Pierre Olivier Tremblay, recently bishop of the Diocese of Moosonee-Hearst in Quebec. He observes the youth of today lack hope because they don’t have an infinite horizon of faith, a bigger picture, a meta-narrative, a larger story into which they can place their lives. All they have is what happens to them that day, and if a relationship breaks up on them, it is like the end of the world, and some even take their lives in despair.
St. Peter is just the opposite – he is rich in having that infinite horizon of faith he eloquently expresses in his choice of words, mentioning God’s great mercy, a new birth to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus, hope in an imperishable inheritance, the gift of faith more precious than gold, and an indescribable and glorious joy because we are receiving and experiencing already the goal of faith, salvation or eternal life. That is our reality as well – one that like Peter we are called to share with the world. That is also the mandate and mission of our Oblate retreat centers around the world – to be humble sources of faith and hope helping others enjoy and experience eternal life.
St Augustine of Canterbury
Today, the church invites us to honor St. Augustine of Canterbury, who managed to balance action and contemplation in his life and ministry. In 596, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augustine, prior of St. Andrew’s monastery in Rome, and about 40 monks to evangelize England. The group was well received by King Ethelbert of Kent, who later became a saint himself. Augustine was soon made bishop and instructed to develop a hierarchy for England and to substitute Christian feasts for pagan celebrations. Apart from the Welsh refusal to accept either Augustine or the Roman traditions he proposed, the mission was successful. Augustine established a Benedictine monastery at Canterbury. The first archbishop of Canterbury, this “Apostle of the English” continued to work for the faith in Britain until his death in 604.
The Eucharist is a foretaste of that eternal banquet, the fullness of peace and joy that will be ours in the future but can already be part of the lived reality of those who truly believe and are able to let go of false gods in our lives.
So, let us pray for faith that gives birth to a living hope and allows us to enjoy a portion of that salvation and eternal life that will one day be ours to live in all its fullness.
