HOMILY WEEK 31 01 – Yr II

Unity, Humility and Love

(Phil 2:1-4; Ps 31; Lk 14:12-14)

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“Coincidence is God working anonymously.”

That saying seems to apply to the readings today, as the message they contain just happens to be rather remarkably reflected by an article at the back of the same issue of Living With Christin which Jean Vanier recounts the beginnings of L’Arche.

“Unity, humility, love and reaching out to the poor and disadvantaged” sums up the readings, inviting us to live those values in our own lives. In his letter to the Philippians, St. Paul exhorts them to make his joy complete by their unity and oneness, accomplished through being of one mind, love for one another, and humbly putting the other members needs before their own.

The psalm echoes that refrain of humility and acceptance of “what is,” allowing a wonderful degree of serenity into one’s life. These stanzas bring to mind the essential ingredients of a healthy, sound life – facing reality, accepting reality and dealing with reality.

Jesus, in the gospel, puts the emphasis on caring for and reaching out to the poor, as he dines at the home of a leading Pharisee. Jesus points out to his host the blessings coming to him when he includes the excluded – the ones society tends to ignore, marginalize, isolate and even oppress – those different than us – here identified as the poor, crippled, lame and blind.

Here is how Jean Vanier describes the way this teaching of Jesus touched his life: “What if I created a small, family-style community with a few people who had an intellectual disability? Fr. Thomas could accompany us – he was the one who helped me understand, through his own experience of suffering, that the hearts of the poor and the marginalized were open to grace. In the 1960’s, these people were often shut up in asylums or psychiatric hospitals… We must recall many people, even today, see those with an intellectual disability as a horror to be eliminated and a source of shame for families… In our wealthy societies, we often seek to get rid of the most fragile members, even kill them before they are born. For me, living with people with a disability offered new meaning: I gradually discovered these situations, which are often seen as a horrible evil, open up a path towards God.”

Both the psalm and St. Paul speak of humility, of being lowly, of not thinking ourselves better than others. Here is how Vanier live out those teachings: “I gave up a university career in Canada, as I had given up my Navy officer’s braids. Far from the halls of academe, I allowed myself to be molded by the simplicity of community life, with the oppressed and rejected. The joy I found there exceeded everything I could have imagined. And once again, great inner freedom was given to me.”

The unity and oneness that was a source of joy for St. Paul seems to be identical to that experienced by Vanier, in his own words: “In Trosly, we savored the joy of the Gospel, as Pope Francis invites us to do today. The heart of our daily life gravitated around the table. Oh, the meals! Moments of pure joy. We roared with laughter. We gave free rein to mischief, always ready for games and fun… instead of having intense scholarly discussions, we spent our time sharing, joking and laughing. These moments were celebrations. Everyone was seeking happiness. No more, no less.  Here, they knew they were accepted and loved with their weaknesses and their qualities, free to be themselves and to enjoy life. I let myself be carried along with it… If I dared, I would go so far as to say it was at L’Arche that I learned to celebrate… The early days of the community were marked by this infectious and noisy joy… A communion of hearts, in a new freedom, was revealed to us… I dare to say we taste the joy and blessing of the kingdom of God promised by Jesus: ‘Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God’” (Lk 6:20 and Mt 5:3).

I love that line “I let myself be carried along with it.” What a magnificent example of a highly educated and philosophical person letting go of one “persona,” perhaps even a bit of a false self, and allowing himself to be led by the hand into a whole new way of being in this world, his truer self, hidden deep within.  Inspirational to say the least.

These readings and this account of the early days of L’Arche should inspire us to live out these values and emulate Vanier, each in our own way. Recently, I was greeted by a man standing outside a store in St. Albert who commented on the weather as I rushed by to mail some letters. My suspicion he wanted more than that was confirmed as I returned to the car and he asked me if I could spare some change for a homeless man. I immediately went to the car, took out my change purse, gave him most of what was in it, and then went on my way.

Now, in retrospect, I realize I could have done much more. First, I could have emptied the purse, instead of holding a few coins back. More importantly, I could have entered into a conversation with him, learned more about his story and his life, and explored other ways I might have been able to help him out. I could have been more like Deacon Hyland Fraser on our pilgrimage in Mexico City, who knelt down before a couple begging on the sidewalk, gave them a blessing and received a blessing from them, before giving them a donation. I live in the hope maybe someday, my instinct will be not so much caring about my own agenda, but rather, to make the needs of the poor I encounter, my agenda.

I imagine the celebrations of the Eucharist St. Paul shared with the Philippians must have been similar to the celebrations of the Eucharist Jean Vanier shares with the L’Arche community. It is both a source of unity, and a celebration of unity as we are molded into the Body of Christ through Word and Sacrament.

May our celebration today empower us to emulate both St Paul and Jean Vanier in living out those values of our faith – unity, humility, love and reaching out to the poor.