HOMILY WEEK 27 01 – Year I
An Attitude of Faithful Obedience and Compassionate Caring:
Memorial of St Francis
(Jonah 1:1-2:1, 10; Jonah 2; Lk 10:25-37)
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The readings today, for this memorial of St Francis of Assisi, invites us to check out attitude towards God’s infinite mercy and how well we live out our faith and our awareness of that mercy.
To this end, the first reading is rich in content and symbolism. Jonah has faith in God, who even speaks to him and gives him a mission to proclaim repentance to the Ninevites, but he has an attitude problem. He is caught up in the tribalism all too present in our day (my group is superior to the others, we are special, God belongs to us), so he disagrees with God and proceeds to run in the opposite direction.
The book of Jonah is full of irony and surprising reversals. Prayer, sacrifice and acceptance of God’s will come from the mariners, not Jonah. The Word Among Us points out these acts of faith in the “God of heaven who made the sea and the dry land, “come not from a God-fearing Israelite, but from pagan sailers. Time and again, unbelievers demonstrate true faith and heartfelt repentance while Jonah spends his energy running from God or fighting his plan. It is the sailers who wake Jonah and beg him to pray during the storm, and the pagan king of Assyria orders his subjects to fast and turn from sin. And when God reveals his salvation, everyone is happy – except Jonah.
Time after time, Jonah sets limits on God’s actions and the reach of God’s mercy, only to be shown how limitless it really is. Though it is included in the collection of the prophetic books, Jonah is, at its heart, a parable that counters the widespread notion (much needed today) that God only cares about his chosen nation, Israel.
Clearly, God’s vision is far greater than Jonah’s narrow viewpoint. God wants every human being on earth to received his salvation and new life, not just God’s special people, Israel. Even when poor Jonah misses the point, God patiently works to expand his heart. God pursues Jonah even while he is fleeing; he saves his life and gives him a second chance. And God tries to teach him why God is so merciful to the Ninevites.
Jonah can show us the difference between our narrow viewpoint and God’s expansive vision. We can let our idea of who is acceptable and who isn’t overshadow our grasp of God’s desire to restore every sinner. As often as we like Jonah, try to limit God’s mercy, that’s how often God extends it – frequently to the very people we think don’t deserve it. That’s the point: we all need mercy and God offers it especially to those most in need. May we all allow God to stretch our expectations and to expand our vision!
There is significant symbolism in the story – God calms the sea, as Jesus would do, and Jonah spends three days and nights entombed in darkness, as would happen to Jesus. The underlying lesson for us is to place our faith in Jesus who would be the ultimate revelation of the infinite mercy of God.
The gospel builds on the dynamics of these two passages from the Book of Jonah. The lawyer has faith, even rather remarkable faith, for he responds to Jesus’ question about the law not just with the Grand Shema of Judaism (“Love God with our whole being”) but also with often overlooked commandment buried in Leviticus 19:18 (“Love your neighbor as yourself”) which Jesus lifted up and equated with the Shema in Matthew 22:39 (“And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’”)
However, the lawyer also has an attitude problem of superiority and control – he wants to inherit, merit, earn, possess eternal life, and wants to “justify himself” in asking that question, so he asks another about who is his neighbor that opens the door for Jesus to recount the wonderful story of the Good Samaritan.
In that story, the priest and the Levite, who both knew the Grand Shema and were specialists in all the other laws, used their knowledge to play one law against the other (love versus not touching something that might defile their ritual purity) to excuse themselves from the messiness of life, genuine caring and loving.
The story could not be more forceful. It is the despised Samaritan who had the right attitude, is moved with pity and compassion, ministers to the wounded person, gives freely of his time and money, and becomes a symbol of the church as a “field hospital for the world” Pope Francis espouses. The inn is the church; the oil and wine the sacraments, and Jesus the Good Shepherd who gave his life for us, and calls us to “go and do likewise.” In the end, we are encouraged to not judge; for the most unlikely people will be used by God to show how merciful God is.
Today the Church honors someone who lived these values and today’s gospel fully. Francesco Bernadone was born in Assisi, Italy, in 1811 or 1812. The son of a wealthy silk merchant, he grew up with all the material comforts and status the wealth and standing of his family could provide. As a young solider and prisoner of war, he survived severe illness and gave up the idea of being a knight. His life changed one day when he met a beggar, with whom he shared his cloak, and followed an impulse to kiss the leper. That led him to try to follow Christ more closely. Believing his call was to serve God and the poor, he chose the way of poverty. He began to pray more, and in 1206, received a message from the Lord that seemed to say, “Rebuild my Church.” He took it literally and started rebuilding an abandoned Church nearby. His father was upset with the course his life had taken and confronted him, pressuring him to follow him in the dry goods business. Then the famous incident took place where Francis made his choice to follow his heart, took off all his clothes, gave it to his father who disinherited him, and walked away naked.
In 1209, he understood his work was to build up the Church by preaching repentance. Francis tried to live as simply as possible, following Lady Poverty. He preached the love of God to anyone who would listen – even the birds seemed to listen to him. His zeal attracted others and thus began the religious order of the Franciscans. In 1210 a rule was approved, with the pope giving Francis and his companions commission to preach. By 1219, they numbered 5,000.
The women who gathered around his example and ideals were led by his close friend and soul mate, St. Clare. An example of the practical piety and faith of Francis is the creation of the very first crèche in 1223 to mark the birth of Christ, which led to the nativity scene we have today. He used this as an evangelizing tool to spark the imagination of his hearers. That same year, Francis was blessed with the stigmata resembling the wounds of the crucified Christ, a sign of extraordinary holiness and his radical participation in the very life of Jesus.
Such practical knowing of his value and identity allowed Francis to let go of status, privilege, and wealth. Francis knew he was part of God’s plan, connected to creation and other beings, inherently in communion and in love. He taught his followers to own nothing so they would not be owned by their possessions. Francis is also recognized as being the first to teach the earth itself is holy.
A deacon all his life, Francis’ visionary leadership inspired thousands to lead lives of poverty, simplicity and humble service, delighting in creation and consumed with love for Christ. He died a poor, humble and holy death at Assisi on October 3, 1226 and was canonized two years later. He is a popular saint who was loved by all, and to this day is revered as a universal saint and patron of Italy and ecologists. The prayer/hymn “Make Me a Channel of Your Peace” is attributed to him.
The Eucharist is an encounter with Jesus the Good Shepherd showering God’s mercy upon us even as we celebrate, and empowering us to have the right attitude towards God’s mercy, and to “go and do likewise,” living out our faith in God’s mercy by sharing that mercy with all others.
