Bumps & Bruises - Homily 2nd Sunday OTA

Readings

My wife and I went to daughters last night. As we drove up no one was home, but she pulled in immediately behind us. My daughter said, I knew it was daddy, I could tell by the way his head leans.

Some people may notice my head leans to the right.

It’s from football. Forty-five years ago with no high tech training equipment players would just line up, fire off the ball, and give the opposing player a shot to the head. Sometimes you did it a half speed. Step up and the other guy would give you a forearm shot to the head and then you would return the favor.

It was the same thing in college; only they hit you harder.

Then add a couple bad wrecks and my head now leans to the right when I’m relaxed. By the grace of God, I was never really injured. I still have all my wits about me; but according to my daughter, my heads not on straight.

Our community of St. Lawrence has been beat up a little over the past couple of months. We’ve lost priests. We’ve lost our vigil mass. Our church has experienced bumps and bruises to our ministry.

So, let us start with this prayer:  Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

That prayer is from the Psalm 40. The Psalm goes on to say: I have waited, waited for the LORD, and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.

Can you hear Jesus praying that prayer? Abba, Father, Here I am, I come to do your will not mine.

That must be our prayer as well, to do God the Fathers will here on earth in Christ Jesus’ name.

The prophet Isaiah writes that the LORD declares: You are my servant, through whom I show my glory.

But the missal omits the next verse. “I have used all my strength, and it has all been for nothing. My judgment is with the Lord and my work is with my God.”

Jesus must have prayed this in the Garden the night before his crucifixion

As Christian’s believers we have said that prayer, maybe not in so many words. We know that prayer when we share the gospel with others or feed the hungry, visit the sick, cloth the naked, and try to live like Christ in this world. And the world does not want to hear us. Even those we help may not hear us.

In all the opposition of Christ work, we may think our ministry is a failure. People look at Christians doing Christ work; do they see the glory of God in us?

Do you think the people passing by Christ on the cross saw the glory of God in him then!  No, they mock him and spit on him and cursed him.

Was this the same man that John the Baptist saw coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

Yes!!

Yet at his death, Jesus’ life work was a few and disciples (men and women) who denied him, and then ran and hid.  Christ was to bring salvation to the world and on that day, it looked like failure.

“I have labored in vain. I have used all my strength, and it has all been for nothing.” But all that is Christian faith and the Church came after the death of the Messiah.

St Paul’s words of greeting to believers: You who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

All those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you.

Grace is enough.

The apostles and first Christians were just a handful of people. But now, there are Christians in every part of the earth. In many places, their faith is outlawed. They are persecuted and many times martyred for faith and belief in Christ.

Do you think they cry out - I have labored in vain. I have used all my strength, and it has all been for nothing. No, they pray this: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

They share the gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ even in death.

Here at St. Lawrence, all that has taken place in the last six months has made it hard to all our ministries staffed. The St. Vincent de Paul has stopped their meals program. Parents do not to bring their children to PSR. It is hard to get altar servers.

Friends do not be afraid, start with this prayer: Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will. The LORD will hear us.

Pray for our church, our ministry, and our lives in Christ; we succeed through God’s strength, in God’s sight, and in God’s time. “My judgment is with the Lord and my work is with my God.”

We are all called to Christ. He called me and my heads not even on straight.

Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

Be good, be holy, and preach the gospel, by the way you live your life and love one another. Amen.