July 2020 - Page 2 of 2

Why All This Stuff?

Carmelite homily for Thursday (Week 14), July 9, 2020 – Lectionary 386 (Matthew 10:7-15)

In today’s Gospel Jesus sends out the Twelve Apostles to begin to preach in his name. He gives them four instructions. He says:

proclaim that the Gospel is at hand,
cure the sick,
raise the dead,
drive out demons.

But then he gives them a ton of instructions – a lot more – on what they’re supposed to take or not take. Don’t take sandals, don’t take a second tunic, don’t take a backpack, don’t take gold, don’t take silver, don’t take any money, don’t take a walking stick. It just seems like a lot more instructions of what not to do than what to do. Why? I think John of the Cross may have the answer here. John of the Cross writes, “The soul must empty itself of all that is not God in order to go to God.” I think that’s what Jesus is trying to get at here. All this stuff – the walking staff and the money and all that – is about insecurity and security and about power and status and everything. Let that go. Let the stuff go. And just proclaim love. That’s the invitation; that’s the gift; that’s the real instruction to the Twelve.

Hodgepodge of Problems

Carmelite homily for Wednesday (Week 14), July 8, 2020 – Lectionary 385 (Matthew 10:1-7)

everyone here is ‘people’ – you know, with politics going on, and turf going on, and judgmental and maybe gossiping going on. It can get sometimes pretty negative and they’re surprised. In today’s Gospel we have Jesus calling the Twelve. And when you look at these Twelve, you have

Peter – Peter, remembered, doubted when Jesus told him to walk on water and he sank; and then he denied him three times when Jesus was arrested.
Andrew – Peter complains about Andrew, ‘when my brother wrongs me how many times do I have to forgive him?’
James and John – who send their mother because they’re ambitious to get the premier spots on Jesus’ left and Jesus’ right.
Thomas – who doubted.
Matthew – who is a Roman collaborator because he is a tax collector.
Simon the Cananite, who is a Zealot and Zealots took a vow to kill Roman sympathizers. How are Matthew and he going to get along?

It’s a hodgepodge of problems. That’s what people are, but that’s where salvation is. I think that’s the gift and the warning and the instruction of today’s Gospel. Yes, we’re all working towards sanctity, but we start off as people.

Dark Night

Carmelite homily for Tuesday (Week 14), July 7, 2020 – Lectionary 384 (Matthew 9:32-38)

In today’s Gospel we have Jesus very busy. He’s going to, it says, all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and proclaiming that the kingdom of God is at hand. And he sees the crowds. He says that they’re like sheep without a shepherd. Let us pray for shepherds for these people. Saint John of the Cross, in the famous opening of his poem, One Dark Night, writes, “One dark night, fired by love’s urgent longings – ah, the sheer grace – I went out unseen; my house being now all stilled.” Oftentimes we think that is us – me, you – going to search for the Lord, but in today’s Gospel it’s the Lord going out searching to all the towns and villages for us. It works both ways. As we search for God, God searches for us.

Pay a Compliment

Carmelite homily for Monday (Week 14), July 6, 2020 – Lectionary 383 (Matthew 9:18-26)

There’s a quotation from Saint Teresa of Avila that I’ve relied on when the going gets rough. She writes, “When you ask for something difficult you pay God a compliment.” I think that’s what describes what’s going on in today’s Gospel. There’s a lot going on. This man comes to say that his daughter has died, ‘Jesus, can you lay your hands on her and she will live?’ That’s a difficult one. And a woman with twelve years with a hemorrhage asks for healing. That’s a difficult one. Everything in today’s Gospel is difficult. And Jesus does them, showing that with God’s help and God’s grace these things can be done. Now what about the opposite though? I’ll extend Saint Teresa’s thought a little bit. What if God asks you or asks me for something difficult? Do we think ‘this is a burden’ or ‘this is a tragedy’ or ‘this is awful’ or can we say ‘thank you, God, for paying me that compliment’?