Fr. Roger J. Landry
Shrine of Our Lady of Martyrs, Auriesville, New York
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time, Year I
Memorial of St. Junipero Serra
July 1, 2021
Gen 22:1-19, Ps 115, Mt 9:1-8
To listen to an audio recording of today’s homily, please click below:
The following points were attempted in the homily:
- Throughout this week, we have been focusing on faith: the faith of Jairus and the woman with the hemorrhage, the faith shown in intercessory prayer, the faith needed to follow Jesus, the faith needed to confess him and stay true until death, the faith of Saint Irenaeus, Peter and Paul, the first Martyrs of the Church of Rome, and, as always here, of Saint Isaac Jogues, Rene Goupil, Jean de Lalande and Kateri Tekakwitha. Today we have three more great lessons.
- In the first reading, we see the supreme test of Abraham’s faith, which is shown in his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac, knowing, as the letter to the Hebrews says, that even should Isaac be slain, God would raise him from the dead since God had declared that Isaac was the son of the promise through whom Abraham would become the father of many nations. True faith in God means to trust in him and to love him above all things, including the capacity to sacrifice what is most precious to us, even our own life or the communion with those we love the most, if he asks, precisely because he is the pearl of great price we value even more.
- In the Gospel, we see the faith of the four friends of the paralyzed man, who, believing in Jesus, struggled to carry him on a stretcher to Jesus. We don’t know how far they need to carry him, but it wasn’t easy work no matter the distance, and then they got to the house, and saw how packed it was, rather than waiting, they did the very difficult thing of lifting their paralyzed pal up onto the roof, as we see in St. Mark’s and St. Luke’s accounts. They needed to keep their paraplegic or quadriplegic friend balanced as they lifted him up and then down, lest he fall on his head. What a scene the whole thing must have been, but they were not to be stopped — or frankly delayed. And Jesus went far beyond what they were asking: “When Jesus saw their faith,” St. Matthew tells us, he healed the man’s sins and then healed the man’s paralysis. It’s a reminder to us that in faith we ought to be seeking to bring our friends with all their needs to Jesus to let him surpass even our hopes for them, because God always responds to our prayers, for whatever we ask for, with the supreme gift of himself. If we’re reading the Gospel with faith, as well, we will see just how important the forgiveness of sins is in Jesus’ mission, far more important than curing paralyses, because, as Pope Francis repeatedly says, everything Jesus did — preaching, teaching, healing, exorcizing — was just part of his overall mission to reconcile us to the Father through the forgiveness of our sins.
- The third expression of faith is in St. Junipero Serra, the great apostle of California, who walked 5,000 miles in his 18th century missionary journeys spreading the faith and establishing nine different missions (of the 21 that were established in California). A few months before Pope Francis canonized him on September 23, 2015 in Washington, he visited the North American College in Rome to meet with the priests and seminarians and there he preached about the lessons of faith all of us can find in him and imitate. The first is the faith that leads to missionary zeal, like the zeal that characterized the North American Martyrs. St. Junipero, a priest professor in his native Mallorca, left his home, country, family, university position and local Franciscan community in his 30s to come to spread the Gospel in the new world, constantly confronted by various sorts of peril. Pope Francis asked what gave him the capacity to do so. It was his faith in and love for Christ, “that heartfelt impulse that seeks to share with those farthest away the gift of encountering Christ: a gift that he had first received and experienced in all its truth and beauty.” He wondered whether “today we are able to respond with the same generosity and courage to the call of God, who invites us to leave everything in order to worship him, to follow him, to rediscover him in the face of the poor, to proclaim him to those who have not known Christ and, therefore, have not experienced the embrace of his mercy.” The second trait was devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, our greatest exemplar of faith, to whom he had entrusted his missionary activity. Before he left Mexico for California, he consecrated his life to Our Lady of Guadalupe and in each of the Missions he established, he promoted devotion to her. She helps us to learn to say fiat, like Abraham and to say no to, and crush the head of, the evil one, his lies and works. The third trait was holy discipline and a life of faith in its smallest details. His letters attest to his asceticism, prayer life, charity, zeal, mercy. He shows us that evangelized evangelizers are sanctified means of the sanctification for others.
- We know that Saint Junipero constructed each of his missions with the mission Church in the center. He sought to form a community focused geographically and spirituality around what happened in the Church, namely the celebration of the Eucharist and the encounter with Jesus. This is the same Jesus who healed the paralyzed man’s sins and crippled limbs. This is the same Jesus who fulfills the sacrifice of Abraham, when another Son carried the wood of the Sacrifice, when God provided the Lamb, and when God didn’t stop this Son from being slain, because he knew he would raise him from the dead. This is the same Jesus whom Saint Junipero walked so many thousands of miles to introduce. Let us prepare to receive him now in faith.
The readings for today’s Mass were:
Reading 1 Gn 22:1b-19
God put Abraham to the test.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said:
“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you.”
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.
He called to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
Then God said:
“Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love,
and go to the land of Moriah.
There you shall offer him up as a burnt offering
on a height that I will point out to you.”
Early the next morning Abraham saddled his donkey,
took with him his son Isaac, and two of his servants as well,
and with the wood that he had cut for the burnt offering,
set out for the place of which God had told him.
On the third day Abraham got sight of the place from afar.
Then he said to his servants:
“Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you.”
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
“Father!” he said.
“Yes, son,” he replied.
Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“Son,” Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”
Then the two continued going forward.
Then he said to his servants:
“Both of you stay here with the donkey,
while the boy and I go on over yonder.
We will worship and then come back to you.”
Thereupon Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering
and laid it on his son Isaac’s shoulders,
while he himself carried the fire and the knife.
As the two walked on together, Isaac spoke to his father Abraham:
“Father!” he said.
“Yes, son,” he replied.
Isaac continued, “Here are the fire and the wood,
but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?”
“Son,” Abraham answered,
“God himself will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.”
Then the two continued going forward.
When they came to the place of which God had told him,
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”
Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”
Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.
Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it.
Next he tied up his son Isaac,
and put him on top of the wood on the altar.
Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son.
But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,
“Abraham, Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he answered.
“Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger.
“Do not do the least thing to him.
I know now how devoted you are to God,
since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.”
As Abraham looked about,
he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket.
So he went and took the ram
and offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.
Abraham named the site Yahweh-yireh;
hence people now say, “On the mountain the LORD will see.”
Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said:
“I swear by myself, declares the LORD,
that because you acted as you did
in not withholding from me your beloved son,
I will bless you abundantly
and make your descendants as countless
as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore;
your descendants shall take possession
of the gates of their enemies,
and in your descendants all the nations of the earth
shall find blessing—all this because you obeyed my command.”
Abraham then returned to his servants,
and they set out together for Beer-sheba,
where Abraham made his home.
Responsorial Psalm PS 115:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (9) I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Not to us, O LORD, not to us
but to your name give glory
because of your kindness, because of your truth.
Why should the pagans say,
“Where is their God?”
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Our God is in heaven;
whatever he wills, he does.
Their idols are silver and gold,
the handiwork of men.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
They have mouths but speak not;
they have eyes but see not;
They have ears but hear not;
they have noses but smell not.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Their makers shall be like them,
everyone who trusts in them.
The house of Israel trusts in the LORD;
he is their help and their shield.
R. I will walk in the presence of the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Alleluia 2 Cor 5:19
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ
and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mt 9:1-8
After entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic,
“Courage, child, your sins are forgiven.”
At that, some of the scribes said to themselves,
“This man is blaspheming.”
Jesus knew what they were thinking, and said,
“Why do you harbor evil thoughts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’
or to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man
has authority on earth to forgive sins”–
he then said to the paralytic,
“Rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
He rose and went home.
When the crowds saw this they were struck with awe
and glorified God who had given such authority to men.
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