The Purpose For Which Jesus Has Come, 22nd Wednesday (II), September 4, 2019

Fr. Roger J. Landry
Visitation Convent of the Sisters of Life, Manhattan
Wednesday of the 22nd Week of Ordinary Time, Year I
September 4, 2019
Col 1:1-8, Ps 52, Lk 4:38-44

To listen to an audio recording of this homily, please click here: 

The following points were attempted in the homily: 

• Jesus in today’s Gospel continues to fulfill the Messianic description he announced from Isaiah 61 in the Synagogue of Nazareth, which we pondered two days ago: he is proclaiming the Gospel to the poor and humble who recognize they need God, he proclaims liberty to captives of the evil one, heals those who are blind and lame and otherwise sick. After he had finished preaching in the Synagogue and people were able to move, he went to Peter’s house where he healed her of a severe fever (think 103 degrees) and then cured “all who had people sick with various diseases,” laying hands on each of them individually and curing. After a very long day, however, he went out very early to pray. When people eventually tracked him down, doubtless because they wanted him to continue to heal, he said, “To the other towns also I must proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God, because for this purpose I have been sent.” He gave priority to proclaiming the good news, which is something he did both by word and by action.
• That was not music to their ears. They, like many people today, want Jesus close by when they have needs, but they’re not really keen to listen to what he has to say, to be docile to what he wants to do. They want to be in control of Jesus’ agenda, rather than align themselves to what he says and wants to do. We need to ask ourselves how docile we are to Jesus’ preaching and body language. We live in an age in which many say, “facta non verba,” “deeds not words.” We recognize that sometimes words can be cheap. When Pope Francis came to the UN in 2015, he decried what he termed “declarationalist nominalism,” putting out beautiful declarations without following through with action. But with Jesus it should really be “verba et facta,” “words and deeds,” because his words aren’t cheap, but are capable of calming stormy seas, exorcising demons, raising the dead, and announcing the truth about God, about ourselves and about everything else. Jesus came as the Messiah to proclaim, in words and deeds, the good news of the Kingdom.
• St. Paul had a clear identity as someone summoned by the Lord to continue that mission of proclamation. He announced at the beginning of his letter to the Church in Colossae, “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God.” He knew that God’s will was for him to be an “apostle,” literally “one sent out.” He knew that the purpose of his life was to be on the move, to go to other towns, to bring Christ to the Gentiles. Even when he was in a Roman prison cell with arms fastened to a wall, it didn’t stop him from sharing the Gospel. He dictated a letter to the Church of Colossae — which by this point was a small and relatively insignificant place of Asia Minor — because he couldn’t stop sharing the Gospel. In today’s passage, St. Paul described various aspects of the Gospel that he, and we, are called to bring to the world. He said:
  • It’s a word of Truth in which we free people from ignorance and living a lie.
  • It’s a word of good news, just like the Angels brought to the Shepherds on Christmas morning.
  • It’s meant for all the world, for everyone, including Jews, including Muslims, including secularists, including drug dealers, prostitutes, abusers and everyone you and I know, all our family members, all our friends, all our work colleagues or fellow students, all our neighbors.
  • It’s fruitful, containing within it the power to change our lives 30, 60 or 100 ways or more, and make us overflow with love, just as St. Paul praises the charity of those in Colossae in today’s passage who had received the Gospel with faith and responded with love for others.
  • It’s a word of grace; it’s not principally about what God expects of us but what he offers us — and he gives us himself.
  • Finally it’s a word that’s meant to be passed on, just as Epaphras passed it on to those in Colossae, Paul passed it on to so many Churches, Jesus brought it to the towns and villages, and each of us is called to pass on to others.
• At the end of every Mass, Jesus through his priests or deacons repeats his valedictory commissioning, “Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.” We’re called not to remain in our own houses waiting for people to come to us, but, like Jesus, like Paul, like Epaphras, to go bring the good news to surrounding houses, towns, villages and beyond. May the Lord who gives us the Gospel of grace give us all the help we need to fulfill this mission faithfully!

The readings for today’s Mass are: 

Reading 1
COL 1:1-8