Homily: 32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (B)

     In our readings this week, we have two very good teachers presented to us, and they are not Elijah the Prophet and Jesus of Nazareth (though both are excellent teachers) but rather we can look to the two widows that they encountered from which to learn a valuable lesson.

     In our first reading, we hear of the Prophet Elijah arriving at Zarephath. This city was in the far northern region of the Northern Kingdom, where the peoples had turned to paganism, worshipping primarily the god Baal. Therefore, Elijah, a prophet of the God of Israel would not have been overly welcomed into that region. This was especially so since Elijah was the reason that whole area was suffering from a great draught. Nevertheless, this widow, who would have understood Elijah as her enemy, provides him with the water and food that he requests, even though she and her son are planning to die of starvation and dehydration. In response to her humility and trust in God, she, Elijah and her son were able to eat and drink for whole year!

     Our second widow appears in the gospel passage we read from Mark. During the Temple renovation project, there were set up six large trumpet shaped collection containers, each earmarked for a different part of the project. The great amounts of money deposited by the wealthiest of the Jews would have certainly made quite a bit of noise as it was poured into the metal pots and therefore would have drawn a great bit of attention. On the other hand, the widow’s two small coins would have been fairly unhelpful in the grand scheme of the project due to their miniscule value. However, it is her contribution that Jesus praises. What was it about this woman that pleased him so?

     Well, first of all, one must consider the plight of a widow in ancient Israel. Women did not work, they were supported by their male relatives, primarily their husband and sons. So, if a woman’s husband died, she had no property that she owned, no source of income, no status in society at all. Unless a son or close male relative took her under his roof, she was destined to die in poverty.

     This widow is indeed poor, however, she still gives TWO coins, she certainly could have kept one for herself, but she gives it all to God, trusting that the Lord would provide for her needs, as we heard in Psalm 146: The fatherless and the widow he sustains… This woman truly trusted in the care of God for his beloved children and therefore truly sacrificed by her gift.

     The point that these two poor women teach us, is that it is not the size of the gift we offer to God that matters, but rather the interior motivation for the giving of the gift. Do we make donations and so others may see our name on a plaque, or do we give out of love for others and out of love and gratitude to God?

     Throughout the course of our campaign we have received some large gifts, which is important because without large donations we cannot reach our goal, however, we have received many other smaller, though no less valuable gifts. Our motivation as good stewards is to offer not equal gifts but rather equal sacrifice in regard to those gifts. When I was in the seminary, during the seasons of Advent and Lent we would collect money for our sister seminary in the Philippines. Our rector always told us: don’t worry if you can only give a small amount, as long as it hurts a little, then you know it is truly a sacrifice.

     When the widows we heard about today gave, it certainly hurt. However, they trusted in the care and protection of God. We too must trust in the care of God. We read in Scripture that “he who loses his life will save it.” Therefore, we can’t let the worries and struggles of this life keep us from the fulfillment and joy of the next life. I leave you with these words of St. Gregory of Nazianzen:

     Give something, however small, to the one in need. For it is not small to one who has nothing. Neither is it small to God, if we have given what we could [out of love].

Homily: Solemnity of All Saints

     Today’s feast, that of All Saints, may seem somewhat redundant to us. After all, we celebrate the feast days of saints almost every day during the week, is it really necessary that we celebrate them now all together? Well, I remind you of the definition of a “saint,” A “Saint” is an individual who is currently spending eternity praising God in the Heavenly Kingdom, having lived a life of faith and virtue while here on earth. This is not simply those found on the roster of saints canonized by the Church, but includes all those blessed souls who are now in Heaven with God. For instance, our family and friends who have gone before us and witnessed to us a life of faith and are now united to God fully in Heaven. These are the saints we celebrate today. The unknown vast population that fills the halls of heaven. These were real people who lived real lives and faced real temptations, yet persevered and have been given their eternal reward.

     We celebrate these unnamed Saints and look to them as examples because we can so easily identify with them, and especially because God does not call us to live the faith in a vacuum. We are called into a community of faith, to not only have a relationship with God, but also with each other. This relationship does not end with the earthly death, but when one enters the kingdom of heaven, we are forevermore bound even closer to him/her because of our mutual sharing in the divine life of God through our Baptism. This Communion of Saints is our connection with the “great multitude” that John speaks of in our first reading from the Book of Revelation. Those who have been faithful to God and are now surrounding His throne.

     Our belief in the power of intercessory prayer, especially that of the saints in heaven, is often questioned by our Protestant brothers and sisters. Why would we pray to someone other than God, especially those who are dead? Doesn’t Scripture teach against this? Well, I offer you this: if I am in a difficult situation and I am in need of Divine assistance, would I not ask my friends to pray for me in regards to this particular need?…Of course I would, therefore why would I not ask those friends of mine now in heaven to also prayer for me? Furthermore, the saints are the farthest thing from dead. In the Old Testament we are warned against trying to communicate and conjure spirits of the dead, something that unfortunately many dabble in at this time of the year. While these activities are meant to be done simply in fun (for example through a  Parker Bros. “Ouija Board”) such things can be incredibly dangerous and ought to be avoided. However, communication with the Saints is communication with those who are more alive now than they ever were on earth, because they are now sharing in the eternal life of God.

     So the question for us is: How do we get to be saints? After all, that is our ultimate goal, to make it to heaven, right? Well, Our Lord lies out the way in the Gospel passage we just heard. This list of blessed character types is often simply referred to as “The Beatitudes.” Both the first and last on the list, “The poor in spirit,” and “Those persecuted for the sake of righteousness” have the reward of the Kingdom of Heaven, however, the verb is in the present tense “theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,”, meaning they have a share of the Kingdom here and now. Every other characteristic on the list is almost like a benchmark or subset to these two, and the rewards for them will be fulfilled later, in the future, in the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, we ought to seek to embody these characteristics: be meek, seek righteousness, be merciful, be pure of heart, seek to instill peace in the lives of others, mourn the existence of wickedness in the world. These are the characteristics of a Christian, of a Saint. These are the characteristics embodied by those whom we celebrate today. Those whom we call on for support and assistance, for they have traveled the road we are traveling and persevered. In answer to the prayers of All the Saints, may we too persevere in our life of faith and one day inherit the Kingdom of Heaven.