Readings: Dt. 6:2-6; Heb. 7:23-28; Mk. 12:28-23
It is Better to Be a Homily in Action than Preach One
1. Mark Link, SJ writes in his book 'Sunday Homilies', about a priest, Fr. George Anderson, who served as a chaplain at the maximum-security prison at Riker's Island, New York. The priest started a prayer-discussion group among some of the prisoners. The group would read a passage from Scripture, like the parable of the prodigal son. The prisoners would then ponder the passage in silence and end by discussing how it applied to their everyday lives. One evening a prisoner named Richard, from a section for the mentally disturbed, was with the group for the first time. Fr. Anderson describes the episode this way: "It was a windy evening in March. There was little heat in the room. An inmate sitting opposite Richard, having come with his T-shirt and trousers, was shivering. Richard had come with his shoulders wrapped in two blankets. Then while we were discussing the idea of helping each other, Richard suddenly got up, walked to the other inmate, and put one of his blankets around him."
2. What Richard did is called practical spirituality. Richard, 'the good prisoner' preached a homily by his action loud enough to see and not boring enough to put everyone to sleep. He put the answer Jesus gave to the question: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" into action. The scribe wanted to be justified by the keeping of the commandments. But Jesus wanted him to see the commandments in practical terms. Jesus reduced the ten commandments to just one with two prongs – the love of God and the love of neighbor. We cannot be so in love with God while we are so out of love with our neighbor. Hence St. John opined, "If someone says he loves God, but hates his brother, he is a liar, for he cannot love God, whom he has not seen, if he does not love his brother, whom he has seen. The command that Christ has given us is this: whoever loves God must love his brother also." (1 John 4:20). Vima Dasan, SJ put it better: "Without love of God, our love of neighbor would become shallow and formalistic; but without love of neighbor, our love of God can become self-centered and individualistic, thus separating religion from life. Hence, however hard it may be, we have to be constantly moving our religion from our throats to our muscles." If we profess to love God but at the same time always be critical and be spiteful of others, there is something wrong with our love. God cannot be loved in isolation.
3. Maybe the problem we have with the answer that Christ gave the scribe is that we do not love ourselves. If I am not in love with myself, it is impossible to love anyone else. If I do not love the members of my family, I doubt if I will be capable of loving my neighbor. Loving God is very easy and simple if I don't have to love anyone else. Like the husband told his wife, I love God with all my heart; I have no problem with God. But I have issues with you asking for money to buy stuff, for asking for school fees for the kids, and for talking back at me. You disturbed me while watching football on Sunday, make noise while I listen to the news, and you talk about others all the time. God doesn't do any of that. Oh, I love God dearly but not human beings.
4. We have often done harmful things to ourselves. We destroy our bodies by turning them into canvass for the arts. We eat, drink and smoke things that ruin our internal organs. We abuse ourselves by the company we keep. We despise our tongues by what we say and how we use them to destroy others. We fill our minds and hearts with all sorts of things that make it impossible to concentrate on God during prayers or on items that impact our lives positively. We often transfer these attitudes to the way we treat others. We abuse people behind their backs and curse them if they make us unhappy. Our children are usually not spared. There is so much hatred and disregard for our brothers and sisters in the same family that it makes it hard to see eye to eye with them. Often brothers and sisters do not talk to each other due to past hurts and transgressions. Reconciliation is often easier to achieve in the United Nations conflict resolution meetings than in our families. How can we ever begin to love God so entirely in isolation with those around us? Yes, our family members may be a pain in the rear end, but Christ instructs us to love them as we love ourselves. Isn't it true that we love God in the same measure that we can love one another? At least, that is what Christ tells us in today's gospel reading; we must love God with all that we have got and our neighbors as we love ourselves.
5. Spending time in prayer, going to confession, receiving Jesus Christ faithfully in the Eucharist, keeping the commandments both of God and the Church, contributing to supporting the Church, and being active in ministries are essential and wonderfully significant, but they are not enough. We must do all these and more. We must not forget or neglect our duties to ourselves and other members of our world, even those who see us as their enemies. Our Christianity must be practical. We are to be the homily that is seen rooted in the homily that we heard. We must plan to go to heaven, not as individuals, though we will go as individuals, with all those dear to us, by being the gospel they see since so many of them will not be able to read any other bible given to them.
6. Today’s readings invite us to ask more profound and meaningful questions. How have I identified my love for God with the love I have for my family? Have I expressed my love for God in the way I love those who do not belong to my group? Let us pray for an understanding of God's love so that we may love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Amen.
Rev. Augustine
Etemma Inwang, MSP
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