Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B 2024

Peter H. Davids

Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted 5 months ago • Presented 5 months ago

Luke 4:18

2 Corinthians 12:7–10

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The many people who have crashed in ministry remind us in the context of our readings (1) not to validate ourselves by success but only by obedience, (2) to be content with weakness, both social and physical, and (3) to shrug off put downs with sorrow for what others are missing. Reflecting on these can start us on the way to preventing crashes in our own ministries.

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Transcript

Title

Obedience is Success

Outline

Everyday I hear of big-time Protestant pastors who have collapsed

These were men - and sometimes women - who had crowds turn out for their events, who had ministries with money flowing in, and who had evident spiritual gifts. I knew some of them. There are also some such in the Catholic Church. Why does this happen?

There are many answers, including growing up shamed and/or in family systems that were problematic but let me suggest some positive traits they lacked.

First, the validated themselves by “success” rather than obedience.

God tells Ezekiel that he was sending them to a rebellious people, little change of success or popularity, but nevertheless, “You shall say to them: Thus says the Lord God.” All God asks for is obedience. One leaves to God when and how “they shall know that a prophet has been among them.”

Second, they were not content with weakness

Paul had great visions, so God gave him “an angel of Satan” to bring him back to earth. Paul did not try to find the book, Five Steps to Overcoming an Angel of Satan. Instead he talked it over with God and eventually got the message, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” He learned to boast in how unable he was so that all would know any ability they saw was “the power of Christ.” And in an honor-shame world he could say, “I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ.”

They could not accept put downs

Jesus’ own hometown that knew him and his family were offended by his wisdom and his deeds. “Who does he think he is? We know him and his family. He is just the laborer.” Josephus tells us laborers were not to speak in the synagogue but to stand and listen to wiser folk, the leaders. Jesus does not try to “show them” or shout in anger, but instead calmly comments, “A prophet is not without honor except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” He is sad that he can do nothing more significant than heal a few sick people there because he has no need to impress them, to prove himself. He is simply “amazed at their lack of trust.” It is the sad amazement of the Jesus who wept over Jerusalem that was about to crucify him.

Well, Sisters, we can all likely find other points in these passages

But these will do. They are a good start for self-examination. Are we needing to validate ourselves by our ministries or are we satisfied with knowing that we have obeyed God? Can we accept, even boast of our weaknesses, realizing that it makes God’s power more evident when something good comes from our service? And can we accept put downs without anger but rather with tears of compassion, realizing that they are missing God in us, missing their own good?