Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Yr C 2025
Ordinary Time • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 11 viewsI a world of celebrities that also creeps into the church we discover that all of our readings call us to being “human sized” in one of two ways: (1) by being humble, which comes from seeing who we really are in the presence of the greatness of God and (2) by almsgiving including, according to Jesus getting close to the poor and the sick for whose needs we are providing, humbly becoming their servant. This makes us like Jesus who humbled himself utterly and gave his own life as a type of alms for the good of the world, including his enemies.
Notes
Transcript
Title
Title
Humility
Outline
Outline
We live in a world of celebrity
We live in a world of celebrity
Celebrities in various fields are honored, followed, feted, and asked their opinions about everything. I heard a podcast this week that noted that politics has moved from the rational administrative mode to the celebrity/charismatic mode with some overtones of the royal mode, all as a post-secular response to secularism. This affects the church not only with the celebrity pastors of megachurches in the Protestant world, but also with the attempt to celebritize (to coin a word) Bp. Barron and Pope Leo (one mark being fake YouTube videos). They, of course, will have none of that sort of thing.
But all of our readings call us to being “human sized” in one of two ways
But all of our readings call us to being “human sized” in one of two ways
The first is by calling us to humility
The first is by calling us to humility
Now this is not worm theology, “I am no good,” but reality based theology, “God is all good.” So Sirach says, “Humble yourself the more, the greater you are.” The more temptation the more we must fight against it. And Hebrews lets us know that we do not approach that which humbled the Hebrews, but that which is infinitely greater in splendor and should make us that much more humble. And Jesus’ parable simply states, “everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
The second is by calling us to sharing with the poor
The second is by calling us to sharing with the poor
Sirach says, “almsgiving atones for sins.” And Jesus gives the parable of the banquet: “when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind.” This is not just dropping alms in the basket or box designated for them, but bringing the needy into one’s house, getting to know them personally, and in the process giving them what they need. This is St Francis kissing the leper before giving him some of his own fine clothes. And here we see the connection between almsgiving and humility, a connection that is love.
So, Sisters, the simple conclusion is that we need to do this
So, Sisters, the simple conclusion is that we need to do this
I had an elder in a church I served back in the 1980’s who took this literally and set up a dinner with entertainment for the poor, the elderly, and the disabled. Healthy church members could only come if they served at table or cooked. He got the point.
We need to emphasize our meditation on the greatness of God, of the angels, of the heavenly court in our times of prayer and meditation so help put us in perspective, but we also need to ask where we can serve those in need humbly. We may not have money, given vows of poverty, but we do have love to give, especially if it gets us down with those in need.
Remember that Jesus lived both humility and almsgiving on the cross, allowing himself to be humiliated totally and in that process giving himself for the needs of a humanity, most of whom did not and do not know how poor and needy they are.
Embrace such humility and self-giving and you will find yourself embracing Jesus.
