Homily for 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Isaiah wrote the prophecies we heard in today’s First Reading six hundred years before the birth of Christ. These prophecies foretell the passion, crucifixion, and death Jesus will suffer for us because of our sins. Through those sufferings, Jesus would take all of our sins upon himself, atone for them, and re-open the gates of heaven for us.
Today’s Gospel demonstrates that the Apostles had not studied the prophecies of Isaiah closely enough. It wasn’t until after Jesus’ Resurrection that his disciples—steeped in his teaching and filled with the Holy Spirit—saw deeper meaning in Isaiah’s writings. So, their idea of the Messiah had been a powerful political and military leader who would make Israel back into a player on the international scene. James and John, looking forward to that day, tried to reserve spots in the King’s cabinet.
THE BACK STORY
Still, the story is unclear about “why” James and John are presenting their request to Jesus. Perhaps they thought they deserved this favor due to their history with Jesus. After all, James and John were the first disciples to follow Jesus (they had spent the most time with Him). They belonged to the inner circle (with Peter). They alone (with Peter) witnessed the Transfiguration.
Somehow, they wanted more than just being with Jesus. They hoped for a position of honor and power that they imagined would come along with ruling with Jesus. Jesus has to remind them that his Kingdom is about self-sacrifice and service, not power politics and self-indulgence.
THE SUFFERING SERVANT
From our years of reading and listening to scripture, we are conditioned to hearing the Biblical stories of the Suffering Servant. But we have to ask ourselves: Why didn’t Jesus attain our salvation by power politics? If all things are possible with God, why didn’t he choose an easier path for our salvation than the humility of the cross? Today’s Psalm gives us the answer: “Lord, let your mercy be on us as we place our trust in you.”
Trust is the foundation stone of salvation. Original sin, which broke down mankind’s relationship with God, was a failure of trust. To rebuild that relationship, God had to win back our trust. And he did it through Jesus’ suffering and dying on the cross, proving once and for all that nothing we do, no matter how terrible and evil it may be, will turn away his love.
PRAYING WITH GOD
Let’s talk a bit more about how James and John approached Jesus, and how Jesus responded – I think this interaction paints a good picture of how we interact with God (primarily through our prayer).
- James and John approached Jesus with an all-or-nothing proposition – They immediately set limitations on their relationship. That’s not what Jesus wants for us. He wants us to be in dialogue with him, both speaking and listening with an open mind and an open heart.
- Jesus not only listens to our prayers; he answers them as well. Sometimes the answer is “yes” and sometimes the answer is “no” (because he has a better or different plan for us)
Jesus expects from us something he didn’t get from James and John. He encourages us to be saints—not by being served, but by serving others.
This is where regaining and maintaining trust is so important
SUFFERING IN OUR LIVES
Sometimes, it’s hard for us to trust God because we can’t see where he is leading us. But Christ’s sufferings are our insurance policy: wherever he leads us, he will never abandon us.
When God permits us to suffer, especially if the suffering isn’t the result of our sin or stupidity, he is giving us a golden opportunity to exercise our trust in him.
- If a young man is called to the priesthood, for example, he may find it painful to give up his hopes for a family of his own, or to say goodbye to his girlfriend. It is precisely because there is difficulty involved – suffering – that he can say to God: “Lord, this is hard, but because you love me, I know that whatever you ask of me will be best, and so, I will follow your lead.”
- Or take another example of a married couple, and one of the spouses falls seriously ill. The other one has to support and run the household in addition to caring for the sick spouse.
In tough times like those, we have a chance to say to God, “Lord, I don’t understand this, but if you give me the grace, I will carry this cross for you, just as you carried your cross for me”
LET US P.R.A.Y.
We learn to trust by searching for and acknowledging the Holy Spirit alive in us. For the past year, my spiritual director has encouraged me to include an additional form of reflection in my daily prayer. He introduced me to a daily devotional app (called “Lectio 365”). Based on Lectio Divina, the ancient form of reflective prayer, this international, interdenominational Christian movement of prayer, mission, and justice helps guide our prayer. What I like most about this app is how it organizes the way they pray. They use the word pray (P.R.A.Y.) as a guide.
“P” means PAUSING to be still, to breathe slowly, and to acknowledge that we are in God’s holy presence.
“R” means REJOICING with a psalm and REFLECTING on a scripture
“A” means ASKING God to help us and others
“Y” means YIELDING to God’s will in our lives, come what may
That last item, “Yielding,” is where trust is so important – Trusting in the Holy Spirit to guide you and guard you as you seek to do God’s will (come what may).
CLOSING
Jesus encourages us to become great by serving others. I encourage you to spend some time this week reflecting on the P.R.A.Y. formula.
Pay particular attention to pausing, slowly breathing, and acknowledging that when we pray, we are in God’s holy presence.
And reflect on the act of “Yielding” to the will of God (come what may – with complete trust)
In his suffering, Christ showed beyond all doubt that he is faithful to us; in our suffering, he gives us a chance to learn to be faithful to him. In that relationship of mutual faithfulness lies the secret of life’s true meaning.
As we continue with this Mass, let’s bring our sufferings to Christ and let his grace nourish our trust in the Lord.
Deacon Dan Donnelly 