33rd Sunday Homily - What have we got to lose?

Maybe a regret in life when looking back: why didn’t I take advantage of XYZ; what a difference it would have made!  Listening to advice from someone? A Financial venture? Relationship? Simply taking more time for fun with family and friends and less time at work?  

Then again, maybe we were not just ready for it at that time.


And maybe now we who are older, we see our young persons, and we ourselves are a bit frustrated...why aren’t they listening to me? Why aren’t they taking advantage of what I can give?

I sometimes wonder if the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit don’t sit around and watch us, roll their eyes, and wonder why we don’t take advantage of what has been given to us?


A key dogma of our Christian Faith: Jesus Christ, the Son of God was killed upon the cross and was then raised from the dead by the Father.  We call this the Paschal Mystery. One must believe in this to be Christian.  Yet, what do we believe of this? Do we simply give our assent to this statement?

I wonder too if we Catholics have lost our appreciation for what the Father, Son and Holy Spirit have given to us so that we can progress as persons.  Taking this core dogma of the Paschal Mystery, what personal experience can we take and grow from it. Or we just simply going to bury it in the ground and take it for its face value.

One of the great things about our Catholic faith is the depth.   We are actually supposed to be taking what we essentially believe, and respond to it. Jesus encourages this. We are supposed to ask questions, probe, and take a little risk. 

This parable is a clear teaching on this. He is telling his disciples this, not people in conflict with him, but his own followers, so this is intended for them, for us. They are being given something incredible, something precious; and they GROW IT!

The death and Resurrection, what can it mean for us as persons in the 21st century? How can we find life and relevance for us today? It has to have more meaning than simply getting glorious bodies with 6 pack abs in heaven.

The early disciples experienced the Resurrection in personal ways and it changed their approach to life. These are told in their stories: Emmaus, Mary Magdalene, the Locked rooms… They also spent time in thought, asking questions, sorting out the answers.

What are our questions, and what are our experiences of Jesus’ Resurrection?

Some food for thought…


What was the Father’s response to the horrendous crime of the execution of his Son?   It wasn’t violence nor vengeance. It was not passive aggression. It was forgiveness. The Resurrection reveals the Father’s capacity to forgive.  If the Father forgives humanity for that crime against his Son...don’t we think the Father will forgive us everything else?   Take what has been given so generously and receive forgiveness, accept the Divine forgiveness and stop beating ourselves up.  Take what has been given so generously and forgive others, stop punishing them.  Be free of the anger, the resentment, the hate...Live more fully.


Another thought…

Jesus gave of himself freely, because the Father saw our goodness, and Jesus saw as the Father and saw our goodness too. He wanted us to know this goodness.  Take what has been given so generously, believe in our capacity for goodness, and act on it.  Take what has been given so generously, believe in the human capacity for goodness in others, encourage them. Live well!


Yet another...  In the Eyes of Jesus’ world he failed. He was dead. The Resurrection changed everything: from failure can come life.  Take what has been given so generously, don’t let personal failure stop us; get back up and restart, reboot!  Take what has been given so generously, don’t let others' failures stop them. Help them up, help them to restart, to reboot. From heartbreaks, to financial loss, and all in between. Let's get up and go forward.

Only we fools take this gift of Jesus’ Death and Resurrection, bury it away, leaving it as is. We condemn ourselves to a half life.

Eucharist calls us to life; to take what we have received, go and live it out. Increase our lives, those around us, 100 fold.

What have we got to lose? Maybe just regrets.

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