Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Homilies
Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (c) 2010
July 4, 2010
Have
you ever gone shopping for a birthday card, only to find several that
say what you really want to say?
If so, you may have had to spend some time deciding which one to
buy. Or maybe you couldn't
find any card that said exactly what you wanted to say, in the way you
wanted to say it. Then maybe
you had to write a message in your own words.
Modern technology has made this possible, and convenient
create-a-card machines in many stores enable well-wishers to program
their particular sentiments onto the card of their choice.
And, of course, now we have e-mail cards.
When
Jesus sent out his disciples as well-wishers for God, to teach and
preach and heal in God's name, he wanted them to give people the best
greeting they could. And
Jesus could think of no better greeting than one small word:
shalom, a word often
translated as "peace" The
word "peace" for Jesus and the people of his time summed up the usual
good wishes found in today's birthday cards, congratulation cards,
anniversary cards, get-well cards, and even sympathy cards.
I have not received too many cards simply wishing me "peace," but
I have received lots of cards wishing me joy, happiness, success,
prosperity, good health, a long life.
For
the people of Jesus' time, all these good things, and many more, would
be included in the word "peace"
For them, it was as familiar a form of greeting as "Good
Morning!" is for us. But
this tiny greeting stretched to include wishes for all those good things
we find in the First Reading from Isaiah: comfort and joy, prosperity
and wealth, salvation and health.
But
"peace" (shalom)
as Jesus used it was more than an ordinary, commonplace greeting.
When his apostles in today's Gospel say, "Peace to this
household," there is an actual bestowal of peace.
A
greeting card, no matter how carefully selected or phrased, is really no
more than a well-intended wish for the sentiments it conveys.
But the peace that Jesus' apostles wish for others is more than a
wish: it is a gift which can be received or rejected.
The peace that God gives through the disciples is freedom from
strife, reconciliation with God, peace of mind in every circumstance; in
a word, it is the salvation that Jesus came to bring, the salvation that
Jesus brings to us now!
This
peace is twofold: peace with God and peace among people.
Through the death and resurrection of His beloved Son, God
established the bond of everlasting peace between God and this world.
And this peace is the foundation of the peace that we human
beings have between ourselves.
In
addition to today being Independence Day, if it hadn't fallen on a
Sunday, July 4th could be celebrated as a memorial of St.
Elizabeth of Portugal. St.
Elizabeth, sometimes simply known as "Peacemaker," was the wife of King
Denis of Portugal. He was a
very fine king, except his morals were exceptionally bad. (Reminds me of
some of our recent political leaders.)
Despite his continued unfaithfulness, Elizabeth, a very religious
woman, did her best to convert her husband by example, gentleness, and
forbearance.
Late
in life King Denis did reform his life through the example of
Elizabeth's constant kindness, her care for the poor, and her work
toward real justice. In one
episode, their son, Affonso, had resented his father for seeming to
prefer his illegitimate sons over him, the rightful heir.
In 1323, war was declared between him and his father.
Elizabeth literally rode between the opposing armies, prevented
the battle, and reconciled her husband and son.
Affonso ultimately succeeded Denis as King Affonso IV.
After the death of her husband, Elizabeth retired to a convent of
Poor Clares, which she had
founded, wishing to devote the rest of her life to the poor and sick
She
would once more have to be a peacemaker.
In 1336 King Affonso marched his troops against the King of
Castile. In spite of age and
weakness, the queen went to where the two kings' armies were poised for
battle. She rode between the
armies and caused terms of peace to be arranged.
Later she died, but she would be forever known as "Peacemaker"
Peace
is first God's gift to us before it is our gift to each other.
This peace is something we must share and seek for a lifetime.
The peace that the early disciples of Jesus gave to others was
not lessened by being shared; indeed, that peace . . . that
goodness and blessing of God . . . abounded all the more in being
shared. Such is God's
promise regarding God's gift of peace: by sharing it, we receive more of
the gift we share.
We
share this peace at every Eucharist when we express this peace through a
visible, tangible sign. In
this way, we bring God's peace to others, just as the early disciples of
Jesus did. We seek this
peace for ourselves and for others when we pray: "Lamb of God, you take
away the sins of the world . . . Grant us peace"
In
our sharing of Communion, we receive Jesus Christ, the one who is that
peace, the one who is God's greatest gift of goodness and blessing.
And as during his earthly life, so now, Jesus empowers us, his
disciples, to share that peace with a world that needs it.
That makes us, as it were, living greeting cards of God's best
wish for all people: peace, peace now, and peace forever.
No one can say that God doesn't care enough to send the very
best!
SHALOM!