(Listen to this homily here).
This Gospel passage is always a good reminder, as a priest,
to be humble. Jesus condemns the
pride of the scribes and Pharisees who lord it over their subjects. He chastises their focus on outward
appearances while neglecting love.
Pope Francis is doing the same today and this is also inspiring! Please pray for priests, bishops and
our pope, that we may serve well!
We
have a great summary of what our faith should look like. God says through the prophet Isaiah: “Put away your misdeeds from before
my eyes; cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim: redress the
wronged, hear the orphan’s plea, defend the
widow.” Isn’t
this what religion is all about?
I
was struck in this reading by the next line in Isaiah’s writing: “Come now, let us set things right…” Note the us. God does not
announce “I will set things right,”
or demand, “You must set things
right,” but “…let us set things
right.”
Our
faith is a two-way street. While
God is the source of all grace, we must be open to that grace to live
well. A helpful image to consider
is a sailboat. Picture a sailboat
sitting on Rainy Lake. In order
for this sailboat to move, there has to be wind. No wind, no sailing!
Now picture an extremely windy day. In order for the boat to move, at least in a meaningful way,
is to have the sails open. Wind
without open sails wouldn’t work either.
In
this metaphor, God’s grace is the wind.
His grace is always blowing.
We must open our hearts (sails) in order for God’s grace to do what it
should for our life.
Let
us set things right with God today as we continue this season of Lent.
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