Rector's Homily for the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
On the 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 5, 2020, Msgr. Jameson delivered the following homily at the 10am Mass. Watch the video of the Massthat was livestreamed from the Cathedral, and open to the public.
Yesterday we celebrated the 244th Anniversary of our Declaration of Independence from Great Britain. That freedom was won through much personal sacrifice and much bloodshed. We enjoy the benefits of that sacrifice. However, the readings today speak of peace offered in a totally different way. We read of a king coming, not on a mighty steed, but on a donkey. He comes not to make war, but to make peace. He is just and meek. Five hundred years after this prophecy was written by Zechariah, we see Jesus entering Jerusalem on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy. He comes as a king offering peace. His peace will come through mercy and justice, not weapons of destruction.
In our time, it is not horses, chariots, spears, and swords that concern us. It is weapons that can wipe out whole nations through chemicals and bombs. We personally can do little besides vote and pray to control these bombs. So today, I propose that we look at other weapons of mass destruction that we can control. They are weapons that destroy inner peace, relationships, and lives.
Sharp words, addictions, emotions, and unforgiveness are deadly weapons in our arsenal.
Sharp words can cut, leaving deep wounds. Words can do lasting damage as anyone who has suffered verbal abuse can confirm. Words can belittle, reject, cause shame and despair.
Addictions can destroy us and others as surely as a gun can. Addictions are habits that control us: alcohol and drug abuse, excessive use of computer games, chat lines, texting, or TV, shopping or gambling addictions, pornography --- the list can go on and on. The challenge today is to name those addictions and get the help necessary to recover. One soldier, Sam, came home from his second tour in Afghanistan with PTSD, drug, alcohol, and gambling addictions. These put him in poverty and destroyed his marriage. He is claiming back his life through VA programs that give him tools for healing.
Runaway emotions can be deadly. Anger, aggression, jealousy, and greed affect our health and relationships. Anger is a wonderful servant and a terrible taskmaster. Most of us have experienced out-of-control anger. It is like a runaway train, hard to stop. By challenging the beliefs behind the emotion, we can sometimes defuse the emotion and gain control.
Unforgiveness can eat away at us, destroying the person as surely as acid eats the container that holds it.
The readings today offer us ways to banish these weapons. The king in the first reading is described as meek and just. Webster defines the meek person as gentle, kind, patient, mild --- not given to anger or resentment. By fostering meekness, Jesus says that the meek will inherit the earth. It is not power and might, but meekness that triumphs in this upside-down kingdom.
Jesus tells us to yoke ourselves to him. A yoke is a wooden harness, fitted to each animal to prevent chafing while the beast does hard work. To be yoked means surrendering our wills to Jesus, who surrendered his will to his Father. It means trusting that Jesus knows the way. Jesus says he is meek and humble of heart. Yoked to him, we learn these qualities --- peacemaking qualities. However, our weapons of destruction have to go.
The Spirit of God dwells in us, lives in us, strengthens and guides us. The Spirit of God lives in you, in me. The same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead lives in us! That Spirit can help bring us new life, too. It can help us put to death old habits and sins that cause destruction. More of him, less of me.
It is much easier to point the finger at the mega issues and complain than it is to look at our personal arsenal of weapons. If each person banishes these, perhaps there would be no need of others. At this Mass, as we receive the Prince of Peace in Communion, we might ask him to make us more like him as he enters our minds and hearts. “Jesus, make us meek and humble of heart so we can be instruments of peace.”