HOMILY – 27^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME  B

FURMAN UNIVERSITY – 8:30PM

GREENVILLE, SC  -  OCTOBER 8, 2006

May the Lord give us His peace.

No suitable partner,  suffering that fits,  no human being must separate.

No suitable partner.  It seems God tried to keep man company with birds, dogs, cattle, and it wasn’t good.  Then he created woman!  And watch out!  That was not good either.  It seems there is no suitable partner for the man, or for the woman for that matter.

Men and women fight, they are from different planets - Venus and Mars.

Men are always hot, women cold.  Men are certain, women want to listen more or stop to ask for directions.  Women, well, who gets em?  Heh heh.

So no suitable partner?  Then why marriage?  It seems always doomed.

There is no suitable partner. “You complete me?” UGH!  Fageddabowdit.

You will never complete me, I will never complete you.  So what then?

Suffering that fits.  Jesus enters our experience, rejection, physical abuse, capital punishment, death!  How is this suffering that fits?  It fits because union with us is what God desires.  How could God claim to be in union with us and stay in God’s heaven?  Not suffer like us? Not die?

It seems that Jesus’ life and our experience now “fit.”  He is one with us.

No human being must separate.  Ok, if there is no suitable partner, and even God decided to enter our suffering, if we are suffering with no partner, what good can come from a marriage?  From making a commitment to a person for life?  Why does God join us?  Couldn’t we go it better on our own?  Enter the secret I share with too few people - the way to stay married forever.

Can God complete me?  Can Jesus’ total self-offering be enough for me?  Can I contemplate God being crazy for me to the point where I am filled to over flowing with His attention and gifts? I submit to you it is possible, and that I can love from that.

If I look into your eyes I might get – “What?! What are you looking at?”

I could do something kind for you and never get a thank you.  I could wake up grumpy and truly not give a rat’s whiskers what you think.

But can I look into God’s eyes and find disinterest?  No.  Could I do something charitable in God’s name and not feel the grace?  No. 

Could I wake up grumpy and find God grumpy right back – or effected, reduced by my grumpiness? NO!

God is my suitable partner.  God is the one that fits.  Who can separate us from the love of God?  You fool!  NO ONE. 

Can we see now why divorce seems a ridiculous issue for Jesus? 

He knows the ones who love from God, love from strength and permanence.  Jesus’ saving death DOES IN FACT complete me, you. 

Jerry Maguire, It is silly to expect that of a spouse, or anyone.

But, if the spouse comes to depend on God, and you do too, then there is great overflow going on.  Life becomes a ministry with a feed unending.  From-through-to. 

A spouse is the primary beneficiary of the love you feel from God.  You can marry a dope when God is enough for you – I am not advising that, but you can.  I didn’t say yes to becoming a priest because I knew all of you would rock my world (even though you might), I became a priest because Jesus has been a priest to me.  Steady from a steady. 

Want to go steady?