HOMILY – 5^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH & FURMAN UNIVERSITY

FEBRUARY 8, 2009  -  8, 10, 12NOON & 6:30PM MASSES

May the Lord give us His peace.

Panic, preaching and screeching,

Panic.  Job has had it, “I have been assigned months of misery” he says.

He is a real Debbie Downer, “The night drags on,” “I shall not see happiness again.”  Job has hit bottom.  But he DOESN’T panic.  Job loses all he loves, and gets ridiculed so badly he says, “My life comes to an end without hope.”  Still he doesn’t panic.

How quickly do you panic?  Do I?  Road rage, money loss, snappy spouse, disobedient children, disinterested parents.  “Leave me alone I said!”  snap!  What keeps Job from snapping?  He knows God.  Near the end of all the awful events of his life Job says, “I know you can do all things” “I uttered what I did not understand” and “I repent in dust and ashes.”

Job, now in right relationship with God, receives double what he had.

Panic?  What are you? Without faith?  Am I?  It can show up as panic.

Preaching.  St. Paul says he will preach for money or no money.  He will make himself understand whoever he speaks to – so they may hear well.

Whether he feels like preaching or doesn’t feel like preaching, he preaches anyway.  The task to make God known, to make His will clear to people is bigger than Paul.  He introduces a new trinity – self-less-ness.

By self-less-ness people will begin to trust the message.  St. Francis of Assisi was so selfless that he was the only Christian of his day not killed by the Sultan.  Self-less-ness shows there is something more important than you.  Parents who constantly ask their children questions, who go with their thoughts and wishes, who give in to punishments and arguments teach their children to be selfish. 

So it goes also with an adult or student who nearly always gets what they want.  Test self-less-ness by denying yourself.  See how long you can last.  This is what we do in Lent, just 17 days away.  Paul preached that he was gaining nothing by preaching but the cross of Jesus.  Preaching had to be done.  Who would know about Jesus?  The Kingdom? without it.  

He longs to assist Jesus in saving people from themselves by preaching.

Screeching.  Jesus comes to Simon and Andrew the first two apostles He had asked to “Follow Me.”  Their mother was sick.  Jesus raised her up.

Word had spread about where He was so huge numbers of people came to be cured.  Some had demons that screeched Jesus’ name.  “We know who you are Jesus Messiah!”  He ordered them to be quiet.

Maybe you are not puking green, maybe your head isn’t spinning around 360 degrees, but demons?  I am sure you have one.  Maybe you are a speed demon, maybe a sports demon, maybe a grades demon.  Jack Jezreel founder of Just Faith who spoke at Furman (here) Friday night begged people to learn and understand not just get the grades.  There are food demons, flesh demons, pride demons (read right shoes, right hair, right car, right friends).  Screeech!!!  AHHHHH!  COME OUT!  BE QUIET!!!

I say to you only the selfless people who refuse to panic because they know God will be found peaceful.  The rest will screeeech.

We turn our screeeeech into peeeace – by our deep trust in God

and self-less-ness in sharing the riches we have received in Him.