HOMILY – 6^TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

ST. ANTHONY OF PADUA CHURCH & FURMAN UNIVERSITY

FEBRUARY 11, 2007 – 8 & 11AM AND 8:30PM

May the Lord give us His peace.

Is that a long drive?  Witness protection.  Blessed are you.

Is that a long drive?  Nicky was heard to say to Lillie, “Did you see that?  Now that drives me crazy.”  Lillie having heard this confession before asks, teasing him to see himself, “So that drove you crazy? Is that a long drive?”

Why do we give so much power to things, people, situations that are not God?

The Prophet Jeremiah asks why give so much trust, so much weight to people?

After all, everyone is under construction right?  Why does the construction site get us so upset?  “Hope instead in the Lord,” Jeremiah says for God.  Sitting here in church we can say with conviction, “I prefer to give the Lord power.”  Yet let someone block you in somewhere around the dirt pile we are calling parking and who gets power?  That car!  That inconsiderate… this drives me crazy.  Is that a long drive?  It can be a very long drive to crazy if God is leading.  You’ll be ok.

Witness protection.  Paul talks about the witnesses, of who he is one, to the Risen Lord Jesus.  His questions sound frustrated.  “How can you say there is no Resurrection from the dead?  Dag nab it, we SAW him!  Paul was seeing doubt get power.  Paul was hearing a grumbling like the Israelites in the desert, “Hey we don’t see God in this!” 

Paul needs witness protection.  That witness protection is the preaching of the Church, yes here, but by you the Church also.   Jesus Christ is risen from the dead.

Without this witness, we are painfully close to despair.  We are in our sins still, and doomed to a short life if we let this witness get compromised.  Facts are facts, they saw Him.  Many did.  We need to protect this witness.  Let Him rise in you.  Imagine what it would be like if we didn’t.  Orphaned, weighted, eyes cast down.

Blessed are you.  The beatitudes are remarkable words.  Here too, be careful they don’t stay just words.  Blessed are you, true or false?  Well, let’s check the life list, poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted, denounced as evil.  Blessed?

Hmmm,… let’s check the E-list (eternal life list), Kingdom of God is yours, satisfied, laughing, rejoicing, leaping, joy, great reward.

It appears we are blessed IN IT.

The Lord will not take away the things necessary for us to experience knowledge and freedom.  If you are free to make a car you are free to fall asleep while driving it.  If I am free to learn, then I learn about the range from hot to cold.  I learn they clash near each other with a boom and a flash!  No the Lord will not take away all that is necessary for our freely choosing to love, to learn.

It is that He will be present in it.  Blessed, nonetheless.  Blessed are you.

We can focus on the pain of the range, the misuse of freedom, or we can learn and choose carefully.

Today, hear the call of God through Jeremiah, give only God power and it’ll be an eternal drive to crazy.  Consider that we have been spared the weight of our sins and the brevity of our life by one gracious, other-centered, sacrificial act of Jesus.  And child of God, blessed are you – in the middle of the junk – blessed are you.