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Homily file for October
15, 2023 28th Sunday
Title: Help Me Get One More.
Nevertheless, just
having the clothing and weapon externally is no guarantee that they will know
how to fight.
The person/soldier
is called to fight
Jesus – in founding
his church and calling us to be his disciples is not training us for physical
aggression but still calling us to fight for what is good.
I am guilty at
times of not knowing how to fight or or withdrawing from a fight or…. Maybe
just not fighting with humility.
The other day at an
awards ceremony for West Orange High School and their Hall of Fame, one of the
Hall of Fame inductees said she learned lessons in school here in West Orange
that helps her in her advocacy for the hungry, the homeless, the marginalized.
She said that when she was in school she not only learned to fight for what was
good, but also simply to FIGHT.
This touched a guilty chord in
me …reminding me of an incident in which some neighborhood tough guys were
harassing and beating up my little brother. I was a kid myself and recall being
scared to fight…but this was my younger brother..
I am not advocating physical
aggression, but saying we learn when we are young about what to fight for and
whom to fight for.
[_03__] On a more positive note, I also recall …. I
recall my parents teaching me how to fight, not through physical aggression but
even by how they communicated with each other. My mother once said to me, “I
have had to learn how to fight with your father….” My parents have been married
more than 55 years. They are still fighting for each other… sometimes even with
each other. Fight.
This Gospel parable
about being “dressed” properly in the wedding garment is not only about
external vestments or attire, but also about internal DESIRE and faith.
Sometimes, I fight
for the wrong things …or fight only out of arrogance.
Jesus wants us to
be prepared for our battles with humility. I need more humility which also a
virtue or to use a popular term – true humility is a superpower.
Augustine suggests, it's not
just about what one is wearing; it's about whether one has a clean conscience
and a pure heart. The wedding garment symbolizes purity of heart. We cannot rely on anyone else's pure heart; we
must cultivate our own, thus to confess our sins.
As a priest, I of course,
cannot offer you new clothing … still less any physical devices, but it is my
calling to hear your confession and share God’s mercy in the Gospel with you.
I go to confession
myself to have a clean conscience and clean heart, as we read in Psalm 51. A
humble contrite heart O God you will not spurn.
By a formal act of
Contrition, we also acknowledge that Jesus has conquered sin and while others
might be justifiably upset at something I have done wrong, I can also go to
confession to get God’s “approval” but to get God’s perspective and thus not to
be defeated by my sins, selfishness, arrogance.
I.e., put on the
wedding garment of a clean conscience, to pray also that I will know what is
truly good.
This is a time of great
instability in the world, and it's a reminder that we must strive to be in a
state of grace. Our faith teaches us to love God and our neighbors and to stand
up for the defenseless and the marginalized.
His name was Desmond Doss and
there is a 2016 movie – Hacksaw Ridge – about his life The time was 1945,
Battle of Okinawa, World War 2.
The Army commanding
officers themselves questioned the patriotism and mental health / sanity of
Desmond who was willing to go into
battle without a weapon.
Desmond was not a regular
soldier but a medic – an “EMT” on the
battefield. Usually, medics/EMT’s carry a rifle, for protection. Desmond –
based on his religious beliefs – refused to carry a rifle.
This decision was a testament
to protecting life whenever possible.
In the Battle of Okinawa, HOWEVER, Desmond was very courageous. He ventured into
enemy territory to rescue an astonishing 75 soldiers by himself. Desmond was a
hero, heroic, and was awarded prestigious medals, including the Bronze Star and
the Medal of Honor. Desmond was committed to saving lives, based on the inherent
value of every individual.
In the movie, we hear the
real-life words and prayer of Desmond, over and over again, "Lord, help me get one more,
help me save one more,"
Remarkably, Desmond even rescued
wounded Japanese soldiers and sending them to U.S. Army hospitals.
Desmond 's actions, while not a
“policy”, align with discrimination.
Discrimination (does not mean “ethnic / racial” prejudice)
but rather a discriminating / differentiating between combatants and
non-combatants, between ”soldiers” and “civilians” ensuring that non-combatants
are not deliberately targeted. Right
now, in the terrorist incursion of Hamas, non-combatants – civilians - were
deliberately targeted.
Discrimination also means caring for everyone in real
need. In a brutal battle, Desmond gave
medical care to wounded soldiers, regardless of which “side / nationality” allies
or enemies. He testified to the inherent value of every person.
It is paradoxical that we often
can see the inherent value of every person when that dignity is violated.
In a Good Friday sermon, Pope Benedict XVI (B16) observed that a
frequent response to terrorism and similar tragedies is to conclude, “God does
not exist.” But among those who are
immersed in the tragedy and reality, the effect is just the opposite. It is no
accident that faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit flows from – not a
championship or gold medal – but from the “victory” of “head sore wounded”
(“sacred head surrounded”) from a crucified man. He is our role model not only
for worship/prayer in our own Gardens of Gethsemane but also in work/practice.
Yes, there is the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist,and there is Christ
present in the downtrodden, the hostage or the homeless. Every good gift is on
loan from God. (Benedict XVI, “Good
Friday”, Dogma and Preaching, San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011, pp. 289-290)
We are called to respect and cherishing the sanctity of life and
all lives. Pray, Fast.
Fasting means to give up something that's good –
maybe a form of food, drink, entertainment. But when we give up something
that's good, we are extending our time of prayer. 1 thing that's easiest to
forget, as soon as we walk out of this church, I forget it myself, is to forget
what I we prayed for. Or we forget whom we were praying for. But by fasting, we
are extending our time of prayer. And we're reminded that we're praying, if
you're a little bit irritated during the fast it reminds you that you're still
praying and that you're trusting in God. So one of the things we can do for the
people of Israel for all those who are suffering for the for the victims, is to
pray and fast.
Pray and fast for peace and
for all the victims. God is with us. Pray and fast for the all world leaders,
in the Middle East, here at home and abroad. Fight for the defenseless. Lord. help us get
one more. [_END__]
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