euphemos

King Saul, was hunting David with a three thousand man army. When David’s scouts reported that Saul was there, he decided to go check it out with his nephew Abishai, who was a sort of special forces commander. Abishai made a perfectly reasonable suggestion to strike a fatal blow, but David held himself to a higher standard.

Jesus calls us to an even higher standard: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you, turn the other cheek, and give even what you need to anyone who asks. Lend without expecting to be repaid. Don’t condemn the guilty. That’s a high bar. All things are possible through Christ, but it’s a high bar.

Today, we have a special rite to introduce some people to you. These catechumen are preparing to be baptized into the family of God.

Catechumen, I hope you will hold yourself to a higher standard, but today, I want to remind you, and everyone, of a low, low bar. Not to say we shouldn’t go for the high bar, but if we can’t even clear the low bar, then there’s no point in thinking about how we’re going to clear the high bar. Hold yourself at least to this standard. And, hold us to it. If your friend among us is not living up to this – you are invited to hassle us – to hold us accountable.

As the body of Christ, we are one. We are also individuals, who comprise families, who together comprise the body of Christ.

As members of human families, we need to know the stories of our family. As members of the body of Christ, adopted into the family of God, we need to know the stories of that family too.

That’s why Luke wrote this Gospel that we’ll hear from all year – A Gospel written specifically for us, who are grafted into the family of God. A Gospel he wrote so that we can realize the certainty of what we have been taught.

The Gospel of Saint Luke has been given some wonderful names.

It’s called, for example, «the gospel of mercy and great forgiveness». No other gospel tells the parable of the prodigal son and his repentance (Luke 15:11-32). The Gospel of Saint Luke best reflects the tenderness of Christ’s heart when sinners approach him and he forgives them.

It is also called «the gospel of the poor». The story of Bethlehem is attractive because the newborn Christ is surrounded by shepherds; they are poor people who have no future in the eyes of the world, but they are the first to greet the King who has been born. This is the origin of our preferential option for the poor.

It is also called «the gospel of absolute renunciation». When Luke addresses those who idolize the honor and riches of earth, he tells them to forsake everything for the kingdom of God. No other gospel is so absolute in calling for renouncing possessions and becoming truly poor as does this gospel of the poor.

Luke’s gospel is also called «the gospel of prayer and the Holy Spirit» because it is the one that best presents the transcendence of the Gospel message and elevates us toward God. It shows us how the most solemn moments of Christ’s life had their origin in prayer to God, such as when Christ chose the apostles, when he was transfigured, and when he launched the church into the world. All are the fruit of prayer and the Spirit.

The Gospel of Saint Luke is also called the «gospel of messianic joy». If you want to hear a message of joy and optimism, read Luke. Read about the joy with which the disciples announced the good news, telling people that God has come and that sinners and outcasts and everyone who needs good news could find it in the Gospel, a word that means «good news».

Jesus Christ and the Gospel are not two different things. The Gospel is not a biography of Christ. For Saint Paul, «the Gospel is the living power of God» (Rom 1:16). Reading the Gospel is not like reading an ordinary book. Rather it fills us with faith and makes Jesus Christ come alive as the revelation of the Father. Even when no one is speaking, Christ is preaching to us as the homily of God and we are being filled with the divine power that has come in Christ Jesus through the Spirit. 

There is more, however. Jesus says “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” The word of God is not primarily about times past. It is a living word and spirit that is being fulfilled here and now.

The Deacon candidates for our Diocese are about three years into the five year program, and have a foundation in the scriptures and the history of the Church, so we are beginning to share with them the basics of preparing and preaching the homily. Last week, I was preparing to give a talk on this topic, and came across something by St Oscar Romero that I’d like to share with you. It “just happens” to be his homily within the radio address for this very liturgy: the third Sunday of Ordinary Time, in year C. I know that only perhaps a very few of you will ever preach from the ambo, but what he has to say is for all of us, even those who are not discerning a call to the Diaconate, or to the Priesthood. (and those eligible should discern these…)

Saint Oscar Romero tells us that… First, Christ is the living homily that reveals the Father.

The very person of Christ is like a timeless homily that reveals Father. The eternal will of God becomes human. Christ, even when he is silent, speaks; he is the timeless homily of God.

The Saint goes on to tell us Jesus continues preaching through his church. The church is the ever timely and active extension of the homily of Jesus.

The church is the prolongation of the homily that Christ initiated there in Nazareth: «The Spirit of the Lord is upon me» (Luke 4:18). The church can continue to assert this at every moment: «This prophecy is fulfilled here today» (Luke 4:21). Here and now the word of God is present. The church is you; the church is me; we are the continuation of the living homily that is Christ our Lord! We are the homily of Christ. This was true on Sunday, January 27, 1980, in the basilica when St Oscar Romero spoke, and it is true on Sunday, January 27, 2025, here in Slaton.

In our first reading, Ezra preached in ways that men, women, and children old enough to understand, could understand. The people responded by worshipping God. The homily we preach with our lives should never be an obstacle to someone’s dialogue with God. The homily we preach with our lives should have as its aim to awaken in every heart gratitude, love, wonder, repentance, and a desire to return to God. 

The book of Nehemiah recounts that the priests told the people, «Behold, today is consecrated to our God. Do not be sad and do not weep» (Neh 8:10b). Then the priests said to the people, «Go, eat rich foods, drink sweet wine, and allot portions for those who have nothing prepared, for today is consecrated to our God» (Neh 8:10a). We could say that this is the spirit of Sunday, the day of the Lord, a day of joy. It is not a self-centered joy but a joy shared with those who have nothing, and which in sharing, grows within us.

This year, I encourage you to really listen to Christ. Listen to the Gospel readings – perhaps even every day. One easy way to do this is to go to the USCCB.org website and click on Daily Readings, where you can read on your phone, or even listen to a daily podcast. Or, use the Formed or Hallow apps and websites.

In addition to listening to Christ, make time to share your own stories. Do not let the miracles and tragedies of your life and the work God does go unshared.

And your life is not ended – it is never too late to consider the homily you proclaim with your life. What would your Gospel, the good news your life be called? Would it be the gospel of repentance, of mercy, or forgiveness? The gospel of love? The gospel of joy? Of peace? Of patience, Of kindness? Of generosity? Faithfulness? Gentleness? Self-control?

Make it so.

The Holy Family – This is your annual reminder that Holiness is not only for Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Catechism tells us that “All Christians in any state or walk of life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity.” All are called to holiness… CCC 2013.

Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate, the tetrarchs Herod, Philip and Lysanias, Annas, Caiphas… Today’s Gospel begins with a litany, though perhaps not a litany of saints.

Tiberius – started strong, invested well, then fell apart when his son died. By the time John comes, Tiberius is well-known for his cruelty and perversions, and hated by everyone. By the time this gospel is written, Tiberius is infamous. He was a bad, bad, man, like so many world leaders.

Pontius Pilate was a nobody assigned to an unimportant post for a long time. Before he oversaw the execution of God, he was best known for using temple funds to build an aqueduct and for promoting emperor worship. 

Herod, the tetrarch of Galilee. This is the son of Herod the Great, who wasn’t a great man – remember, he killed all the babies – but he was an effective leader. His son, this Herod, was… kinda pathetic. This is the man who married his brother’s wife and kept a drunken promise to kill John the Baptist. The Herods were Edomite, descendants of Esau, but he ruled as king over the descendants of Jacob, the Children of Israel. Theoretically a Jew, but in cahoots with the Romans, a weak leader, and a weaker man.

His brother Philip had entirely abandoned his Jewish roots, living as a sheik, traveling around to stop and grant favors. I don’t know much about Lysanias, but his claim to be tetrarch and high priest is interesting.

And that brings us to Annas and Caiaphas. High Priest was meant to be an office for life passed down from Aaron to his son, and so forth. About 200 years before John, the line of the High Priests was ended by murder. From then on, the High Priest was appointed by Rome. Annas was not a legitimate Aaronic High Priest. He was one of those appointees, and he was what we’d call an influence peddler. After he left office, he used bribery to get his candidate appointed High Priest, which got him access to the Temple treasury, so he could then afford to buy the next appointment to High Priest. Quite the racke… Annas, his five sons, and his son in law Caiaphas ran the Temple as High Priest for decades. Specifically, they maintained a monopoly on animal sales and money changing in the temple – the businesses that Jesus chased out and called a den of thieves.

The Talmud records a popular rhyme which described the family of Annas:

“Woe to the house of Annas! Woe to their serpent’s hiss!

They are high priests; their sons are keepers of the treasury,

their sons-in-law are guardians of the temple,

and their servants beat people with staves.” (Pesahim 57a)

So, we have this litany of anti-saints, and then John comes. Whoooo boy. He’s gonna set them straight, huh? Let’s see how!

Does he start at the top and work his way down? Does he call out Tiberius for his cruelty and perversion? No. John does not call out Caesar.

Does John call out Pilate for stealing from the temple and promoting emperor worship? No. Nor Philip. Nor Lysanius.

Does he seek out Herod, that child of Esau in every way? Well eventually, he calls him out for his marriage, but only when summoned. And how about Annas and Caiaphas, for making the house of God into a den of thieves, perverting the priesthood, and rejecting the hope of the resurrection? No. John didn’t turn away those leaders, but he didn’t seek them out, either.

Instead, God sent John out into the rugged wilderness along the Jordan to seek out shepherds and fisherman and working people. He didn’t come blasting authority specifically, but called everyone to repent and receive forgiveness. It wasn’t about making waves or about punishment, but about fixing it – about turning towards God to receive mercy.

And God does the same today. It is still about fixing it. It is still about allowing the king to create a smooth road he can travel into our hearts. 

Because he loves us. Also, God does what works – Wisdom is justified by her children, her results – and this is what changes the world. Change in society rarely results from the work of name brand heroes. Today, especially, our leaders spend all their time studying us, to figure out what we think, so they can say “I think that too, please elect me – please follow me.” At best, a leader can call people to change, or represent the change that people want. When it comes to lasting change, for better and worse, it is the normalization and socialization in daily life that actually changes things. Yes, that means the media we suck down is potent, but it also means more change is accomplished by how we interact day in and day out than by sermons or lectures or laws. And this is why John called people to turn away from sin, so their hearts could welcome Jesus, and Jesus invited us to change our hearts, and not just our behaviors.

Are you are disturbed by injustice and sin in the world, in the church, and in others? Are you upset that the world’s a mess? Do you want his kingdom to come, and his will to be done on Earth? Do you wonder how God is calling you to make things better? Turn your heart to God. Changed hearts change the world. I don’t know who said it first, (it wasn’t Gandhi), but it is good advice: Be the change you want to see in the world.  Do you want a world of justice and peace? Be just, and a peacemaker. Do you want a world full of faith, hope and love? Be more faithful, hopeful and loving. Do you want greater truth, goodness and beauty in the world? Bring it. These are the fruit of righteousness. These are the result of allowing the Holy Spirit to turn our hearts to God in repentance, and allowing the light of Christ to dwell in us.

We are the light of the world. God is pleased and praised and glorified when we are filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ. God chooses to change the world by showing God’s salvation in and through us.

Turn away from sin, and be filled and overflowing with the fruit of righteousness, so the world may see the salvation of God at work in you and through you, and give praise and glory to God.