FR. OLMAN’S HOMILY

08/19/2007

TWENTIETH SUNDAY ORDINARY TIME

The Lord tells us in today’s gospel “I came to bring fire to the earth”.  The fire the Lord is speaking of is the fire of god’s love, of that love which “has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us”. 

Fire indicates the action of the Holy Spirit.  It is the source of warmth and light.  But it is also a destructive force.  Jesus came to bring the fire of truth and love.  This fire is the potential for virtue, for holiness, for dedication, for self-sacrifice, for charity.  We should bring fire into the hearts of the people, the youth, boys and girls entrusted to us.  We must be witnesses able to testify to the hope that is in us so that we can play our full role in the Church’s mission for the salvation of the world.  Jesus asks his followers to distinguish themselves by love.  The Church knows that love becomes a witness to Christ.  The Church is able to give this witness because, in receiving Christ’s life, she receives his loves.  It is Christ who has set hearts on fire with love and continues to light this fire in every time and place.  The Church is responsible for spreading this fire throughout the world. 

All genuine witness to Christ entails charity. The charity kindled in the world by Christ is a limitless, universal love.  Christ’s charity overcomes differences in social class.  It does not accept hatred or class struggle.  The Church desires the union of all in Christ.  She tries to live, and exhorts and teaches everyone to live Gospel of love, even for those whom some would like to consider enemies.  In Appling Christ’s commandment of love, the Church seeks social justice, and thus an equitable distribution of material goods in society and help for the poorest and all the unfortunate.  At the same time, however, she preaches and promotes peace and reconciliation in society.  The Church’s charity essentially entails an attitude of forgiveness, in imitation of the kindness of Christ who condemned sin but showed himself a friend of sinners and refused to condemn them.

Christians know that they can never take revenge and, according to the answer Jesus gave Peter, they must forgive all offences without ceasing.  Every time we recite the: “Our Father” we reaffirm our willingness to forgive. 

Charity is also shown thorough the respect and regard for every human person witch the Church wants to practice and urges other to practice.  She has received the task of spreading the truth of revelation and of making known the way of salvation established by Christ.  In following Jesus, however, she directs her message to individuals whom, as persons, she considers to be free, and she desires their full development as persons with the help of grace.  In her work, therefore, she uses persuasion, dialogue, the common search for truth and the good; and, if she is firm in teaching the truths of the faith and the principles of morality, she addresses people by proposing, rather than imposing them. 

Charity also requires a willingness to serve one’s neighbor.  In the Church throughout history there have always been numerous people who have dedicated themselves to this service.