20th Sunday Year A - Homily 1

Homily 1 - 2005

Among other things, today’s Gospel shows Jesus being led to review his assumptions. It is a reminder to us of our constant mission to move beyond ourselves, beyond our comfort zone, to the world at large in order to share the vision, the values and the approach of Jesus. Remember the Gospel of some weeks back: The harvest is ready but the labourers are few so ask the Lord of the harvest to send labourers into the harvest.  Jesus was talking not of more priests and religious but of you, the laity. Yours is the mission to make of your world the Kingdom of God.

When we were baptised (as will happen with little Isaac John in a few minutes), after the actual baptism itself, a little ritual highlighted the effect of what the baptism had done. We were anointed with oil to symbolise that we had been christened, christed, made one with Christ. The word Christ means an anointed person, and in Jesus’ world, priests, prophets and kings were all anointed persons. By being christened, we were given a share in the priestly, prophetic and kingly roles of Christ.

What does it mean: we are priests?  Simply, that as creatures of the world - the intelligent and free creatures of the world - with Jesus we consciously offer the world to God – chiefly by our work. Through our work we bring our world into the service of human persons and allow our world to achieve its purpose.  Our work, whatever it is, is sacred: it consecrates the world.  Your work scene is your altar: the kitchen table, the stove, the sink, the tractor, the work bench, the shop counter, the office desk, the blackboard, the hospital bed. Through your work the things of this world reach their God-given destiny and are brought into the cosmic song of praise to God. You are priests. You have been christed/christened.  You share the very priesthood of Christ.

You also share the prophetic role of Christ - not to foretell the future (that wasn’t the prophets’ role) - but to spell out the meaning of the present, the will of God for the here and now. You are empowered to be truth-tellers. Like Christ, you see the world in perspective.  You know the infinite value of every human person – no exceptions!  You know the ways of God, the God of whom Isaiah spoke today, the God who insists: Have a care for justice; act with integrity.  Through your baptism you are prophets. The Spirit has anointed you to bring good news to the poor, inspiring you to tell the world, through personal experience, of the love of God, to speak the truth in love (as St Paul put it in one of his epistles).

You also share the kingly role of Christ, able to give order to our social institutions.  This is the field of political action, of community service: peacemakers, workers for justice, contributors, people who pull their weight.  Pope Pius XI said of political action that its importance was second only to the spreading of the Gospel.  Indeed, the Bishops’ Synod convened immediately after Vatican II claimed that: Action for justice is an essential component of preaching the Gospel.  The world is your stage.

As baptised and christened people, as other Christ’s, we make our world different, and shape it to the likeness of God’s Kingdom.  Indeed, we are sent out precisely with this mission.  This is the purpose of our being Church, why we are Church.  We exist as faith community in Dimboola/Nhill/Horsham for a purpose – not just to survive, not just to passively absorb.  The harvest is ready.  What is in short supply is the labourers.  The problem facing the Church at the moment, always, is not primarily a shortage of priests, but a shortage of Christians living out their roles as other Christs.  A truly vigorous Church will have all the priests it deserves.

In a few minutes I shall baptise, christen, little Isaac John.  His dignity is awesome.  His mission is urgent.  Let us support him by being the Church we are all called to be, and enjoying it.