29th Sunday Year C - Homily 1

Homily 1 - 2007

When the Son of Man comes, will he find any faith on earth. Jesus’ rhetorical questions disturbs me. Will he find any faith on earth. Do any of us really believe him? I find it easy enough to think of lots of ideas, attitudes and actions that show, whatever people may say, that they really don’t believe Jesus, don’t trust him, won’t take him seriously.

Love your enemies, he said. How many really think that is the way to go in today’s world – consistently? Whatever you neglected to do to the least of these, you neglected to do to me… 

Neither do I condemn you… We can’t even say that to ourselves.

It seems so easy to point the finger at others. Everyone is so vulnerable. Since that’s the case, what are my own blind spots? You can see them better than I can. It’s easy to get discouraged. As if you didn’t realise it, there is an election campaign under way. I tend to get disillusioned by the politicians. What matters to them? a relentless commitment to the common good? or what their minders tell them will win votes? Then, thinking of the voters deepens the disillusionment. What matters to the voters? The common good?Or what suits them? Justice in a global world of desperate inequality and oppression? Or Australia’s national interest? Who takes Jesus seriously?

In a situation where we are tempted to lose heart, Jesus urged us to pray. He taught us to pray: Your kingdom come; Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive each one who is in debt to us… Can we honestly pray that? Is that what we really want to pray for? And if we do pray that honestly, if it is what we really want, as we look at our world, how do we not get overcome by disappointment and disillusionment?

Today’s Gospel showed Jesus concerned precisely about that. He showed Jesus telling a parable urging his disciples to pray continually, and never to lose heart. It was a story about the perseverance of a powerless woman who, particularly in the culture of her day, faced what was a totally hopeless situation.

Perhaps persevering prayer is the only way not to lose heart. Pray continually, Pray the prayer that Jesus taught us to pray. Where did he learn it from? From his Father. Pray the prayer often enough, and we come eventually to see that what we are seeking is precisely what God seeks, and that God wants us to seek. Our hearts begin to beat in time.

Will not God see justice done to his chosen… even when he delays? Why the delay? Because God respects our freedom: my freedom, your freedom, the freedom of every Australian politician and citizen. It is not the kingdom if people are not free. But, if we keep close to God, if we keep praying continually, we shall come to share God’s intense longing for the kingdom.

At the same time, it will begin to dawn on us that, if others are to learn to be concerned, too, for justice, then it is up to us to help them – by sharing how we see things, by education, by showing by example, by attracting others by the attractiveness of our love. We could add also: by learning from others, by letting ourselves be challenged, by being open always to further insight and growth, by finding ourselves impressed and attracted by the good, the truthful, the beautiful, wherever, and by whomever, it is expressed.

We come to see that our praying, of itself, is not enough. Our praying leads us into doing. Contemplation and action are inseparably intertwined.