Homily Cycle B 2/25/2024 – Offered at OLPH

  

 

Readings: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022524.cfm

Dreadful Gloom, Dazzling Light and Total Trust.

A deacon was ending a Lenten Prayer Service on the evils of Alcohol.  He said with great emphasis, “If I had all the beer in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.”  With increased emphasis he said, “And if I had all the wine in the world, I'd  take it and pour it into the river.”  And then finally, he said, “And if I had all the whiskey in the world, I'd take it and pour it into the river.”

His sermon finished, he sat down.  Then, the choir leader sheepishly announced, our next hymn is “Shall We Gather at the River.”  Well, I am not preaching on the evils of alcohol today, but I am preaching on three seemingly unrelated ideas: Dreadful Gloom, Dazzling Light and Total Trust.

In our Collect [Opening Prayer], Fr. Marty called “O God, who have commanded us to listen to your beloved Son, ….  Through the discipline of Lent help us to grow in our desire for you.”

Lent is a time for us to focus on our relationship with God and our Obedience to God.

Obedience from the Latin word meaning “To Listen.”  Those of us who are parents know how frustrated with get when our children don’t listen to us.  Imagine how frustrated God is with us when we don’t listen to Him!

The Greek Poet Aeschylus wrote: “Even in our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart, until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the awful grace of God.”  We should reflect on the “awful grace of God”  because awful in ancient Greek meant awe-inspiring/ awesome, that’s what grace is.

Abraham and Isaac Trusted in God’s promise and knowing that God’s Awful Grace might not alter our life here but will carry us to the Joy of the Lord’s love in eternity.

At the Transfiguration Peter, James & John get a glimpse of God, as Moses [the Law] and Elijah [the Prophets] witness to Jesus the Word of God made flesh.   The light was not surrounding Jesus as much as it was emanating from and through Jesus; it was beyond description.  Then, God the Father proclaims, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him.”  A powerful reminder for each one of us during Lent.  Listen to the Son of God & shape your life around His.  Make Jesus the center of your life and how you live your life.

If you do your life will be a “dazzling light” to others.  Pope Francis said, “We are called to experience the encounter with Christ so that, enlightened by his light, we might take it & make it shine everywhere.”  [Pope Francis, Angelus, Lent 2/28/2022]

Today’s Readings call each one of us to confront the promise and the demands of faith.  Whether we experience Dreadful Gloom or Dazzling Light, we are called to Trust, to Obey Jesus.  “If today you hear His voice harden not your hearts.”

“Listen to Him.”

P.S. Our Recessional hymn is not "Shall We Gather at the River" it will be "Be Thou My Vision."

May God Be Praised.