Homily Twenty-eighth Sunday Year B

 

Reading 1: How often do we pray for the gift of wisdom? The first reading’s focus is not natural wisdom but the gift of wisdom from the Holy Spirit. What is this wisdom? It is the gift that enables us to perceive things through God’s perspective. This gift of wisdom enables us to make the right judgment and choices in our daily life. On the other hand, when we are limited to ourselves and our human wisdom, our view is limited and blurred by the many circumstances, feelings, memories, experiences of our past. These color our perception.

 

But to see with the insight of God, to see as a situation is here and now, is to have the best information to make the right decision. Wisdom is the gift of God that he wants me to be open to and seek after. The psalmist says that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. To be able to see as God sees I must first approach God as he is with reverential awe, praise, glory and thanksgiving that is due to him.  The gift of wisdom comes to us to the extent there is a right relationship with God.

 

Pray for the gift of wisdom each day so that you can make the prudential decisions that will lead you to a closer relationship with God.

 

Gospel: What was the one thing lacking in the person in the gospel who came to Jesus, seeking eternal life? In another Gospel passage, Martha confronted Jesus about the fact that Mary, her sister, was not helping her with providing a meal for Jesus and his apostles. While Martha was busy with the kitchen chores, Mary was sitting at the feet of Jesus, listening to his teachings.  Jesus’ response was that what Martha was doing was important, but Mary had chosen the better task.

 

What was lacking by the young man and what was chosen by Mary? Jesus, as the center of one’s life.  This is the wisdom of the first reading, to see what is essential and important from God’s perspective and prudentially choose it.

 

Keeping the Commandments can be a mere external obligation or it can flow from a relationship with God. The Israelites in the desert, though they were told the Commandments and entered into a covenant relationship with God, that relationship was not internal but external. The young man was doing the right thing, keeping the Commandments. But when challenged by Jesus to root this doing with being in a conscious, committed relationship with him as a disciple, he couldn’t. There was a block. He was more dependent on his possessions. He couldn’t be totally depended upon Jesus. He failed to realize that what is impossible to him was possible through the grace of God. Matthew, the tax collector, was an example.

 

The question that the Gospel proposes to us is are we seeking what is God’s plan for us, through the gift of wisdom? Have we chosen the better part? Is Jesus really the Lord of our lives? Are we following him totally or partially? When Jesus is the center of our lives other things do not have the same impact or importance. To be a disciple is not enough. That is only the first step. To fall in love with Jesus entails that nothing else is more important.  We step aside for the Other and in that process become more complete.

 

Reading 2: The word of God is given to guide us, to reveal to us, to nurture us, to correct and judge us. Jesus said: “I will not judge you, but my word will.”  Isaiah said that the word of God is like rain that comes down from the heavens. It will not return void. It will do the will of him who sent it. How have we listened to God’s word? We will have to give an account of our reception and response to the One who revealed his word to us.