Homily 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - 27th August 2023

Homily

21st Sunday in Ordinary Time

27th August 2023

This week I saw my mum digging up a small tree and planting it in another part of the garden where she thought it would be more fruitful. On her way back to the house she commented to me that she was concerned that the ash tree was dying, the branches were not growing out of the trunk as they should have been. Her remedy, to wait until late October, when the sap had gone down so she, or perhaps now me, could prune back the branches to allow new growth to occur next spring, when the sap would rise again.

Another gardening trick, which Paul mentions in his letter to the Romans, is called grafting, where a branch from a different plant is grafted into the trunk of another that is well rooted. The reason grafting is valuable is that it allows the cultivation of new varieties, helps cross-pollination by taking advantage of the rootstock and helps to increase the growth of seedlings. Grafting also helps identify viruses, when a twig from an infected plant is grafted to a stronger rootstock, the symptoms become more obvious.

Paul refers to the rootstock as being the Jewish people and the grafted twig refers to the Gentiles. He reminds us not to become boastful of our lofty position high up in the branches because it is only through the sap coming up from the roots that sustain us with the nourishment we need. It is only possible for the twig to flourish in its new position because an original twig has been pruned out to allow space for grafting to occur. Grafting can only be done during Winter months when the plant is dormant, and the sap has receded.

With Shebna being removed as the master of the palace, we see God removing the dead wood from the rootstock, because Shebna had taken advantage of his position to the point of even having a tomb carved out of the rock which he had no right to do. Eliakim was being grafted into the place that had been opened through Shebna’s removal. God entrusted Eliakim with his authority, allowing him to be responsible for the keys to the House of David, knowing that with the Holy Spirit flowing through him, like the sap flowing from the roots, through the trunk into the branches he would become a throne of glory.

Paul asks us to consider how rich are the depths of God? Though this may be impossible to fathom, we are reminded that it is only through God that everything exists. And that it is God who knows all of us to the depths of our souls, as he is our root, and the Holy Spirit gives us the nourishment to grow.

When Jesus asked his disciples “Who do people say the Son of Man is?” they looked at the branches that had previously flourished from the trunk, John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah and other prophets. It was the Holy Spirit welling up through Simon Peter that allowed him to see Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the living God. Jesus told Peter this had been revealed through the Father working through him. As God the Father had given Eliakim the keys to the House of David, Jesus was passing the keys on to Peter, as the rock he would build his church on. With the keys came the power and authority to lock things away or unlock them. What was allowed on Earth would be allowed in Heaven, what was disallowed on Earth would be disallowed in Heaven.

In Acts, when Pentecost came all those gathered who had been filled with the Holy Spirit were allowed them to share the Good News with people from many nations who heard it in their own language. Peter stood with the Eleven Apostles and address them all and opened the mysteries of heaven, fulfilling his responsibility as keyholder. He professed to all of Israel that Jesus, who had been crucified, had risen, and gone to Heaven to sit at the Right hand of God the Father, who had been made Jesus Lord and Christ.

In our day, for the church to flourish, we need to remain grafted to the root which supplies us with the nourishment that comes from the Holy Spirit. If we choose to believe that we know best and abandon the ways of our faith, like Shebna, we will wither, die, and be pruned away. This will allow new growth by those who are grafted to the trunk who accept the life-giving sap of the Lord. Eliakim and Peter proved themselves to be worthy and were given the keys to the kingdom.

Peter made many mistakes, repented and was forgiven, demonstrating God’s patience with us. By remaining faithful we will continue to receive the lifegiving sap and flourish.

This Autumn, in our garden as the sap settles within the tree trunk, the dead wood will be pruned away with the hope that next Spring new growth will appear.

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