Homily - 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time - 24th September 2023

Homily

25th Sunday of Ordinary Time

24th September 2023

There is a lot to unpack in this week’s reading and gospel. Yet, we are reminded that the way we think is not the way God thinks. There is such a distance between us. Why? In my daily Bible readings, I am constantly reminded of how the Israelites persistently went in the opposite direction to God. He gave them the Ten Commandments. But no sooner had Moses gone to be in God’s presence, and the Israelites lost their faith, fashioned a Golden Calf out of metal and began to prayer to it. Often, we hear such manmade idles cannot be made to breathe. They cannot see or hear. They cannot move. They are static. They have no agency. And so, the people who make them have no understanding.

We live in a world that so often cannot see, hear, or sense God’s presence in their lives. They have become clogged up with material things.

If we follow what is said in the first reading from Isaiah, there is still time to seek the Lord, to call on him for help in our lives. God wants the wicked to turn back both from their actions and their thoughts. God will have pity; he will have mercy and he is rich in forgiving. We like to think we know best but Isaiah tells us that we do not think like God does. The Bible portrays this in virtually every story that is told within its pages. If we can turn back to God, when our hearts and minds are distracted by worldly problems, then we will be able to find him. We will be able to recognise that he has been standing beside us. It is just that we have been ignoring him.

The psalm tells us how compassionate God is. He is slow to anger, even though we probably deserve a good chewing. But then, there I go. Not thinking like God thinks but thinking as a human. The Lord is abounding in love, and compassionate to all his creatures. He is just in everything he does, even when we cannot fathom out what is happening. He has his reasons.

We can see Paul struggling with this when he writes to the Philippians. He wants to be with Christ so much he is happy to forfeit his life. Christ will be glorified in Paul’s body whether he is living or dead. What is important is God’s will, not Paul’s will, and not our will. If we love God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, every moment of our lives we will want to do his will, knowing that if we do there will be good results, because we will be doing God’s will and through his love, only good is done. This is why Paul reminds us to avoid doing anything that is unworthy of Christ’s Gospel, Christ’s Good News.

The story Jesus tells in the Gospel seems very confusing to many of us because in this world we think about our value based on money. If I do so many hours, I should get so much pay. If I do eight hours of work, I should get eight times more than someone who simply does one hour. That’s how maths works. But Isaiah has already told us we don’t think like God does. The rich man’s generosity is his to give.

I wonder if you have ever thought of this when your children come along. There seems to be certain values we parents like to instil in our children. But do we get confused with thinking like the workers that we should get more pay for more work we put in.

I remember when our first son was born. My wife and I were overwhelmed with love for him. Without thinking of the cost, we made sure he was fed, his nappies were changed, he was clothed and kept warm. Even when there were sleepless nights, after sleepless nights we would each in turn get up to sort out the issue. What also, astounded us was from the moment he was born we felt as though he had been with us for eternity. Then, we were delighted when we discovered my wife was pregnant a second time. We still had to look after the first child. But we wondered how on earth were we going to be able to give this second child the love he needed when we loved our first one so much. We would give our lives for him, and still would even now when he is a man with his own children.

Yet, when we saw our second child take his first breath, we suddenly realised we could love them equally as much without diminishing our love for our first child. Again, we felt both boys had been with us for eternity.

When we can love those around us with such generosity, the cost, and the expense has no meaning. We are rich in the blessings we have been given in the love we have for our children, and we recognise the love they share with us, now they are adults. There is nothing more precious than the love of our children.

How much more does God love us as his children, and what would he not do to ensure we had the best that could be offered. God the Father was even prepared to sacrifice his first-born son, Jesus, in order that we all, every human being that has ever lived and will live, could be saved from the destruction that sin brings into the world.

God loves us. It doesn’t matter if we came first or last, his generosity is unlimited and given equally to us all.

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