Homily for 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time (or perhaps a Holyday video of a visit to Rhodes and Simi)

Homily

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time

2nd July 2023

My wife and I have spent the last two weeks on holiday in Rhodes. Neither of us speak Greek, but we used Google to find English to Greek translations. We also looked up how to say, “Thank You” in Greek which becomes “Efcharistó”. Whenever we bought anything in the local shops, we tried to use “Efcharistó”, even though we were often clumsy in saying it. However, the response we got were big smiles and the reply “Parakaló”, which means “You’re welcome”.

Rhodes is about 20 km from Turkey’s coastline. Throughout the island’s history, the people fought off many invasions. The main city, also called Rhodes, once had a 30 m high Colossus erected in dedication to Helios, the sun god, but the statue collapsed after an earthquake struck the island around 225 BC. 

Augustus adopted the island into the Roman Empire and Rhodes became the provincial city. The fortified walls of the old city were constructed by the Hospitallers of Saint John of Jerusalem, who arrived on the island in 1309 at the end of the crusades. The Turks took over from the Arabs as a dominant Islamic force during the fifteenth century and as part of the Ottoman Empire lay siege to the island in 1522. After six months, the Knights left the island with many of the population, searching for a new base, until they were given Malta, by the Holy Roman emperor Charles V, in exchange for a falcon being presented to his Sicilian viceroy every year.

On a trip to the small island of Simi, we discovered both Rhodes and Simi islands had been occupied by the Italians from 1912 to 1943, influencing recent architecture on the smaller island. One Greek feature was the small balconies on every building. Simi is famous for their sponges as their economy relied on fishing and sponge farming. Before diving equipment, divers had to use large stones weights, attached to a rope, to be able to reach the sponges around 80 metres down. The men had to hold their breathe for the decent, harvest the sponges and then release the stone to swim back to the surface. A second diver remained on the boat to pull up the stone. Many divers lost their lives running out of air before they reached the surface. So, when the divers sailed out of the harbour, the population of the small town stood on the balconies to wave them off, knowing this might be the last time they saw them. 

The population of Rhodes and Simi are a religious following the Greek Orthodox Church. On Sundays most places are closed, except for a few tourist shops. Tourism is the biggest economy of all the islands. Salaries are low, and most people need to ensure they make enough money during the summer months to cover the rest of the year, when there are no holiday makers on the island. Yet, their hospitality is warm and welcoming, just as the old couple who provided for Elisha. 

The men of Simi had great faith, putting their trust in Jesus, recognising through their baptism they had died with Christ on the cross and were born again into a new life in the Glory of God. Each time they went out in their boats they were prepared to lose their life for their family’s survival. Should they die, the community supported their families.

As the Greeks welcomed my wife and me to their island with warmth, they were treating us as if we were Jesus himself. They will be rewarded in heaven for their generosity. 

In our daily lives, we should be prepared to meet the stranger as a friend and provide his needs, without the expectation of a reward in this world. Many people find themselves being displaced through war, famine or severe economic pressure, forcing loved ones to make arduous journeys in the hope of finding a safe harbour. At some point in our lives, we all find ourselves in a similar place. Feeling destitute through circumstances beyond our control. Our Lord asks us not to judge but to show kindness. 

We had gone on the Simi excursion early one morning. Our bus was due at 7.45 am. We had hoped to get our breakfast before hand and as we sat down a man appeared asking if we were going on the trip. He was the bus driver. When we said we were, he apologised for being 20 minutes early, but could we go. We quickly snatch some breakfast to make our way to the bus. There was a tense atmosphere on the bus. Later, having arrived on the island, we heard a couple making comments about our lateness. We had been judged for being late by those who did not know the full picture. 

How often do any of us jump to conclusions without knowing the full story? Times like this we too must remember we do not know all the facts of some situations, can misunderstand and become annoyed. We are asked to be more tolerant and understanding. 

The islanders of Rhodes live differently to us, often in small ways. A simple smile and thank you often goes a long way. We were rewarded with their smiles and the response of “You’re welcome”. 

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