Tìm Kiếm

12 tháng 10, 2015

Homily for The XXVIII Sunday in Ordinary Time - B (Oct 11, 2015)

The Impossible Becomes the Possible

(See Mk 10:17-30)


Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

In this Sunday’s Gospel, the Lord warns us against the danger of wealth, or more precisely, against the greed for possessions.

We need food, drink, houses, cars and the like to survive our life on earth.  For a decent living we have to work hard, save money and be well prepared for any happening.  We do know that all things created by the Lord God are good because they serve as means for us to accomplish our calling of being human beings, the image of the Creator, and children of God.

As human beings, we are not something similar to animals that are set up according to the natural law of instinct.  We enjoy rational intelligence and free will.  We are well aware of what we think, say and do.  We ponder on the reasons why we act or do not act, on the consequences following our actions.  We feel free to make decisions and ready to take full responsibility for so doing.  This is our dignity of which we are so proud.

In addition to being human persons, we are God’s image for the Lord God wanted us to long for Him alone as the fulfillment of our life on earth.  This is the reason why we find nobody or nothing but God satisfactory for the meaning of our existence.

Finally, thanks to the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we are forgiven our sins and lifted up to be the children of God.  This is so great a dignity which we have received for free from God’s merciful love realized in Jesus, His Beloved Son, and through which we deserve a share in divine life.

Unfortunately, sin has turned everything almost up-side-down.  People do not cling to the Lord God but to creatures.  People even abandon the true God and worship false idols made of material and by sinful men.

In order for us to be saved from such alienation and destruction of our dignity we must be resolute in fighting the temptation of greed for money.  We listen to the Lord’s teaching that our life is much more important than food and clothing, and eternal life surpasses everything else in this world.

Easier said than done.  Saint Paul once taught us about the sad reality that often we do not do the good which we want but we do the evil which we do not want.  For this reason we badly need God’s power to overcome the power of sinful ambitions.

It is the Word of God that serves as a light to our feet and a lamp to our path leading to Christ Jesus Who is the Way the Truth and the Life. 
        
Let us take as the principle for our hope for the victory over the evil forces the powerful promise of our lord Jesus Christ, “For human beings it is impossible, but not for God.  All things are possible for God.”             


Fr. Francis Nguyen, O.P.