Homily for Fathers Day

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time - Year C 1^st September 2013

Fathers’ Day (Australia)

Sirach 3:17-18.20.28-29.

My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favour with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the wise man's joy.
Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.

Ps 68(67):4-5.6-7.10-11.

The just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to His name;
whose name is the LORD.

The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.

A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.

Heb. 12:18-19.22-24.

Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them, No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.

Lk 14:1.7-14.

On a Sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing Him carefully.
He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honour at the table.
When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honour. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place.
Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table.
For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."
Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbours, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment.
Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

Commentary of the day:

Happy Fathers’ Day to all the fathers reading. I will be a real father this month with our baby girl Michelle Lucila due around 29^th September. Of course with being a father comes responsibility to be a good example and today in the Gospel Jesus criticises the Pharisees who take it upon themselves to be the teachers of God’s law. When you start to teach, you should be sure that you are a good representation of the subject you are attempting to teach or else your students will see the contradictions and ignore your words. I have met so many atheists through Twitter who tell me they used to be Catholic Christians but after seeing or knowing of so many actor priests, pedophiles or hypocrites they have lost faith in God.

I remind them, we follow Jesus as our model not humans who try to be like Him. Follow Jesus, I say, not the Church, Popes or priests. Only Jesus!

In the time of Jesus the Pharisees who were laymen were looked upon as religious leaders of the Jews. They enjoyed a reputation for keeping the law. They were “the guardians” of the law. Jesus Himself recognises their position though He warns the people about their hypocrisy: They preach but do not practice the law (Matt 23:2-3).

Today’s Gospel reading focuses on the dispute between Jesus and the scribes & Pharisees.  His fame has attracted the attention of these leaders from Jerusalem. These Rabbis do not look kindly upon Galileans who they believe are not strict in their observance of the law. They come to hear Jesus not with the open minds of potential believers, but as critics and judges. They closely observe His words and actions and those of His disciples.

Soon enough they see things to criticise. They notice that Jesus does not seem to care whether His disciples abide by or disregard the law and the traditions of the elders. Some of Jesus’ disciples do not wash their hands as dictated by religious custom and they hold this against Jesus.

In reply Jesus shows up the scribes and Pharisees for what they are: hypocrites. They profess to honour God but they are merely paying Him lip service. While they accuse the disciples of ‘defilement’, they do not realise that they themselves are defiled by their thoughts and desires. Their ritual purification does not help them at all.

William Barclay shares a story that shares some light on this matter:

An old Rabbi was put in a Roman prison and given a regular ration of food and water. As time passed he was observed to be dehydrated. They were baffled because the prison ration of food and water was considered adequate. The guards were told to watch the prisoner closely to see what he did with his rations. It was then that the puzzle was solved. The guards saw the Rabbi performing the religious ritual of washing before he prayed or ate. As a result he had very little water left for drinking.

A few people equate holiness with following empty traditions and this is like having an incredibly long “To Do” list: recite the Rosary, pray angelus and Novenas, contribute to charities.

We are in serious trouble if we think that the only way to please God is to observe these rituals closely, while ignoring responsibilities to love and serve family and others. Even as these rituals are not to be disregarded Jesus tells us true worship of God is a loving and intimate relationship with Him. And from this comes the joy and readiness to serve Him through others.

 

Saint Bruno of Segni (c.1045-1123), Bishop - Commentary on Saint Luke's Gospel, 2, 14 ; PL 165, 406

“Behold, I have prepared my banquet…, everything is ready : come to the feast” (Mt 22,4)

Invited to a wedding feast, the Lord looked round and noticed how all were choosing the first and most honourable places, each person wanting to take precedence of the others and to be raised above them. He then told them this parable (Lk 14,16f), which even taken literally is most useful and appropriate for all who like to be honoured, and fear being put to shame...

However, since it is called a parable, it must have some other interpretation besides the literal one. Let us see then what this wedding feast is, and who are the people invited to it.

This wedding feast takes place in the Church every day. Every day the Lord makes a wedding feast, for every day He unites faithful souls to Himself. Some coming to be baptized, others leaving this world for the kingdom of heaven. We are all invited to this wedding feast - all of us who have received faith in Christ and the seal of baptism This table set before us is that of which it is said: “You have prepared a table before me in the sight of those who trouble me” (Ps 23[22],5). Here is the showbread, here the fatted calf, here the Lamb who takes away the sins of the world (Ex 25,30; Lk 15,23; Jn 1,29). Here is the living bread come down from heaven; here placed before us is the chalice of the New Covenant (Jn 6,51; 1Co 11,25); here are the gospels and the letters of the apostles, here the books of Moses and the prophets. It is as though a dish containing every delight was brought and set before us.

What more then can we desire? What reason is there for choosing the first seats? There is plenty for all no matter where we sit. There is nothing we shall lack.