* 9th Ordinary Time (A), June 1, 2008
* Theme: Take these words into your heart and act on them

* Storms in Myanmar and Earthquakes in China – we feel helpless.
* Many have donated funds through Jesuit Relief Services or Catholic Relief Services, but we still feel powerless to make a difference
* In the context of the storms of life, however, today’s Scripture readings talk about choices

* In these readings, we are asked how we want to live our lives
* In the first reading from the book of Deuteronomy, Moses speaks just as the people were to move into the Promised Land, and just before he was to die.
* He offered a Blessing and a Curse:
* Take the Commandments of the Lord into your hearts
* Obey the Commandments of the Lord and be blessed
* Disobey the Commandments of the Lord and follow other gods and be cursed.
* Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel also offers a choice to his followers:
* “Hear my words and act on them”
* Build your house on a rock foundation, and it will stand through adversity.
* Build your house on sand, and it will fall when the winds blow.
* Both Moses and Jesus leave the choice up to us.

* Let’s examine some of the imagery used in these readings today
* I am reminded of a story of a woman who loved her bible and used to say that when her eyes got too tired to read at night, she would put the bible under her pillow and sleep on it.
* She didn’t want to be far from the Word of God, she said.
* This lady’s story is reminiscent of Moses encouraging the people to bind God’s words, the law, to their wrists and before their eyes.
* Physical reminders can speak about our emotional ties and loyalties.
* However they can also speak of superstitions or they can just be fashion statements, for example:
* People with rosaries around their neck or hanging from the rear view mirror of their cars who have no idea how to pray the rosary
* Crosses that are worn as fine jewelry that symbolize nothing about a faith in Jesus
* There are even people who think that these symbols will protect them from evil spirits
* Judaism and Catholicism are filled with symbols that can be rich with meaning.
* Or these symbols can be shallow tokens of current fashion

* In like manner – faith and religion can become meaningless tokens:
* In the name of Jesus, how many wars have been fought?
* How many lands conquered and how many natives forcibly baptized?
* In El Salvador during the years of civil strife and government oppression of the population, the torturers would go to church on Sunday and receive Communion.
* Jesus says, “Not everyone who says to me ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.”

* Another startling point in today’s gospel is that the people in the story have even done good deeds in Jesus’ name.
* They say, “Did we not prophesy in your name?
* Did we not drive out demons in your name?
* Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?”
* But it is sobering to hear Jesus say, “I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers”
* What gives?

* Jesus did heal people; in fact in Matthew’s gospel there are 24 miracles.
* But who gets healed? —Gentiles, religious outcasts, the ritually unclean, lepers, the blind and the lame.
* These were people excluded from temple worship;
* So, when Jesus talks about doing “the will of my Father in heaven,” maybe that is what he means.
* If we want to call him “Lord, Lord” then we ought to do what he did—our words and good works have to include the outsiders.
* Otherwise, despite our protests, he will say to us, “I never knew you.”

* Matthew’s gospel places a major emphasis on the “kingdom of heaven”.
* It is a new kind of community where all are welcome;
* It is a new way of treating people, where people are not measured by their social status or influence.
* All, especially the least and the outsiders, can find a home in this community.

* True disciples, who respond to Jesus,
* Not only do the works of Jesus and not only call upon his name,
* But their hearts have been converted to the poor and the outcast who cannot return the favor.
* To do the “will of the Father” in this gospel is to do the works Jesus did and to do them with the love and compassion he did them.
* (cf. Jude Siciliano, O.P.)

* In the words of Fr. John Kavanaugh of St. Louis University:
* “Without the living, the embodiment, of faith in action, words and dogmas are actually empty.
* For faith is not merely a matter of knowing some truth or saying it.
* It is, rather, believing in a person whom we allow to transform our lives.
Our actions, our prayers, our good works may not bring about our redemption.
* But they are, indeed, the fruit of a faith taken seriously, ‘bound to our wrists’ and ‘written on our faces’ in such a way that we have not only heard the Good News, we live it.”
* (John Kavanaugh, S. J., slu.edu.)

* Let us continue with our Liturgy today, asking God to help us make good choices in our lives,
* To choose to let God’s Word into our hearts
* And to live it

* Amen

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