Homily for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B - 1/28/2024)

Good afternoon. It is hard to believe that Ash Wednesday, and with it the start of Lent, is only 17 days away. This year, Valentine’s Day happens to fall on the same day as Ash Wednesday, so the question that we should be asking ourselves right now is this. How can we observe Valentine’s Day with that special person in our lives and still HONOR GOD, because what else do we do on Ash Wednesday besides going to Mass to receive ashes? We fast and abstain from meat. That’s right, gentlemen. . . no tomahawk steaks on the grill for Valentine’s Day dinner this year. Eat a salad instead.

Now, you might have seen it circulating on social media but there is a meme that shows a person with ashes on his forehead in the shape of a heart. I chuckled when I saw it but it also got me thinking. There is no greater symbol of LOVE than the CROSS of CHRIST, which is marked on our foreheads with ashes on Ash Wednesday. Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI once said: “Christ on the Cross spilt all His blood to free humanity from the slavery of sin and death. And thus, from a sign of iniquity, the Cross has been transformed to a sign of blessing, from a symbol of death to the symbol. . . of the LOVE that overcomes hatred and violence. . .” (September 17, 2006). Let us put God first in our lives. Let us ask Jesus to be at the center of our relationships. Let us invite the Holy Spirit to help us to prepare for Lent. Our current message series, titled “Discipline: Our Onramp to Lent,” can help.

Fr. Charlie kicked off the message series a few weeks ago and talked about AWARENESS. He told us to be aware of that ONE thing that is keeping us from being close to God. Now, if you are like me, then there are probably MANY things in your life that are distracting you and keeping you from being close to God. However, let us focus on one thing at a time so we do not get overwhelmed or discouraged. When we become aware of and focus on changing that one thing that is keeping us from being close to God, we realize that we have been, is being, and will continue to be CALLED BY NAME, to embark on a mission that gives our lives MEANING and PURPOSE. And the person calling us by name is GOD. The Lord calls us, just as He called Moses and all the prophets that Moses spoke of in today’s first reading when he said: “[a] prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you. . .”, and He sends us on His mission for the salvation of souls. Are we disciplined in our spiritual and prayer life to embark on the mission that God has given us; we who are His chosen ones, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of His own through our Baptism (1 Peter 2:9)?

My sisters and brothers in Christ, we have heard Jesus say: “[ask] and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8). When we ask, God answers our prayers. When we seek, we find God waiting for us. When we knock, God opens the gates of his kingdom to us. But what about when it is the other way around? When Jesus asks, do we answer him? When Christ seeks us out, do we allow ourselves to be found by him? When our Lord knocks on the door of our hearts, do we open our hearts to him freely and welcome his Spirit to dwell in our hearts? In other words, are we “free of anxieties” so that we can be close “to the Lord without distraction”? And if we are aware that we are “divided” and “anxious about the things of the world” when we should be “anxious about the things of the Lord” and how we may “please the Lord,” then perhaps it is time for us to change course, to “impose a restraint” on ourselves for our own sake and benefit.

Saint John of the Cross said that “[the] road is narrow. He who wishes to travel it more easily must cast off all things and use the cross as his cane. In other words, he must be truly resolved to suffer willingly for the love of God in all things.” For many of us, change can be overwhelming. Changing ourselves so we can be close to God can be downright frightening, especially when we hear the Lord say things like: “Whoever will not listen to my words. . . I myself will make him answer for it.” I remember how terrified I felt when I started discerning Jesus’ call to me to become a deacon in his Church. I thought that if I imposed restraints on myself that I would lose who I was and not be able to live my life the way I want to live it - free of encumbrances, such as obedience that comes with being an ordained minister. However, what the Spirit of God helped me to realize was that my life was not my own; it belonged to God. My life has been and will always be His. In that moment of great clarity, I was free, unbound of worries and distractions, to give Jesus my “yes.” We know and trust that God will always speak the Truth that we need to hear. “Whoever has ears ought to hear” (Matthew 11:15).

My sisters and brothers in Christ, by the grace of God, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, change is possible when we practice the VIRTUE of DILIGENCE. “Diligence” is the theme of the “Discipline: Our Onramp to Lent” message series this week. According to Merriam-Webster, the word diligence means the “steady, earnest, and energetic effort; devoted and painstaking work. . . to accomplish. . . an undertaking,” such as making changes in our lives. Most of all, for us as believers and followers of Jesus Christ, diligence starts with letting our “yes” mean “yes” and our “no” mean “no” because “anything more is from the evil one” (Matthew 5:37). In other words, we must not be lukewarm or indifferent. Rather, let us boldly "renew our 'yes' to God Who chose the way of the Cross to save us” (Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, September 17, 2006).

You may recall Fr. Charlie’s homily series, from a couple of years ago, on the Seven Deadly Sins during Lent -  which was then followed by the Seven Virtues during the Easter season - that DILIGENCE is the virtue that helps us to counter the deadly sin of SLOTH. The deadly sin of sloth is when we avoid doing what is hard and just do what is easy or we are busying ourselves to avoid what God is calling us to do. The virtue of diligence is rooted in facing the reality of situations that we are uncomfortable with or that we wish to avoid. Who here remembers Fr. Charlie talking about the “sloth” button on our alarm clocks? For me, waking up every morning to attend the 6:30 daily Mass, at Saint Mary Cathedral, over the past decade has helped me to overcome the deadly sin of sloth with the virtue of diligence. In doing so, I exchange the worldly comfort of my bed for the comfort of being in God’s loving presence.

This Lent, I want to give up worrying. I want to let go and let God. I want to "[walk] very simply with the Cross of the Lord and be at peace with [myself]" (St. Francis de Sales). I am worried, though, that I will not be able to give up worrying for Lent. How ironic?! Fortunately, I have formed my Lenten discipline plan. I plan to read Gary Zimak’s book, “Give Up Worry for Lent: 40 Days to Finding Peace in Christ.” I plan to attend our Parish Lenten Mission next month, featuring Catholic speaker, author, and radio host - Gary Zimak. I plan to do what he suggests in earnest. I am off to a good start so far! I have already purchased my copy of Gary Zimak’s book. I also have the Parish Lenten Mission on my calendar.

Whatever your Lenten discipline plan is, be diligent in your preparation to help you overcome distractions. Focus on that one thing that you need to change to grow close to God so that you do not get overwhelmed or discouraged. Most of all, pray “to have courage for whatever comes in life” (Saint Teresa of Avila). God encourages us to “[be] strong and steadfast; have no fear. . . for it is the LORD, your God. . . he will never fail you or forsake you.” Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts. He is asking for us. He is seeking us and calling us by name. Let us have the courage to open the door for Christ and answer him, saying: “Here I am, Lord. I have come to do your will.”

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Readings: 1st: Dt 18:15-20; 2nd: 1 Cor 7:32-35; Gospel: Mk 1:21-28 (below)

Then they came to Capernaum,

and on the sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and taught.

The people were astonished at his teaching,

for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes.

In their synagogue was a man with an unclean spirit;

he cried out, "What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth?

Have you come to destroy us?

I know who you are—the Holy One of God!"

Jesus rebuked him and said,

"Quiet! Come out of him!"

The unclean spirit convulsed him and with a loud cry came out of him.

All were amazed and asked one another,

"What is this?

A new teaching with authority.

He commands even the unclean spirits and they obey him."

His fame spread everywhere throughout the whole region of Galilee.