Homily for the 14th Sunday of Ordinary Time July 4, 2021
The New
Revised Standard Version translates this as “his home town”. The Greek Orthodox Bible translates it as
“his own country”. So there is a little
ambiguity about what St. Mark meant.
If we allow
the insights of Matthew’s and Luke’s Gospel to guide us, then we know that
Jesus really was born, not in Nazareth of Galilee, but rather in Bethlehem of
Judea. And if we really want to be
thorough, we need to admit the Prologue of the Gospel of John that “In the
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” So in Jesus’ fullest, truest identity He
was not from Nazareth nor Bethlehem, but from God. He is the pre-existent Word of God, existing
from beyond all time. Jesus’ true
homeland, we could say, is in God. That
is truly where Jesus is from and where He is most truly at home.
So, where are
you from? What is your true
homeland? What is your “own country?”
Today we
celebrate Independence Day. Many of us
were born in the USA. Others may have
become naturalized as citizens of the United States like Fr Rene Constanza, and
so now this is your homeland. Others may
have other national homelands such as Mexico or Guatemala or the
Philippines. Bult like with Jesus, is
that really true? In the deepest sense,
where is our true homeland? Where do we
most belong? What is our ultimate citizenship?
TWO TWO TWO July 4, 2021
Well, St. Paul
in the third chapter of his letter to the Philippians gives us the answer. Paul states: “But our true homeland is in
heaven, and we are waiting for our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, to come from
heaven. By his power to rule all things,
he will change our humble bodies and make them like his own glorious body.” 3:20-21
Our truest,
most basic and real homeland is union with Christ Jesus in heaven. That is what we were created for, and what is
our ultimate destiny.
But that is
not quite yet. We have a period of time,
short or long, before we go to our true homeland in heaven. And in the
meanwhile, we are here, in Austin, in Texas, in the US of A, on earth.
There are two
ways that we can be mistaken about our real identity. One way is to so focus on our ultimate
destiny that we ignore the real opportunities and obligations of living in the
world. As members of this great country,
we have an obligation to engage in politics and civic life, doing what we can
to ensure justice, seek peace, and benefit all of society, especially those
most in need. We are not hermits. We are called to engage in the world, and
work to make Austin, Texas, and the United States, lands of liberty and justice
for all. That is our sacred obligation.
The other
danger is the opposite, to become so focused and engaged in the here and now
and so forget our true identity as children of God, as members of the Body of
Christ, as people destined for eternal glory by the salvific work of
Jesus. It is all too easy to get caught
up in the maelstrom of work and activities and politics and entertainment and
be completely absorbed into the here and now, and to lose sight of our ultimate
purpose and destiny. That is a tragic
loss.
THREE THREE THREE July 4, 2021
Therefore, let
us celebrate the Fourth of July. May we
use this celebration of the birth of our nation as an opportunity to recommit
ourselves to the founding ideals of our nation, that all people are created
equal and are to be treated equally under the law.
Let us strive
for the economic, personal and spiritual advancement of all our fellow countrymen. But let us not forget that our true homeland,
our ultimate destiny, is not in these United States, but in union with God the
Father, in Jesus the Son, through the Holy Spirt.
AMEN.
