Homily for August 17, 2014 - 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily for August 17, 2014

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sinners Saved by Grace

 

            Is it possible for a gang leader who was also a murderer, rapist, and thief to become a saint? It is not only possible – it happened. St. Moses the Black started out as anything but saintly. He lived in Ethiopia during the late 400s and quickly became notorious as a gang leader, leading a group of 75 men to terrorize the countryside, pillage towns, and steal and murder. For years he lived this hard gang life, adding sin upon sin as he and his gang were feared by all.

            One day he came upon a monastery in the wilderness, and he led his gang to it in the hopes of looting the monastery. He was greeted at the monastery door, however, by the abbot, who welcomed him in warmly. Moses was so stunned that he was welcomed – and even more amazed at the peace and joy that radiated from the abbot’s face. Instead of rioting and looting the place, he had a long conversation with the abbot, who showed him such love that Moses dismissed his gang and decided to join the monastery. After many years of prayer and penance, he became a monk, and towards the end of his life, he actually founded his own monastery with 75 men – in reparation for the 75 men that he had led into the gang lifestyle, he now wanted to lead 75 men to God. St. Moses the Black went from being the most feared thug of his country – to a saint – by the incredible mercy of God.

            And, you know, we are not far off from St. Moses the Black. I may never have murdered anyone – but haven’t I killed another person’s reputation through gossip? We may not be guilty of adultery – but haven’t we committed adultery in our thoughts through lust and impurity? I may not have lost my faith and stopped going to church – but haven’t I put other things before God, haven’t I been too lazy to pray? I may never have stolen anything – but have I always been generous with my money and time, or were I selfish and I didn’t give to the poor what I could have given?

            The fact is, all of us – ALL of us – are sinners. It’s simply a lie to say, “I am a good person.” Yes, perhaps compared to some people, we are pretty good. But when compared to the infinite holiness of God, we are all flawed, weak, and stained with the stain of sin.

            For this reason, we cannot save ourselves; we can’t get to Heaven on our own efforts. Some people make the mistake of thinking, “If I just pray enough Rosaries, if I just try to stay out of trouble, then I’ll make it to Heaven.” We only make it to Heaven because of God’s mercy! We are only forgiven because of His mercy!

            We are so weak without God’s grace. Ever heard that phrase, “There, but for the grace of God, go I?” That phrase came to my mind recently when learning about Robin Williams’ death. Who knows what demons he struggled with – but one thing is certain, if it’s not for the mercy of God, we too could suffer with the same struggles. No amount of money, fame, good looks, or talent can make us immune to the weaknesses and sins of human nature. There’s a fundamental weakness in all of us that cries out for God’s mercy.

            This fundamental weakness is often called “original sin.” When the first human beings on earth sinned, they turned away from God and created a rift between us. Ever since then, we humans have had something wrong with us! We have needed God’s mercy in order to be healed and to get to Heaven!

            I go to a lot of funerals, being a priest. And one thing that drives me crazy is that most eulogies make it seem like the deceased person was perfect. I’ll never forget the one funeral I celebrated where the man got up to say a few words about his deceased father, and he started off by saying, “My dad loved two things more than anything else: he loved his God, and he loved bikinis.” I had a good laugh over that one. But I think it proves the point – we are not perfect people and for this reason, we are desperately in need of God’s mercy.

            His mercy is dispensed in the Sacrament of Confession. I don’t think we take advantage of this Sacrament enough. After all, if we only showered once a year, that’d be pretty nasty. If we are truly seeking God and want to get to Heaven, we should confess frequently – because we sin daily, all of us. If we think we don’t sin daily, I doubt we really know ourselves. If we were honest, we could recognize that we could have been more kind, more prayerful, more patient with others. We could have said that kind word that we left unsaid. We could have offered up that small suffering that instead we complained about. It’s these things that we can improve in Confession, where we submit ourselves to the ocean of God’s mercy. I, personally, try to go to Confession monthly.

            My friends, I’m not trying to make us feel ashamed by saying that we are sinners. Rather, it should give us great hope, because God is rich in mercy, as our second reading tells us. As Jesus revealed to a great Polish nun, St. Faustina, “The greater the sinner, the greater right he has to My Mercy.” We will never get to Heaven on our merits or by our own efforts. It’s only when we recognize that we’re NOT good people, that we are sinners, that we can be transformed by His grace, by His mercy!