Ordinary Time 6 - February 11, 2018

Homily for Ordinary Time 6

February 11, 2018

Imitators of Christ

            “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians, who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, and then walk out the door and get on with their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.”

            That quote from the author Brennan Manning is striking – almost as striking as the words of St. Paul today when he tells the Corinthians, “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.” Could you say that? Could you tell others, “Imitate me, because I live like Christ.” Or would we rather say, “Do as I say and not as I do.” Perhaps it is somewhere in-between!

            It is essential for Christians to set a good example. If our life does not match our beliefs, then our beliefs themselves are undermined. There was a great painting by Norman Rockwell called “Sunday Morning” where a mother and her three children are walking crisply out the door. They are wearing their Sunday best and clutching their prayerbooks, obviously heading to church, but the father is slumped down in an easy chair, reading the newspaper and dressed in his bathrobe, clearly not going anywhere. The mother and the two daughters are looking straight ahead, out the door, but as the son walks out, following the women, he is staring directly at his father. The implication is that the father is preaching powerfully by his non-attendance – he is saying that he doesn’t need Jesus, that a man does not need to go to church. And that example is being understood, loud and clear, by his son.

            Gandhi once said to Christians, “I like your Christ; I do not like you Christians. Christians are so unlike your Christ.” While that might be a bit harsh, it is important – we Christians must be a good example in the world, because people will follow our example.

            The example that we must follow is Jesus Christ Himself. And what a wonderful example He sets! Today’s Gospel shows His immense kindness and compassion. Not only does He heal a leper – He does so in a way that is so loving and tender – he reaches out and touches this man who has probably not been touched by another human being since he developed this deadly. There has never been anyone more kind, more loving, more patient, more pure, more sacrificial, more holy than Jesus Christ – so He is the example that we must follow. We find His example by studying the Scriptures – once Mother Teresa was asked, “What is your favorite book for spiritual reading?” And she responded without hesitation, “The Four Gospels”. Read the Bible – and you will know how you are to live.

            But there are many people in today’s world who will never read the Bible. There is a wonderful quote, “Your life may be the only Gospel some people ever read” – in other words, many people will only get to know about Jesus because of your example.

            There is a term used in convents of nuns and monks throughout the world: “Living Rule”. A Living Rule refers to an older monk or nun whose conduct is so exemplary that if all of the written rules of the congregation were destroyed somehow, they would be able to rewrite their rules by observing the life of these holy older monks or nuns. Likewise, Catholics should be a “Living Gospel” – if all the Bibles in the world were destroyed, people would still be able to know what they said by observing the faith and life of Christians like you and I!

            A boy in London, England was walking through a dense evening fog, carrying a lantern. He was approached by a man who said, “If you show me the way to my hotel, I will give you a shilling.” The boy proceeded to lead the man through the streets, his lantern lighting the way. When he arrived at the hotel, he held up the lantern to find that not one but four men had been following him! They had all been lost and saw the light as their one way to find safety!

            Likewise, in today’s murky world, people are looking for a way to live and to love, and they are willing to follow anyone who lives according to the Light of Christ. So take as your example the example of Jesus Christ. Live like Him, so that others can see Him in us. I want to be able to say with St. Paul, “Be imitators of me, as I am an imitator of Christ.”