Homily for
Ordinary Time 12
June 21, 2020
Eternal Life
The old
man, stooped under the weight of years, was led into the arena. Thousands of
spectators were there, and the Proconsul said to him, “Come now, Polycarp, have
respect for your old age, swear by the ancient gods.” But the venerable old
bishop replied, “For eighty-six years I have served Him, and He has done me no
wrong; how can I blaspheme my King and Savior?”
The
proconsul threatened to turn loose wild animals upon the old man. Yet Polycarp
replied, “Call them. It is unthinkable for me to turn from what is good to what
is evil.” Seeing him undaunted by animals, the proconsul then threatened to
burn him alive. Polycarp responded, “You threaten me with fire which burns for
an hour, and is then extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the
coming judgment and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly. Why are you
waiting? Bring on whatever you want.”
The old
man then undid his outer garment and laid it aside, and stepped forward of his
own accord onto the logs that had been prepared. They were going to nail him to
the wood so that he wouldn’t escape, but he objected, saying, “Leave me as I
am, for he that gives me strength to endure the fire, will enable me not to
struggle.”
When
they lit the flames, an amazing thing happened. The flames, instead of burning
the flesh, began to form a large oval around his body, as if he was wreathed in
glory. Instead of his body turning black, it began to glow a golden-brown, and
the odor of burning incense was smelled by all. In fury, the proconsul ordered
the soldiers to stab him to death, which they did – his blood flowed out upon
the flames and put them out. Thus St. Polycarp was victorious over death in the
arena, around the year 150AD.
“Do not
fear those that can kill the body – rather, fear those who can kill body and
soul in Hell,” says Our Lord. It is important to note that in Greek there are
three words for life. There is bios
(from which we get the English word “biology”) meaning our physical life of the
body. There is also psuche (from
which we get the English word “psychology”) meaning the life of the mind, our
consciousness, our personality. But there is one more type of life: zoe, which means spiritual life, the
divine life of God. It is this last kind of life, our zoe, that is of primary importance.
For all
of us, our bios will come to an end
someday. As good as our physical life is, it’s temporary. Why would we worry
about temporary things? If I had to build a building that I knew would only
last for a week, I wouldn’t bother putting in a foundation or using the best
materials. When we go to a hotel, we don’t take along the fine china and the
family pictures, because we know we aren’t staying very long. In the same way,
why would we go to tremendous effort to worry about our bios – with all that it entails - when we are really here on this
earth to grow in our zoe?
We don’t
need to fear any physical evil if we focus on the prize. Some of you may
remember the TV show “Fear Factor” where contestants would have to eat live
worms or skydive off of tall buildings. The challenges were, frankly,
terrifying – but they were able to accomplish them because they focused on the
prize ($50,000). If we focus on the prize – eternity with God – then everything
we need to do to get there becomes tolerable and pleasant. Nothing in this
world can trouble us if our eyes are fixed on eternity.
Listen
to the words of St. John Chrysostom: “The
waters have risen and severe storms are upon us, but we do not fear drowning,
for we stand firmly upon a rock. Let the sea rage, it cannot break the rock.
Let the waves rise, they cannot sink the boat of Jesus. What are we to fear?
Death? “Life to me means Christ, and death is gain.” Exile? “The earth and its
fullness belong to the Lord.” The confiscation of goods? “We brought nothing
into this world, and we shall surely take nothing from it.” I have only
contempt for the world’s threats, I find its blessings laughable. I have no
fear of poverty, no desire for wealth. I am not afraid of death nor do I long
to live, except for your good.” Here is a man who practiced what he
preached – he was exiled for his staunch defense of the Catholic faith.
So what
does this mean for us, practically? There are a lot of things that might cause
us fear in today’s society – coronavirus, politics, finances, the mess that is
America. Some people lose their peace because of these things – they live in
fear, and they grow angry or worried. But all of these things are temporary.
They deal with our bios but not our zoe.
If your fear of coronavirus is
preventing you from encountering Jesus in the Eucharist, that fear is not from
God! If your focus on politics or social media is preventing you from having
peace in your heart and love toward your neighbor, then eliminate those things
from your life! If you fear death or if you fear the future, make acts of trust
in God and ask Him to increase your faith! A true Christian, with his heart set
on eternity, does not fear death or sickness, poverty or chaos. All things are
passing – God alone remains.
In the
words of St. John Vianney, “The eyes of the world see no further than this
life, but the eyes of the Christian see deep into eternity.”
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