Homily for Lent 4 - March 14, 2021

 

Homily for Lent 4

March 14, 2021

The Joy Is Worth the Cost

 

            Some people are atheists because they don’t believe in God. Other people are atheists because they don’t want to believe in God. If someone has faith in God, there is a cost – because they can no longer live as they wish.

            I find this Gospel to be convicting – Jesus Christ brought light, hope, peace, joy, meaning, love, everlasting life into the world – and we preferred darkness. Why is His message such a hard sell? Why wouldn’t people want to follow Jesus wholeheartedly, when He offers so much?

            The reason is because He offers us much – at a cost. We prefer easy, pleasurable, comfortable, fun. Jesus says, “I have so much more for you than that – but it will require self-denial, sacrifice…nothing less than the Cross.” And the world does not want to hear that!

            Even in this world, everything that is valuable and worthwhile comes at a cost. If someone wants to stay in shape, they have to work out and eat vegetables – which is much more difficult than lying on the couch eating McDonalds. But at the end of the day, which one makes you feel better? Which one gives you more satisfaction? If someone wants to become a doctor, they have to give up a lot: no partying through college, no playing college sports, no late-night movies when there’s an exam the next day. But at the end of our lives, would we rather have the satisfaction of a life well-lived as a doctor, helping people and saving lives, or would we rather have the cheap memories of parties and sports and movies? Everything worthwhile and valuable in life requires discipline, self-denial, and sacrifice.

            And the world does not want to pay that price! This, ultimately, is why Jesus Christ was rejected and crucified – His message of love and peace came at a cost. This, too, is why the Church is rejected in our permissive age. When the world says that money is the highest goal in life, and the Church says, “No, we shouldn’t live self-indulgent lives but we have an obligation to use our money for Christ and for the poor” – this is a countercultural message. When the world says that sex is just for recreation with no strings attached, but the Church proclaims that sexuality is a gift from God to be used only in a marriage between a man and woman, open to life, then this message will be rejected and silenced by the world. The world says that anyone who is an inconvenience to you can be discarded…but the Church declares that all human life is sacred, from the unborn to the elderly and disabled…and the world rejects this message, because it is too costly. The world says that prayer is a waste of time, that religion is a fairy-tale for the weak…and the Church proclaims that Jesus Christ has died for our sins and is raised from the dead.

Jesus and His Church are the conscience of this world, and it is easier to silence the conscience than to change your life. This is why the Church and its teachings are very much in the cross-hairs of our woke cancel-culture. Silence the Church, ostracize the Church, and no one has to hear a message that challenges us to repentance, conversion, and self-denial.

            But there are consequences to choosing the easier, comfortable, pleasant path. If I consistently choose not to work out but to lounge around and eat potato chips, I will soon find myself with heart disease and diabetes. If I choose not to study for my exams and instead choose the quick fun of video games, I will fail my classes and not succeed in life. Today’s First Reading puts these consequences on display. Israel chose to abandon the Lord. They wanted to “fit in” with the neighboring countries, so they adopted their false gods and started to act as they did (how many times have we chosen an easier path in order to “fit in”?). They abandoned the Law with its demands. The consequence was that their land was overrun by these very surrounding nations they had tried to emulate, and the Israelites were enslaved and exiled. Their physical slavery and exile was an outward sign of their much deeper slavery to sin and self-imposed exile from the Lord. For seventy years they suffered tremendously until their repented.

            Even now, our modern world has suffered tremendous consequences from choosing the easier path! Look at the destruction just in the past century…destruction of marriages, lives lost through violence and abortion, rising addictions to drugs and alcohol, soaring debts and widening inequalities, souls straying from God and all the misery that follows. This path of quick pleasures and cheap fun has led to a profound emptiness and despair in our modern world.

            So what can be done about it? We should not be afraid of the cost of following Christ – because His rewards are so much greater. What does Jesus promise us in the Gospel? “God so loved the world”…we receive God’s love. “He gave His only Son”…we receive forgiveness through Jesus. “So that whoever believes in Him”…we receive faith, which gives meaning and purpose to our life. “Might have eternal life”…we receive everlasting life!

            Why does the world reject the Gospel? Because the Gospel demands something of us…nothing less than our entire selves. But the cost is nothing compared to the surpassing gift of knowing Jesus Christ and loving Him for eternity. As Pope Benedict XVI said, “The world offers you comfort, but you were not made for comfort, you were made for greatness!”