Ordinary Time 13 - To Die With Christ Is To Rise

 

Homily for Ordinary Time 13

July 2, 2023

Romans Series 1 of 4 – To Die With Christ Is to Rise With Him

 

            During the month of July, I will be preaching a four-part series on our second readings, all of which come from the book of Romans. Paul’s writings are such rich reflections on the Christian life that I want to dive into them! So, let us begin!

            One time, the Catholic Scripture scholar Dr. Jeff Cavins was invited to give a talk about the Bible…to a group of inmates in jail. He was a little apprehensive, but agreed to do it. When he walked into the room, full of tattooed thugs, all scowling at him, he sensed that some of them were quite resistant.

            He began the talk, when one of the gang members in the front row interrupted him, “Hey, Dr. Cavins, are you scared of us?”

            “Why should I be scared of you?”

            “Because we could kill you if we wanted to.”

            Jeff Cavins just laughed and said, “You can’t kill me.”

            “Of course we could.”

            He shook his head and said, “No, you can’t. When I gave my life to Christ, I died with Him, and you can’t kill a dead man!”

            That got a grudging laugh from the crowd, and it made them realize that he really did believe what he was preaching – and they became quite receptive to his message!

            St. Paul says an odd thing – that by our baptism, we have died with Christ. Our old selves, our sinful nature, has been put to death, and we have been raised to live a new life with Christ. Jesus reemphasizes this point in the Gospel: those who seek to truly live must first be willing to die with Him. This more than just life-as-usual with a few prayers sprinkled on top – it truly means that our life must be one of continual dying to all that is earthly and sinful, so that all that is Heavenly and Christ-like may arise in us.

            What does it mean to die with Christ? Four things must die. First, we must die to our ego. Recently I came across a Christian sports academy in Kentucky called “I Am Third” – they encourage kids to realize that, as great as they are, they’re only third – Christ is first, and others are second. What a far cry from those celebrities like Muhammed Ali who declared, “I’m the greatest of all time!” or the influencer Andrew Tate who declares himself “the Top G” (as in, the best at everything). As our ego and our pride dies, Christ begins to take life within us.

            A second thing that must die is our inordinate desires for the things of this world. People often ask why priests wear black, and it’s because the pasta sauce stains don’t show up! Of course I’m kidding – we wear black to show that we are dead to the things of this world, and alive for Christ alone. Every Christian should make sure their desires are ordered properly – it’s great to enjoy ice cream, but maybe not on a Friday in Lent…it’s wonderful to enjoy the gift of marital love, but only within the covenant of matrimony, open to life…it’s great to get a new car, but not to let it consume our thoughts and to take away from our obligations of generosity to the poor. All of our desires for good things in the wrong way, or at the wrong time need to be put to death, so that our desires to enjoy the good things of earth will also lead us to the better things of Heaven.

            A third thing that must die is holding on to our past and our future. St. Padre Pio said, “My past to Your mercy o Lord, my present to Your love, and my future to Your providence.” Any shame we have from our past mistakes must be drowned in the ocean of God’s mercy; any anger and grudges from past hurts must be buried in the tomb, that we may walk out with freedom. Similarly, any anxiety of the future must be overwhelmed with trust in He Who holds our future in His hands. We must shed our desire to control the future and hold onto the past.

            A fourth, and most important, element of ourselves that must die is our vices and sins. Recently I was speaking with a friend who had a heart attack three years ago, in his late 30s. He was telling me that his life changed pretty drastically after he flat-lined during a run. Thankfully he collapsed right outside the home of a nurse, who happened to be looking out the window at that moment, and she quickly got him medical attention so that he was able to recover. But his life was changed pretty drastically – he began to conform his life to Christ, to give up fighting with his wife and growing angry with his children, to become less lazy in his prayer life. It took a kind of death to get him to die to his old self. But all Christians are called to put to death these sinful vices, since we have already died in baptism, and given a second chance to live for Him. So those sinful vices that we had inherited from Adam and Eve must be put to death, that Christ may live in us.

            I recently read about a beautiful saint who lived this out: Blessed Mary Magdalene of the Incarnation. She was born to a wealthy merchant, but she was very drawn to prayer in her youth. However, her father discouraged her relationship with Christ, and urged her to focus on her looks and on attracting the attention of the boys. Through his influence, she slowly started giving up her Christ-centered life, and began to seek the petty vanities of this world. One day when she was seventeen, her boyfriend gave her a fine necklace of expensive jewels, and when she put them on and looked in a mirror, instead of seeing her own reflection, she saw Christ crucified, who gazed upon her and asked her, “Do you wish to leave Me for the world?”

            She was shocked to her senses and remembered that at one time she had wanted to become a saint. She took some time away from her boyfriend to think and pray, and went on a retreat at a local convent of nuns – and as soon as she walked into the convent, she felt a peace and a joy she had never before experienced. She decided to remain there, and became known for her great love of Eucharistic Adoration, spending long hours in front of the Blessed Sacrament in joyful prayer for the needs of the world. She had seen both a life lived for the world and a life lived for Christ – and found one to be infinitely richer and more joyful.

            And that old life, of sin and pride and worldly pursuits, must be put to death so that Christ may live in and through us.