Fourth Sunday of Easter 2024
Fr. Ben Riley
When I was in seminary, I took classes on how to write homilies. The seminarians learn all kinds of different homily writing styles. There’s the Lourey Loop, the four-page homily and the point and a poem method, which was very popular in years past. Then there is the Douglas Method, the Stanley Method, and many more. And, of course, the most important part of preparing a homily is praying with the readings. The purpose of teaching all these methods is not to sway our opinions about which one is the best, or to convince us to use a particular method over another. All the methods are like tools in a toolbox, and some methods work well with one gospel or message over another. All these classes and learning all these methods become a framework, but often, the priest or deacon will eventually develop his own method, because there is really only one homily that is written on the heart of the priest or deacon. If you pay attention over the weeks or months of listening to his preaching, you may even begin to recognize what lies heavy on the heart of the preacher. Today’s topic is one of those homilies of the heart for me, and so I’ll get right into it.
Have you watched the news lately? I don’t want to be defeatist or overly melancholy, but gosh, if you watch the news or use social media, it’s pretty hard to deny that our society and culture are in a desperate situation. I was watching the news the other night, and there was a story about how a man set himself on fire in protest or demonstration. There was a story about a missile strike in Iran. The war in Ukraine is still raging on, though it’s not in the news as much. And of course, the conflict between Israel and Palestine is claiming more lives every day. Those are just the stories that are being reported. It seems as though the truth is getting harder and harder to find. Everyone has an ulterior motive. Everyone is saying something different, especially in the political realm, where people have turned politics into their religion. This year’s election may very well split up families and ruin friendships. Fewer and fewer people are able to point to objective truths; truths like the sacred and indissoluble unity of marriage, the dignity of the unborn child, and the distinction between man and woman. There is so much falsity that is being presented to us as truth, and it’s hard to tell the difference. But we shouldn’t be surprised. Jesus said the wolves would come.
He said, “I am the good shepherd. A good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep. A hired man, who is not a shepherd and whose sheep are not his own, sees a wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away, and the wolf catches and scatters them. This is because he works for pay and has no concern for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know mine and mine know me.”
My brothers and sisters in Christ, Jesus is the Good Shepherd, and a good shepherd protects his sheep, but we have to be clear about what this means. Does God protect us from danger, from war, from political discord, and misinformation? Maybe, especially if we bring those petitions to prayer, but our prayer does not cause God to take away a person’s free will. The news is such a tumultuous place, not due to a lack of prayer, but because people have the free will to choose to either follow God or turn away from him.
What I’m saying is that the existence of evil in the world should not be surprising to us, but it also should not be too concerning. Here’s why. God desires us to be in a loving relationship with him, but in order for love to exist, it must be a free choice. That means turning away from love is also a possibility. The good shepherd caring for his sheep does not mean bad things don’t happen; rather, despite the pain, despite the suffering, and turmoil, we have the freedom to choose the love of God, to follow him, and dwell with him in eternal life. We were not created for this world, we were created for the next one, we were created for heaven. And no matter what happens during this election, no matter who becomes President, we must remember that the kingdom of God is not the United States of America.
I love this country and I love being an American. We enjoy so many freedoms, first among them the freedom to practice our faith. However, this country is not my home; heaven is my home. We all have a duty to look past what we see on the news and social media and keep our focus on Christ, to keep guard at the door of our minds. It’s good to be aware of what’s going on in the world. It helps us know who needs our prayers, but just like all good things, there is a limit to what is healthy. One cookie may be good, two cookies may be better, but twenty cookies will make you sick. Over-indulgence in news and social media is making our society sick, and it’s making us, you and me, sick. There are many things that hinder our capacity to grow deeper in relation with God, and the most common one is putting the things of the world before God: things like news, social media, movies, television, sports, video games, music, art, power, pleasure, career, money, even family. Do you know the commandment that is most often broken? It’s the first one: “I am the Lord your God, you shall have no other Gods before me.” My brothers and sisters, we love putting things before God. This is the homily that is written on my heart. And it’s on my heart because I struggle with it too. I constantly catch myself putting second things first and getting caught up in the ways of the world. But please don’t let this message discourage you.
There is always great hope; let me conclude with a quote from Saint John Henry Newman that helps me when I feel the weight of the world heavy on my shoulders. “God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good. I shall do his work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it, if I do but keep his commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him. Whatever I am, I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him. In perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what he is about. He may take away my friends, He may throw me among strangers, He may make me feel desolate, make my spirit sink, hide my future from me, still, He knows what He is about.
And may God bless you.