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Institute for Homiletics

A Collaboration of The Catholic Foundation and the University of Dallas

Rev. James A. Wallace, C.Ss.R.

Crossing Boundaries

It is instructive to look at the maps found in most Bibles. You get a sense of how “man-made” (here meaning “made by males”) boundaries are. The boundary lines of the biblical world at the time of the Exodus yield to those at the time of King David and then again to those of the world at the time of Babylonian ascendency, and on to the time of Jesus and the early church. The shifting boundaries are a constant over the centuries. 

The two stories today reveal a seismic shift in boundaries between God and us. Up until this time in the story of Abraham, God had spoken with Abraham,  but now God comes for a home visit. A boundary of intimacy is crossed. Abraham provides a meal and waits on the Lord. In response, God tells Sarah that, after a quarter of a century of hearing the promise, she will have a son by next year.  

When Jesus said to Martha that Mary had chosen the better part, he was also approving a shift in boundaries. There were physical boundaries in the Jewish  home, “male space” and “female space.” By sitting at the feet of Jesus, Mary had crossed the line. Only a disciple of a teacher would do this and only a man could be a disciple. When Martha notes that Mary is not where she belongs, helping in the kitchen, Jesus makes clear where he stands—and where Mary can sit. All part of a new creation, and not yet a finished one either. 

Consider/Discuss

  • What boundaries have changed in your lifetime? 
  • What boundaries still need to be changed, opening up more shared space? 

Responding to the Word

Loving God, you set the boundaries of earth, sky, and sea. In doing this, you provide a place for us to live responsibly and work happily in your creation.  Direct our efforts to be as hospitable as Abraham was to passing strangers and as innovative as Jesus was with his friends Martha and Mary.

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Our Good Neighbor God

The word “neighbor” is rooted in the Old English words “near” (neah) and “a dweller” (gebur). A neighbor, then, is one who dwells near. As a boy, I lived in what was called a row home; all the houses on our street were attached. Our neighbors were those who literally lived next door. 

Today’s readings take the definition of a neighbor beyond physical nearness.  When the lawyer asks Jesus, “Who is my neighbor?” he was asking about the requirement of the law that commanded that one love one’s neighbor as oneself.  Jesus’ answer went to the heart of the issue. To be a neighbor was to reach out to help anyone in need, setting aside any barriers that either society or selfishness might set up. To be a neighbor was to open one’s heart to another, recognizing in the other the image of the God who created them. To be a neighbor was to treat another with mercy. 

When Moses said God’s law was “something very near, already in your mouths and in your hearts,” he was presenting God as a true neighbor, as near as our heartbeat. When Paul said Jesus was both the image of the invisible God and the head of his body, the church, could any image better capture the nearness of  Christ and his church? St. Teresa of Ávila echoed this when she said, “Christ has  no body now but yours, no hands or feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes  through which Christ’s compassion looks upon the world.”  

Consider/Discuss

  • Is the basic choice to be either a neighbor whose love touches other lives, or a parasite that lives off other lives? 
  • Can being a member of Christ’s body move you to drawing nearer to someone today? 

Responding to the Word

God, who placed your law in our hearts, help us to remember your nearness to us in the depths of our being, and to allow your Son’s law of love to guide what we see, say, and do. Increase our openness to your Spirit and how your Spirit guides us.

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The Joy of Evangelizing

From the beginning, spreading the word about the kingdom of God was at the top of Jesus’ priority list. He began his own ministry preaching that the kingdom  of God was near, indeed, “at hand.” The good news of God’s presence in the world was the primary work given to his apostles when he sent them out. Later,  as Luke records, Jesus sent out seventy-two others. And after he had risen, he commanded all disciples to do this until the end of time. 

Jesus’ directives to the seventy-two are still practical: travel in twos, travel light, don’t dawdle, bring peace with you, don’t fuss over accommodations, eat and drink what is offered. Their work was to heal and preach. If there was no interest, move on. One might wonder whether more could have been accomplished if they had not been paired up, but anyone who goes out armed only with the gospel realizes how good it is to have companionship in this important work. 

Pope Benedict XVI is calling for all Catholics to participate in a “new evangelization,” one marked by a new ardor, new methods, and new expressions.  Consider ardor; it means having zeal, fire, passion. Ardor flows from joy. The Church’s joy as the new Jerusalem comes from knowing we are saved by Christ’s death and resurrection. By our baptism we are part of a new creation. Now is our time to witness to Christ, sharing our faith in Jesus, and knowing he is with us, as the head of his Body, the Church.  

Consider/Discuss

  • Do you accept the calling to be one who witnesses to the gospel and participates in this mission of the Church? 
  • Does your love for Jesus Christ enable you to talk about him and what he means to you, when the opportunity presents itself? 

Responding to the Word

Loving Lord Jesus, you continue to ask us to go forth and bring word about the living God you taught us to call Father, the God who loves us as a mother who wishes to comfort us. Fill us with your Spirit, who gives us courage and commitment to the message of the gospel. 

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Kingdom Fitness

One quality is essential for being a disciple—commitment. When Elisha asks the prophet’s permission to kiss his parents good-bye, Elijah answers somewhat ambiguously, but Elisha realizes this is the hour of decision. He not only kills and cooks his oxen but burns the plow they came with, wiping out all connection to his past trade. There is no report on how his parents felt about this, but it signals  Elisha’s commitment. Eventually, it won him a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. 

Jesus outlines the fitness program his disciples must measure up to: an ability to live without the comforts of home, a freedom from any ties to family that might prevent preaching the kingdom of God, and the ability to live such a life with total commitment and without any regret. All this is the work of the Spirit within us, liberating us from what can hold us in place, unable to move and help bring  God’s kingdom into the world. 

When Paul talks about Christ setting us free for freedom, he too refers to casting off any yoke that could bind or enslave us. Like Jesus, Paul voices a call to live by the Spirit, that breath of God that blows us where it wills. The Spirit can free us from any inclination either to “bite and devour” another, as in calling down fire from heaven on them, or to be consumed by others who wish us harm. By surrendering to the Spirit, we will become fit. 

Consider/Discuss

  • What kind of commitment have you made to be a disciple of the  Lord? 
  • How do you understand what it means to be free? Do some kinds of freedom end up enslaving you? 

Responding to the Word

Lord, we ask you for the freedom that truly frees us to love as you love, to have the mind that was in Christ Jesus, and to allow us to empty ourselves so you can fill us. Make us fit for the work of the kingdom through the gift of your Spirit.

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The Unexpected Messiah

The apostles were probably not all that different from the other members of their families or their friends. They were not very different from the other Jews of their day. Indeed, given the expectations and hopes we have for our own leaders today, we would not have answered Jesus much differently. They were waiting for the Messiah to come, and once he came, life would be good again. 

They expected the Messiah (which means “Anointed One”) to come in power and might; a liberator like Moses, who led God’s people out of slavery; a great king like David, who brought the people of the divided northern and southern kingdoms into one nation. How wonderful would this new era be, ushered in by such a Messiah!

Imagine their surprise when Jesus rebukes Peter for saying that he is “The Christ [Messiah] of God” (9:20). Greater their surprise when Jesus goes on to say that he must suffer greatly, be rejected by their religious leaders, and be killed— but also be raised from death on the third day (9:22). It is fair to wonder if, in their shock, they even heard the part about being raised. The ultimate stunning news,  however, would have been that to follow their Messiah, they must be willing to deny themselves, taking up their crosses every day. 

A person like this Messiah would not get a lot of votes, even today. But it is through faith in Christ Jesus, Anointed One of God, that we have become children of God. And so we are called, as Paul tells us, to clothe ourselves with Christ  (Galatians 3:27), another way of saying “Take up your cross, every day.” 

Consider/Discuss

  • If Jesus asked you “Who do you say that I am?” what would your answer be? 
  • In what ways does daily life call upon you to take up your cross?  What form does this command take in the life of the whole Church? 

Responding to the Word

Jesus Christ, our Messiah, let us be clothed with your risen glory, as each day we walk with you, carrying the cross that life calls on us to bear. Increase our faith in you; help us to know your gracious loving presence with us always.

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