Homily for the First Sunday of Lent, Year A
Note: This Sunday's homily was preached extemporaneously away from the ambo, without a text. However, the text below was what I wrote in preparation for the homily. It does not follow exactly what was preached, which was slightly different at each mass, but is the general outline that was used. Also, at the end of this post is a link to an article in the National Catholic Register that inspired this homily.
Last Sunday, before the Super Bowl game, the television network and the NFL presented a reading of the foundational document of our country, the Declaration of Independence. Millions of viewers watched as famous pro football players and coaches read the well known words, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
Happiness. We all want to be happy – it is the basis of what makes this country great; it seems to be our greatest longing. But it begs the question, what will make us happy? What will make you happy? Maybe it’s a good meal – a nice, juicy steak; or a bowl of perfectly ripe strawberries with homemade shortcake and freshly-whipped cream. Maybe good food will make us happy. Or maybe it’s fame – admiration, compliments on a job well done, even the celebrity lifestyle, where every wish is your command. Maybe fame will make us happy. Or, better yet, power – that has to be the key. We will truly be happy when we have power; when people listen to what we say, when we have influence and authority. Then we will really be happy. At least that’s what the devil wants us to think.
The devil tempts us the same way he tempted Jesus in the desert – he tempts us with food, just as he challenged Jesus to turn stones into loaves of bread. He tempts us with fame, just as he challenged Jesus to call the angels to him like groupies, just because he can. And he tempts us with power, just as he offered all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, in exchange for the small act of devil worship. We are tempted, just like Jesus, to pursue happiness above all things – happiness here and now.
But this is where it really gets tricky. It’s true that we all want to be happy – and it’s also true that God wants us to be happy, and even more, the devil also wants us to be happy. But the devil wants us to be happy here, while God wants us to be happy hereafter. The devil wants to trap us with gluttony, pride, and greed – to make our lives on this earth complete bliss by turning our focus inward toward ourselves. And that’s when the tempter wins – when we become so focused on becoming happy here that we are looking only at our own happiness and not the happiness of others. To be happy hereafter, we have to live not just on bread, but on the word of God; to be happy hereafter, we have to trust in the Lord; to be happy hereafter, we must worship and serve God alone.
Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Those really are good goals. But is it happiness here, or happiness hereafter?
The Tale of 2 Churches, by Fr. Dwight Longenecker
No comments:
Post a Comment