End of Year Debt

Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Note: This weekend, our parish welcomed Sister Trinita Baeza, OSP, a member of the Oblate Sisters of Providence, for our first of two summer mission appeals. Sister Trinita shared stories of the work and ministry of her community in Costa Rica and inner-city Baltimore. In light of her presence and remarks, the homily at all masses this weekend was significantly abbreviated.

Today, I have some important news for everyone– we are in debt. We as a church and, if I my hunch is right, each and every individual and family here, are in debt. It really should come as no surprise, what with the kind of world we live in, with the way people let their desires control their decisions, with the skyrocketing costs of what it takes to live a decent life. Unfortunately, there is no other way to say it – all these factors, and plenty more, have led us into debt. But don’t worry – there is hope, because, “we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh” (Romans 8.12). Yes, we are in debt, but there is hope because we are in debt to God – we are in debt to him for the wonderful gift of salvation he has offered to us through Jesus Christ. Jesus conquered all the limitations of this world – even death itself – not for his own sake, but for us, to be able to give us life. If we live in the Spirit – and we can do that, because the Spirit lives in us – if we live in the Spirit, then we recognize that all we have, all we are, and all we ever will be comes to us only through the gracious gift of God. Yes, we are in debt, not just now but all the time – we are in debt to Jesus Christ – we belong to him. And that is not a bad thing.