Homily for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Job 7.1-4, 6-7 Psalm 147 1 Corinthians 9.16-19, 22-23 Mark 1.29-39
I don’t like to preach about myself. Preaching is supposed to be about the gospel, and the gospel is about Jesus, not me. But, for once, I hope you’ll forgive a little self-reflection. If nothing else, it might help you to get to know your pastor a little better; and, with God’s grace, it might even help you to see a direction for your own life, a direction that comes from God and returns to God. And I promise, by the end, that everything will relate to today’s readings. But first a little background.
This past week, our parish staff went on an overnight retreat at Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Part of our time together was spent reflecting on a Strengths Finder instrument. Developed by Donald Clifton and the Gallup Company, this Strengths Finder uses a series of 180 questions to identify each person’s top five strengths. One of the great things about this instrument is that it recognizes that each person is a unique creation of God, blessed with unique talents and strengths. There are no weaknesses in the Strengths Finder – it’s not about telling you what you don’t do well, but instead helping you to understand what you can do well and then guiding you to develop your unique strengths. There are a total of 34 different strengths, things like Focus and Responsible, Positivity and Developer; and they claim that your chances of meeting another person with the same top-five strengths as you is 1 in 250,000; and your chance of meeting someone with the same top-five strengths in the same order is about 1 in 33 million. Our hope was that the Strengths Finder would help us as a parish staff know better what each of our strengths are so that we can work together in the best way to serve our parish community. So with that background, here are my top five out of 34 different strengths according to the Strengths Finder:
First, Includer. A person who has this strength wants to include people and make them feel part of the group. An Includer believes that everyone is fundamentally the same and equally important, and so no one should be ignored or left out. Second is Input. Someone who is strong in Input collects information – words, books, facts – because they find a lot of different things interesting. They store away all this information in their minds because it keeps the mind fresh, and some day it might come in handy. Third, Connectedness. Things happen for a reason because everyone is connected and part of a larger human community guided by God. With a strength of Connectedness, your faith is strong and you recognize that there is a purpose to our human life. Next is Strategic. This strength is a way of thinking that helps you see the big picture and the patterns in complex circumstances. A Strategic person is always thinking about new possibilities and wondering what could be, always trying to see a vision for the future. Finally, Achiever. An Achiever must accomplish something significant every day. There is a drive and an energy to work hard, even working long hours without burning out. Having a variety of tasks and always being busy keeps you moving no matter what.
So there you have it. Includer, Input, Connectedness, Strategic, and Achiever. Are these the best strengths to have? No, all strengths are equally valuable. But the idea of the Strengths Finder instrument is that I am called to develop these specific God-given strengths in order to fulfill my specific purpose in life. And, really, that’s what it all comes down to – purpose. Both Jesus and Paul today speak of their very specific purpose: to preach the gospel. St. Paul, especially, built on his strengths in order to accomplish that purpose. He had the strength of Adaptability, being able to live both in humble circumstances and with abundance. He had the strength of Competition, always looking to win the prize of eternity. And he, too, had the strength of Connectedness, knowing that we are all members of the one Body of Christ. St. Paul was able to channel these specific strengths in the purpose that God had given him – he was able to use his Adaptability, Connectedness, and healthy sense of Competition to preach the gospel at all times. Does that mean that he is a better or more successful person than the rest of us? Of course not. St. Paul was as unique as anyone else. But he was able to recognize God’s purpose for him and use his own strengths and talents to accomplish that purpose. And we can do the same thing. Being a good Christian does take a certain amount of self-reflection. But then we have to put that self-reflection to work, and always turn it back to look at God, the one who has given us our strengths.
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