Several years ago, I read a great article by a local priest, Father Goldrick. He wrote about starting at a new parish, and telling the parishioners that he wanted to get to know them. And, to help them know him, he had written what he called "An Owner’s Manual for your New Pastor."
In addition to making me smile, it made me think about the level of self-knowledge and honesty it would take to write a manual for other on how to get to know you.
Today’s gospel ties into this theme of knowing ourselves --knowing both our strengths and our weaknesses and dealing with them. In this gospel, Jesus makes it clear that this is essential to making it to Heaven. And, to make sure He has our attention, Jesus speaks in radical terms. For example, "if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. (For) "it is better to enter into life (Heaven) maimed than with two hands going into Gehenna (Hell)."
Now that Jesus has our attention--now that we know the stakes for making it to Heaven, we can look to the choices we make in how we use our eyes, feet, and hands. Each of us has patterns of behavior, some learned, some predisposed, that can cause us to be tempted to sin. For some, it has to do with coveting or stealing; for others, it has to do with lying or spreading rumors; for others, it has to do with lust, etc. But, once we know what tempts us to sin, the next step is to determine how to protect ourselves and others. And this is where cutting things out makes sense.
For instance, if I’m tempted to drink too much, I might need to stop hanging out in my local bar or maybe even stop drinking completely. If watching certain movies, videos, etc., leads me to sin, then I might need to cut out watching those forms of entertainment. There are endless examples of what we might need to cut out of our lives, including how we think about ourselves and others. But, we aren’t doing this just for ourselves, for Jesus reminds us of the seriousness of leading the young and the vulnerable astray by our actions and words. He goes so far as to say that we would be cast into the depths of the sea weighed down by a giant millstone for leading others into sin.
So how do we make this happen? Well, it doesn’t work in the long run without the grace of God to forgive and strengthen our wills. And, to persevere, we need what Jesus refers to as salt. We need the preservative and flavor effects that salt brings to our faith life. In addition, salt also makes us thirsty. In this gospel, Jesus is encouraging us to do away with sin so that we have a vitality to our spiritual life that makes us and others thirst for the living waters and the holiness of life.
My brothers and sisters, reflecting on our own owner’s manual, what makes us tick, takes humility but leads us to root out the obstacles to walking with Jesus to Heaven.
Let’s make sure our lives are salted with God’s Word, reception of the Sacraments, and prayer that allows us to thirst for Jesus and the life He promises, exceeding anything we could ever want!
May God bless you and your families this holy day!
Father David's inspirational homily was recorded live this morning during Mass at the Father Peyton Center. Please view the video on our Facebook page. (You don't need a Facebook account to view.)
Father David S. Marcham is a priest of the Archdiocese of Boston and serves as Vice Postulator and Guild Director of the Cause for Canonization of Venerable Patrick Peyton. Before entering St. John’s Seminary in Brighton, Massachusetts, he worked for eleven years as a physical therapist in Boston-area hospitals. Ordained in 2005, Father David was assigned to St. Mary Parish in Franklin, Massachusetts. His involvement in Father Peyton’s Cause began in 2007, when he assisted Father George Lucas, C.S.C., in advancing the Cause for Canonization. Appointed Vice Postulator in 2009, Father David oversees the progress of the Cause, directs the Guild, and promotes devotion to Father Peyton’s legacy of family prayer.
