Homily for 17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Ahhh – summer is here. A time of sunshine, sand, surf, and short homilies. And today, I thought I would chat about something that is not immediately obvious.
Our second reading today was from Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Our second reading last week was from Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. Our second reading the week before that was from Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. It’s OK if you didn’t notice it. It is kind of subtle. Like the letter ‘b’ in subtle.
And it is also OK if sometime later this weekend you go back into your Missalette and re-read those passages. Or even grab your bible and read the whole letter to the Ephesians. You can do it in the sun. Near the sand and surf.
The Ephesians were a proud people. There was great wealth in the city, and those Ephesians sure knew how to exercise power… or how to be on the receiving end of power. In fact, they were known for being pretty sharp about the things of their world. Knew how to get along with the Roman army, to control the temple worship to the god Artemus. And they knew how to use power to coerce people and events.
In many ways, not that different from the world that you and I live in.
And Paul knew this very well in his writings to them. A few weeks back we heard parts of chapters 1 to 3 of his letter. We heard that we are children of God, That we are adopted into God’s family. That we are loved by God, and we are recipients of the boundless riches in Christ Jesus… In chapters 1-3, Paul reminds them (and us) of their calling. This week, Paul then moves to put that calling into action. He reminds them, and us, that being a Christian is not merely a way of believing… but a way of living…
And here is an important point. In his letter, he tells them that God is not saying “if you obey me, then you will be blessed”. Rather, God is saying to us …. “you are blessed, so now in response to my love and grace, here is how to live.”
Notice that God’s love, God’s blessing comes first. God’s love and blessings are not dependent on you getting your act together first… It is not shape up… and the riches of Christ will be yours… Rather, it is the riches of Christ are yours, so now be shaped in new ways of living by that truth.
And then Paul gives us some powerful and insightful words to help us in our practical, day to day living. He asks them, and he asks us, to “lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
So, in the midst of the busy-ness of this summer season, take some quiet time to reflect, maybe even while you sit in the sun, feet in the sand, with the sound of surf in your ears …. of what it means for you to
lead a life worthy of your calling
with humility
with gentleness,
with patience,
with love.