Weekly HOMILY for September 5, 2010: Becoming a Disciple

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle C
St. Mark, Fallston
September 5, 2010


By (Rev. Msgr.) Nicholas P. Amato


THE GULL

Recently I read of an incident of a family visiting Niagara Falls. It was late March, and blocks of ice were rushing down the river.

“I could see that there were carcasses of dead fish embedded in some of the ice blocks. On some you could see Sea Gulls actually riding down the river on the blocks of ice, feeding on the fish.

“As they came to the brink of the falls, their wings would fan out, and they would fly away and escape.

“At one point my eyes became fixed on one solitary Gull that seemed to delay its escape at the precipice.

“It seemed so engrossed in the carcass of the fish, that when it finally came to the brink of the falls, out went its powerful wings.

“The bird flapped and flapped and tried to lift the chunk of ice out of the buoyant water, but it had delayed too long. Its claws had become frozen into the ice.

“The weight of the ice was too great and the Gull plunged into the abyss below.”


JESUS AND LETTING GO

In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to do what the Gull failed to do.

He calls us to let go of, to “turn our back on … self, family, and possessions.” At first hearing, this sounds like an outlandish idea, and so we may discount it as mere overstatement or hyperbole.

We need to understand Jesus’ words carefully and the story of the unfortunate Sea Gull can be an aid in doing so.

To begin with Jesus is talking about what it means to be a disciple, a wholehearted follower of his. He is saying that self-image, family, or possessions can all be good, as the fish in the ice are good for the growth of the Gull.

But there comes a point in the flow of our own lives of faith that we need let go – not get frozen in the ice – of a lifestyle or frozen in the things that define us like self-image, family and possessions, and take a dramatic stand to let go if that is what moving forward demands.

And Jesus wants us to live with the expectation that this will indeed happen over and over.


THREE CASES OF LETTING GO

The letting go at the right time to be a true follower of Jesus can take many forms.

Sometimes we are called to let go from speaking and asserting ourselves. Voicing our opinions may be all well and good, but sometimes we need to let go of them so someone else can speak and be heard deeply.

Sometimes we may just need to take in another’s words and listen carefully for the frustration of a spouse or the loneliness of an aging parent and see things from their point of view.

Or right now in these very weeks many of our young adults are letting go of their families in a very real way as they leave the nest for college and they’re doing that as a way of taking the next stop in developing themselves as persons and more of the gifts God has given them.

Consciously or not they are following the Lord’s calling

Or parents might let go of going out to dinner to that expensive restaurant they’ve wanted to try.

No question it is good to get together and give this a try, but they may hold off doing this so then can buy the new jeans or sneakers for their daughter who has outgrown her present ones.

So they let it go for the wellbeing of their child.

Maybe we Americans in general need to let go of some of our expectations. Several authors are telling us that the world is shifting and we can no longer expect lifestyle we have been accustomed to.

So perhaps we let go of some of our expectations that were good and legitimate.

But we do this in the spirit of finding happiness and peace through more of an inner life and inner communion with God than in constantly having more and more.


CONCLUSION

All these examples are real life discipleship.

Jesus calls us not to be like that sea gull that just held on too long and got frozen in place.

He’s saying that sometimes we have to let go even of things that are good and we do this to respond to what he is calling us to do right now.

In our very hearing of this Gospel this morning, it is as if Jesus has placed us at the precipice (stand on tiptoe at the top step.)

Our time, like the Sea Gull’s, has run out. What is your decision?

Inaction will only take you over the Falls!