Thursday, June 29, 2017

Daily HOMILY for June 20, 2017: Tuesday in the 11th Week of Ordinary Time, Cycle A


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Tuesday 11th Week OT
St. Mary’s Pylesville
June 20, 2017
HELLO, MY NAME IS… +++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  “Hello, my name is Nicholas and I’m a perfectionist”
Ø  Sounds like an AA 12-Step Group!
Ø  The very last words of Jesus in today’s Gospel are: “Be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect”
Ø  Now that is challenging. Will we ever get to that point?
Ø  The answer: Of course not!
Ø  At least not in the way that we usually think of perfection – as having no defect, as being sinless, as being completely good
UNDERSTANDING PERFECTION ++++++++++++++++++
Ø  A Catholic theologian, Richard Rohr, offers an insight & a different way to understand Js’ words
Ø  He says, “If there is such a thing as human perfection, it seems to emerge precisely from how we handle the imperfection that is everywhere, especially our own”
Ø  A ‘perfect’ person is 1 who can forgive and include imperfection — as God does —rather than 1 who thinks they R above & beyond imperfection”
APPLICATION ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  Father Rohr’s insight is that Jesus calls us to holiness, to goodness
Ø  And J’s call to perfection gets fulfilled in R acceptance of imperfection w/i ourselves & others
Ø  This acceptance of imperfection leads us 2
o   A right relationship w/ G
o   A realistic sense of self, & to
o   A love of others that J talks about in the Gospel
CONCLUSION ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Ø  The burden of perfectionism is lifted
Ø  And my own inadequacies become a place for Jesus’ saving grace to be operative
Ø  Only then am I on the way to my being perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect!

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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