Homily for Tuesday of the 3rd Week of Advent
Theme: Words Matter…
Chapel, Mount of Beatitudes
By: Deacon Bill Frere
Homily for Tuesday December 14 2021
Gospel – Matthew 21:28-32
We all have words that stick in our memory, that cement an historical moment in time. We remember where we were, what we were doing and who we were with. Ask not what your country can do for you…. I have a dream…. One small step for a man……
There are also words, very personal and specific ones, whose meaning transcends and transforms. That moment, after years of disagreement over the morality of the Vietnam War, when my Dad said to me – I was wrong. Those 2 simple words – I do – when Ginger and I were married. Or that “and with your Spirit” I shared with Bishop Kane at the end of my ordination as a permanent deacon.
Words! They matter! They are important, yes! But what matters more is what happens after they are spoken. Whether it’s the world or my life or my purpose, something changes! It has to; otherwise those words are meaningless and empty. My relationship with my Dad changed so much for the better afterwards! My life as a husband began and we moved forward in life together. And that Sign of Peace with the Bishop was the beginning of a ministry, not simply words recited from memory. What matters most is how we act on our words, what we do!
We celebrate today the Feast of St. John of the Cross. In recognition of his mystical writings; The Dark Night of the Soul, Ascent of Mount Carmel, Spiritual Canticle, and Living Flame of Love, he was declared a Doctor of the Church in 1926. His words continue to inspire and challenge us even today.
The Gospel today makes it quite clear with the story of the 2 sons. One says ‘yes’ to his father and then does not follow through. The other says ‘no’ and then later changes his mind! We can talk all day, say what we think the other person wants to hear. But, in the end, what matters most is our actions, how we follow through on our words.
Every Mass there is a point where we all profess the Creed, a concise profession of our faith. But is it mere words on a page? Is it simply words that we spew out and then continue on with the Mass? Yes, those words matter. But matters most is how we act on them, how we carry them out in our lives, how we live out our Faith!
Deacon Bill Frere