Homily; Thursday 28th Week In Ordinary Time (Year I) Saints John de Brebeuf / Isaac Jogues
THEME: Persistence
Wailing Wall, Jerusalem
Gospel – Luke 11:47-54
As a teacher I can’t begin to count the number of times I had to repeat myself in the classroom. You spend half the class going over all the details of a project – due date, requirements, focus, format, bullet point after bullet point, even examples of what I expect. And then, when all is done and I am ready to move on to class notes for the day, it never fails! A student raises their hand! “So when is this due?” Was anyone listening? Don’t you get it? Sometimes it’s like beating your head against a (wailing?) wall!
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That is exactly what we hear in today’s Gospel! I don’t think I realized, until these past couple of days, how extended of a discourse Jesus had with the Pharisees. It was not just a one shot and done. He went on and on at length, repeating what hypocrites they were and chastising them because their actions were at such odds with their teachings. He condemns them for demanding strict observance of the Law from the people but they themselves flaunt the Law in their own lives. Time and time again His harsh language calls them out as hypocrites. He tells them, in no uncertain terms, that the blood of the prophets from the foundation of the world will be on their hands! Once was certainly not enough!
God speaks to us every single day in so many different and varied ways. In the cry for help from that migrant child on the street! In the eyes of our little girl asking for help with their homework! In the tears of a friend in need! In the pain of a parent suffering through their final illness! In the suffering and bloodshed and lives lost from a senseless attack on a hospital! Are we listening? Does He have to repeat Himself? How many times before we listen? Does He have to yell before we hear Him above all the noise in our lives?
We celebrate today Saints John de Brebeuf and Isaac Jogues, Jesuit missionaries and martyrs from the 17th Century who worked tirelessly for over 3 years in the New World. They and their companions endured incredible hardships and persecutions as they strived to spread the Gospel message. From the world’s perspective, their work may seem entirely unproductive. But they were persistent and insistent and in the eyes of the Lord, the rewards are eternal. Even if we have to be reminded over and over again, do we hear His word? Do we respond? Do we put His words into action?
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