July 8, 2018 - Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

"There's Work Behind the Scenes"

Audio Clip

Growing up as a kid who loved anything to do with sports, one of my earliest memories was lining up on the playground with my classmates to see who could run the fastest --- in our case, who was the Hampden Meadows Elementary School version of Usain Bolt, known today as the world's fastest human --- I love that title!  We didn't do anything special to prepare, we did what kids liked to do --- we just ran, we were having fun.

But, for Usain Bolt, running as fast as you can is a different thing altogether --- it's his dream, his mission --- some may say, his responsibility.  What goes unnoticed, is what is required for him to be successful, to be a champion, to be known as the world's fastest human. Usain explains it this way --- Competition is the easy part.  Behind the scenes is where all the work is done. I think a lot of people just see you run and they say, "Oh, it looks so easy --- effortless." But, before it gets to that point it's hard, it's hard work.  It's day-in, day-out sacrifice. The day when you get up and you know what you have in training today. There's going to be pain there. Like, "Oh God, I don't want to go today, but you gotta go."

In today's Gospel, St. Mark describes the scene as a different hero returns to his family and friends in Nazareth.  Accompanied by His disciples, Jesus had come home to deliver the spiritual gifts of His annunciation --- the revelation that the Old Testament promise of a Jewish Messiah was alive, and He was one of them.   Jesus' family and friends, and generations of Israelites before them, had waited for their savior to reveal Himself, yet once He did, in the person of Jesus, they were almost resentful. Why?

Their behavior reveals the great imagery of what the Messiah and salvation were expected to be.  Theirs' were earthly concepts in which the Messiah was only human and salvation addressed only their current age.  The two thousand year-old dream was that the Messiah would be a charismatic, brilliant military leader who would establish Jerusalem and the Jewish faith as a powerful force in the world.  Understandably, how the "carpenter's son", as they referred to Jesus, would be capable of such a grand accomplishment was beyond their understanding and greater than anything they could have imagined.  Little did they know the work that would go on behind the scenes and the price the Messiah would have to pay!

This leads us back to the subject of hard work and sacrifice.  Surely, at least at one point in our lives, we've all faced what appeared to be a monumental challenge --- something we feared we may not be able to accomplish or overcome, something which seemed beyond our control.  Perhaps this visit to Nazareth was one of these moments for Jesus. These were many of the people who Jesus knew and loved the most, and they ridiculed and rejected Him. It must have been a crushing blow to His confidence --- because scripture tells us that Jesus "was amazed at their lack of faith."  The thought which must have crossed His mind was --- "If they won't listen to Me here, how will I reach anyone else?"

During moments like these, when doubt can overpower our will, it's best to raise our mind and heart to God in prayer.  Prayer may be the best way for us to exercise and to strengthen our soul. The more we pray, the better conditioned our soul is to endure trials and to hear the voice of God.  We heard that St. Paul did this during his imprisonment, and Our Father responded to him by saying, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weaknesses . . . . '  And, as Ezekiel prayed we learned, "the Lord spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet." Jesus certainly knew and experienced the power of prayer --- during everyday life and especially during moments of trial.  I'm confident that this was a prayerful moment for Jesus, and I believe the Father answered Jesus, by providing the two things required for His success.

First, Jesus received the grace to trust and to be obedient to His mission.  The greatest football coach of all-time, not Bill Belichick, but Vince Lombardi, who by the way was a staunch Catholic and a daily communicant, would have coached up Jesus with these words which he spoke years ago, "When we place our dependence in God, we are unencumbered, and we have no worry.  (In fact, we may even be reckless, insofar as our part in the production is concerned.) This confidence, this sureness of action, is both contagious and an aid to the perfect action. This is in the hands of God --- and this is the same God (, gentlemen,) who has won all His battles up to now."

And, second, quite frankly, Jesus received the grace to work his tail off.  Coach Lombardi expressed its' importance this way, "Success, like anything, has a price .  . . work, sacrifice, competitive drive, selflessness and respect for authority is the price that every one of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile."

And, this is what Jesus did --- He was obedient to the Father and gave everything He had, including His life on a cross for victory.  In matters of faith and of life, Jesus is our model. Trust Jesus and understand that our happiness and salvation is achieved through prayer, hard work and discipline --- yours' and His!  With this, our lives become examples for others who may be searching for Jesus, not even aware that they are working toward their own redemption.

This is not to say that there is only toil in salvation --- I think we've all found that by following Jesus, we enjoy a life of greater purpose and contentment when even the small moments, like hearing from an old friend or the memory of a special event, are pleasurable because they mark the presence of God in our lives.  Our ultimate victory starts with Jesus and we have every right to be hopeful in the outcome. Believe that eternal life is won for those who share in Jesus' mission. Our Catholic faith promises that if we live as He did in this world, we will live as He does in the next world!

Let us pray.  Lord Jesus, please give us the grace to recognize your presence in all we meet and to share our love with them, Your blessed children .  And, in our moments of doubt, please give us the grace to reach out to you for greater faith and strength so we may do our best to share in your mission of obedience and self-sacrifice.  We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.