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The Homily of the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Mass Fr. Kimm Have you ever been in a church with padded pews or padded chairs? Some churches, especially newer ones, do have them but most older churches, like ours, do not. Things could be worse. As anyone who have traveled around Europe will tell you, many if not most worshipers there are forced not only to sit on flat wooden benches but also to kneel on kneelers that are nothing more than wooden boards--no padding there either. And traditional Orthodox churches typically have no seating; everyone stands during the entire service, even if goes on for hours. In a way, the lack of comfortable seating in Christian churches is appropriate. It can remind us of an important truth: following Jesus is not meant to be comfortable. Some people who call themselves Christians are under the impression that practicing their faith consists only of some quiet moments of prayer, receiving a sacrament or two, and listening to words of consolation and encouragement. Anyone with this kind of idea is sadly mistaken. As Jesus makes clear to the would-be disciples in our gospel reading, following him is very often uncomfortable, inconvenient, unpleasant, even painful. Yes, there will be talk of sin--because sin exists in our world and in our hearts and we still need Jesus to save us from it. Yes, there will be the demand for sacrifice--because just as Jesus gave his life on the cross, he expects us to give up our time, our money, our pride, our own goals and ambitions, all for the sake of God's kingdom. And yes, there will be the constant call to work--because Jesus' work is not done and it's up to us to continue it by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, defending the oppressed, finding peaceful solutions to conflict, spreading the good news, and making the parish a vibrant, thriving community. Following Jesus is not easy. If we're feeling comfortable, we're following somebody else.
13th Sun. O.T. (C) June 30-July 1, 2007 (see Luke 9:51-62 ) <回總年份目錄 Year Menu>
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