1
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time January 20, 2013
Church of St. Ignatius of Loyola
Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.
Today's readings offer a host of homily possibilities.
First, we have the visionary and rich language of the prophet Isaiah, bringing solace
and consolation to people long-suffering, comparing God's love for Israel to “swept
off his feet” love of a bridegroom for his bride. When I read this, I was reminded of a
wedding I witnessed here several years ago. I will never forget the groom looking
down the aisle at his beautiful bride, his eyes tearful with joy. That’s the kind of love
God had for Israel; it is the kind of love God has for you and for me. God takes delight
in is. And yet, like Israel, we grow forgetful. Great material to work with in Isaiah,
but I'm not going there today.
Then we have familiar gospel passage from St. John, yet another epiphany, a
manifestation of who Jesus is. This time, the manifestation takes place ay a wedding
feast, a rather common, human experience. Obviously, the people are having a great
time; after all, the wine ran out. And we see a lovely interchange between mother
and son. Here again, we see the meaning of the incarnation. The ineffable God,
mysterious, tremendous, immortal, has become incarnate in the relationships that
we know and understand so well. And we see God blessing and sanctifying the
2
relationship between man and woman, the beauty of marriage. Great material to
work with in this gospel passage, but I'm not going there today.
And so, I call your attention to the words that St. Paul wrote to the people of Corinth
nearly two millennia ago. First of all, the early Christians in Corinth were much like
us-much like us at our worst, that is. Bitterly divided, forgetful of God's unifying
love. Whose camp are you in? Are you for Paul or Apollo or Cephas? Are you
Catholic, or Protestant, or Orthodox? Are you liberal or conservative? Do you read
the NCR or First Things? Are you blue or are you red? Backbiting, name-calling,
pettiness, self-righteousness, disdain for others who are different. The words of St.
Paul remind us, in our day, of his admonition to the people of Corinth in the first
century: Do not make the all too common mistake of seeing different as bad. Do not
make the all too common mistake of discounting the spiritual gift of another because
you don't have that gift yourself. Do not belittle the one who looks different than
you, who worships differently than you, who thinks differently that you. Let your
sad divisions cease because:
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord;
there are different workings but the same God who produces all of them in every one.
It is appropriate that St. Paul’s call for unity comes on a weekend when we, as a
nation, are prompted to reflect on the call to nationhood, and when we, as
Christians, are called to reflect on the call to church unity.
3
Nearly 6 hours ago, Barack Obama took the Oath of Office once again. Amidst all the
legitimate differences about public policy and national priorities, let's pray fervently
that we might live, not out of our divisions, but that we might live out of the call to
be a people of unity, justice, and peace. Tomorrow, we celebrate our national
holiday in remembrance of Martin Luther King, one who gave his life to heal the
hideous wounds of oppression, discrimination, and division that wracked this
nation. He called for the recognition of the gifts, talents, and abilities of those who
were belittled for generations. King’s admonition in 1964 rings true today: “We
must live together as brothers or perish together as fools.”
Two days ago, on Friday, January 18, we began a weeklong call to reflect on
Christian unity. Each year the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council
for Promoting Christian Unity choose a particular theme for reflection. This year
2013 the theme is taken from the profit Micah “What does God require of us?” So
we ask ourselves, speaking through St. Paul, what did God require of the people of
Corinth? Speaking through St. Paul, what does God require of you and me?
The path to disunity and distrust is the easy path downhill. The path to unity is
uphill. And it is the latter path that God requires of us, walking past the frontiers of
familiarity to learn anew that God bestows different gifts on different people. But we
need courage to walk that path.
4
I end my comments with a quote from Sir Francis Drake. I do so not because he led
English forces in the Spanish Armada. In fact, I think the world would be a better
place if the Spanish had won. I guess that's just my Irish Catholic and French
Canadian DNA speaking. But I do so because he captures the call to courage that can
and our sad divisions as a nation, within our church, and among the churches. Drake
wrote:
Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves; when our dreams have
come true because we dreamed too little; when we arrived safely because we sailed
too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly-to venture on wider
seas where storms will show your mastery; and where losing sight of land we shall
find the stars.