Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Sunday Mass - Jun 30, 2019 - Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Fr. Scott Donahue
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Homily Video

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily Transcript

The gospel today is really about priorities and priorities in life, what is truly important. It gives us time to pause and reflect what really is important in our lives. This past March I celebrated an out-of-town wedding. I took the Blue Line back and it’s just a couple blocks from here. And I got off and it was, in March it was cold, it was wintry, it was about seven o’clock at night. I had my carry-on luggage with me and I’m walking over to Mercy. There was snow on the ground and it was really bitterly cold and I could see ahead of me on the platform about a block. He had gotten off at a car ahead, was one of our young men, Jamal. And I knew it was Jamal, he’s a wonderful young man. He is actually the president of our student council here at Mercy home. But I identified him by this terrible limp that he has. He has some physical disabilities. He has wonderful joy. And so I’m doing my darnedest to try to catch up to him, pulling my luggage and reflecting on him and thinking about his life, thinking a bit about his disability. And I caught up with him and it was just one of those wonderful moments and I’m following and all of a sudden I got a tremendous, tremendous cramp in my leg. Tremendous cramp. And I couldn’t walk. I don’t know if it was psychosomatic. I don’t know if it was because I was thinking about Jamal, but the truth of the matter is, I couldn’t walk and Jamal noticed it and I became the priority. He took my carry-on and was pulling it through the snow. I said, “Jamal no” but I needed help. I couldn’t do it on my own. “Are you all right Father?” I said, “I don’t know.” I did not know what was going on. And so we walked together very slowly back to Mercy Home. He made me his priority, to get me home, to make sure that I was okay. Priorities in life. The gospel forces us, invites us, to think what are the priorities in our lives. Jesus is pretty clear about that. The gospels are very clear about it. What are the priorities? Love of God and love of neighbor. They go hand in glove together. I had a wonderful experience, although a bit painful on that March night coming back to Mercy Home. Feeling and knowing that I was a priority of one of the young people here who appreciates the home, who is grateful for all that we do, who is putting the gospel into action. Jamal loves God. He loves his neighbor. He loves Mercy Home.

Readings

First Reading:

1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21

Second Reading:

Galatians 5:1, 13-18

Gospel:

Luke 9:51-62

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