Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

Homily Video

Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time Homily Transcript

>>A guy goes to a pet shop to buy a canary. He buys the canary, bring the canary home, take the cover off the cage, he notices the canary’s got one leg. He says, “This is nuts. I want my money back.”

So the next day, he brings the canary back to the pet shop owner and says, “Hey buddy, I bought this canary from you yesterday, but I demand my money back. The canary’s got one leg.”

And the pet shop owner said, “What did you want, a singer or a dancer?”

[laughter]

I like that one. I never fail to amuse myself.

The pet shop owner missed the whole point. The little boy in the following story does not miss the whole point.

A large truck got wedged in an underpass in a small western town. He couldn’t go forward or backward. Traffic was lined up for miles. Officials were at a loss at what to do.

Finally, a little boy who had been watching all the while said to one of the officials, “Hey mister, you want to know how to get that truck loose? Just let a little air out of the tires.” The officials did and it worked.

There’s some times in life we miss the obvious. We think we have all the answers, but we are really asleep behind the wheel called life.

Many times, we’ll ask someone, “Do you see what I’m saying?” “Do you see my point?” to ask these questions is really asking the question: do you understand?

How many times have we said to someone, “Didn’t you hear what I just said?” or still better, “Are you deaf or something?” didn’t you hear what I just said? Or- are you deaf? Can really be translated as: don’t you understand?

In today’s beautiful gospel the deaf man hears and understands what others cannot. The word spoken by God.

Today’s gospel is really our story. In some ways, each of us is the deaf man brought before Jesus. This miracle story is not necessarily to tell us what Jesus did, but rather who He is. It is in knowing the Lord that we come to understand who we are and precisely in discovering who we are that we discover God.

Jesus is what we have all been called to become. Touched by the Lord we give witness. Let’s wake up. Listen up. Let’s open our ears. Ephphatha – be opened. Opened to life’s possibilities. Opened to God’s presence to life. For life is a mystery to be lived and not a problem to be solved.

And we live these words from Saint Francis de sales: do not fear what may happen tomorrow, the same loving Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day. Either He will shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts. Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts.

Readings

First Reading:

Isaiah 35:4-7a

Second Reading:

James 2:1-5

Gospel:

Mark 7:31-37

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