Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Mass Celebrated by Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Patrick’s Cathedral, Melbourne,
on Sunday, 18th September, 2005, at 11.00am

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The ways of God are infinitely above our thoughts. We are presented in the Readings today with the overwhelming generosity of God in forgiving us, calling us to him and allowing us, as latecomers in the world’s history, to share the full knowledge of God, made human, and the transformation of our lives and attitudes, which he alone can make. We indeed have come to be transformed.

Let us call to mind our sins, that we may be open to his grace.

Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Regularly during this time of the year I visit young people and celebrate Confirmation. Often they will tell me that Confirmation represents a chance to commit themselves to Jesus Christ, to be disciples rather than mere members of the Church. Our discussion then leads on to the fact that Confirmation is a meeting with God and it is God’s initiative, which transforms and gives life.

As the Gospel has told us, so often we can see that we have tried hard in our life, have been faithful and regular, and every now and then we see God welcome with startling results people who have had very lurid lives, who have not been faithful and who have come back to God. This challenges us to remember two things.

First, that God is limitless in his love and in the care he bestows to the most unexpected and in the challenge he gives to us. Second, we too are challenged as to whether we are mere members of a Church, of an establishment, of an organisation, or whether in fact we are disciples of Jesus Christ. Pope Benedict recently told our young people in Cologne, “Seek for Jesus Christ and allow him to lead your life.”

This gift of God is called grace. It is his free call and support to the proud, the needy, the grateful, the resentful, the humble and haughty. It comes as a gift because it has been lovingly achieved for us undeserving sinners through the costly sacrifice of Jesus, an innocent Son of God and a brother. It comes without stinting because of the priceless gift of Jesus’ cross.

The German theologian, Dietrich Bonhoffer, explains that this “grace” from God lies in the fact that the account has been paid in advance and because it has been paid everything can be had without cost on our part, since the cost for Jesus was infinite the possibilities of living it are also infinite. We might bristle at the seeming unfairness of this and yet it is both free and wonderful whilst also tremendously challenging.

To be a disciple of Jesus means not to look at others, but to look at Christ, to see that we are invited with him to go to the crosses of our daily life; the sufferings we have, the times when others are chosen instead of us, the failures of our efforts, the mistakes that we make, the physical and emotional battles that remain unfought.

In the words of the Psalm we remember the Lord is near to those who call him. In listening to his word we remember the distinction between being mere adherents to a creed and to being grace-filled disciples. We can be members of a Church like good citizens, we can experience the heartwarming kindness of others, but we can lose sight of Jesus’ vision, “I have come that they may have life and have it to the full” - Jesus giving himself completely for sinners. Jesus on the other hand said go and make disciples of all nations.

It means that when we are followers of Jesus our responsibility is not only to form ourselves through prayer and faithfulness to his word, but to be in love with one who gave himself to the cross and spread the importance of that love and that cross to other people. Discipleship is recognising that Christ is in the centre of both personal and public life and living out a journey for membership to discipleship, to being passionate followers of Jesus.

For us it means a vision of who Jesus is, of what difference his life makes to us and what difference through us he will make to the world. “Open our hearts, O Lord, that we may listen to the words of your Son.” We call to the Lord who is the salvation of his people, delivering us from every trial, being our God forever.

May he find us as disciples, inspired and challenged by him, generous in bringing his knowledge and the excitement of his love as followers to others.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne.