22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Celebrated By Archbishop Denis Hart
at Saint Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne
on Sunday, 3rd September at 11.00am

Introduction

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Before God each of us is worth only what our heart is worth and from the heart should proceed that worship which our whole existence should offer to God.  God has to be at the centre.

In the liturgy tonight we ask ourselves, do we live every day in love, in faith and know God’s constant care as we live in his presence?

Homily

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

In the Gospel we have just read Jesus draws the distinction between the prescriptions of the Jewish law and the observance of these simply to fulfil the law and the need to have our hearts fixed on God. 

There can be some extraordinary laws.  For example, in the United States, in Texas it is illegal to put graffiti on someone else’s cow.  It is against the law in Kansas to catch fish with your bare hands.  In Washington it is illegal to catch a fish by throwing a rock at it.  In Alabama dominoes may not be played on Sunday.  In Alabama also it is illegal to wear a fake moustache that causes laughter in church.  In Athens in Greece the law can remove a driver’s licence if the driver is deemed poorly dressed or unbathed. 

Yet, the author of Deuteronomy and Mark give us a lesson on the true significance of law.  What God expresses to us in the Ten Commandments and the Laws of the Church is God’s gift and God’s Word that has the power to save, as Saint James says in the second Reading.

Fundamentally, the Law taught Israelites how to live with each other in God’s presence.  It brought about some common purpose as against our conflicting ideals.  The Jews’ faithful observance of the Law, which was reverenced as the will of God for them would lead them to life, as the author of Deuteronomy points out.

The relationship between God and ourselves is spelt out well in the liturgy; that we are filled with love for God and increased in our faith.  Or, as the Psalm says, that we will live in the presence of the Lord as just people, that we are shaped by God’s message of truth to be the first people to live as his creation.

The Mass promises us God’s plan for us, just as Jesus was faithful to his Father and went generously forward, even to death and then to resurrection.  Jesus’ love of his Father was limitless.  He even said, ‘my meet is to do the will of my Father who sent me’.

In Baptism and in Confirmation each of us is sent out to be a witness to the resurrection of Jesus and to allow his life to shine strongly in our life and to influence others.  Living in someone’s presence means that all our words and deeds are open to that person.  Living in God’s presence means that God shapes us.  His word is planted in us and can save our souls.  The challenge is to put it into practice and not just to listen to it.  Saint James even sees the follower of Jesus above all as someone who is alert to other people’s needs and has a true spiritual purpose.

The Commandments of God are indeed the guide given by a loving Father who wants us to attain our final purpose, wants us to keep our eyes fixed on him who gave himself that we might have life and then to imitate that giving in our being ready to assist others; a two-fold vision of God and his plan and its reflection in others, a two-fold action of prayer and praise of God and seeking in thankfulness to be the instruments of his goodness to our brothers and sisters.  This is the purpose of God’s Commandments, of the Laws of the Church, of the Word of God, upon which we have just reflected.

+ Denis J. Hart,
Archbishop of Melbourne