Question 135

HOMILY:
THE WORD OF GOD IS HIS PLAN FOR ALL BASIC DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN LIFE

Weekday Homily 23 July 10

Jer 3:14-17 Ps Jer 31:10-13 Mt 13:18-23

 Fr. Matthew Habiger OSB

THE WORD OF GOD IS HIS PLAN FOR ALL BASIC DIMENSIONS OF HUMAN LIFE

Jesus explains the meaning of the parable of the sower and the seed.  The seed is the Word of God, and that is the same as saying God’s plan for the basic dimensions of human life.  God has a plan for how people are to live together in peace and harmony.  God has a plan for marriage, for spousal love and for family.  He has a plan for the single life, for religious life, and for the priesthood.

Jesus came to teach us his plan for living a good human life.  Whether or not that plan takes effect in our lives and succeeds, depends upon our openness to that plan, our receptivity, and our willingness to embrace that plan and commit ourselves to it.

This year is the 50^th anniversary of the Pill.  The pharmaceuticals and radical feminists extol the merits of the Pill to the heavens.  The Pill separates sex from fertility, and places a barrier between love and life.  It gives women greater control over their fertility, and allows them to pursue a career.

But the Pill goes completely contrary to God’s plan for marriage, spousal love and family.  Now we have a 50% divorce rate, and couples don’t know what it means to make an irrevocable commitment, “until death do us part.”  Now we have couples who are afraid to make the total gift of themselves to each other, which includes their fertility.  Now we have many children who bear the scars of divorced parents, or live in single parent families, or have two mommies or two daddies.

The Pill has affected the priesthood and religious life.  As I travel around this country I discover that there are very small ordination classes, and a small number of these men are native sons.  Our families and our parishes are not producing vocations.  They are sterile.  Instead, we look to Africa, India and the Philippines for priests to serve us.  In religious communities you find many retired members (I refer to them as our three legged members), and very few full time employed members.  Communities cannot support themselves; they must rely more and more upon donations and fundraisers.

What is the solution?  May the Lord find more “sowers of the Word,” men and women who will boldly proclaim God’s plan for marriage, spousal love, family, and how people are to order their lives together.  May the word of God, and the plan of God be proclaimed clearly, and applied to our times.

In the first reading, God speaks through his prophet Jeremiah thus: “Return, O faithless children, says the Lord; for I am your master….  And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding” (Jer 3: 14-15). 

May the Lord embolden his priests and religious, and all faithful Catholics today to clearly proclaim his Word, his great plan for every important dimension of human life.  And may we hear God’s word, God’s plan, and then commit ourselves to keeping it alive and operative in our lives.

May we all become hearers of the Word, doers of the Word, and confident proclaimers of the Word.