Homily for the week of August 20, 2009

TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, B 2009

First Reading: Wisdom 2:12, 17–20

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 54:3–4, 5, 6–8

Second Reading: James 3:16 — 4:3

Gospel: Mark 9:30–37

Many of our parishioners are correction officers or have some connection with prison work. Perhaps the last story you want to hear is about prisoners. Regardless, considering the Bible readings for today I want to mention the following which I heard while I was at an assembly of students in one of the Watertown Catholic schools. After the principal was certain that a man who had served many years in prison due to embezzlement and had no restrictions in being with children, he was invited to speak to the Middle Grades students. His talk was intended to persuade these students not to end up where he had been. Much of what he said was predictable. He told stories of violence, boredom and loneliness. But he made one point that no one had anticipated. And more than any other, it seemed to strike home among the students who talked about it later. He described prison as A WORLD WITHOUT CHILDREN. He spoke of what it was like to go for 15 years without ever seeing a child, or anything belonging to a child. He never saw a toy. He never heard a little girl's squeals of delight. He never heard a little boy's laughter. He indicated that the thing he missed most in prison was the presence of children, and is own children.

I would have never guessed this. Ordinarily, we think of children needing us. But this ex-con was saying that we also need them. Children are so much part of our world that we take them for granted. Sometimes we are even bothered by them. But their very presence helps to keep life in balance. Can you imagine how lifeless a Mass would be without children of every age with us as Mass?

Jesus understood children very well. When his disciples were arguing and quarrelling among themselves as to who was the most important, what does Jesus do? He brings them back to the real world, and turns their thoughts from nonsense things to things that really matter.

Jesus responds by giving them a one sentence summary of what importance really means and how to get it. He brought a child to them and said: WHOEVER RECEIVES ONE CHILD SUCH AS THIS IN MY NAME RECEIVES ME; AND WHOEVER RECEIVES ME, RECEIVES NOT MEBUT THE ONE WHO SENT ME. Only Jesus would have thought of this. The jealous disciples were nursing their broken egos. Instead of lecturing them about their silliness, he told them to make room in their live for children. That short sermon of one sentence had more impact than any sermon he could have preached. Children have a way of putting life in perspective.

Children teach us humility. Children are not impressed with college degrees or whether or not you finished high school as valedictorian, or how many touchdowns you made; they don't care about how many honors you got; they are not interested in the kind of car you drive, or where you live, or how much money you have in the bank, or even the size of your pay check.

What children want to know is whether we are warm, and real and loving. Do we know how to smile with our eyes as well as our mouth? Can they believe in us? Can they depend on us? Will we accept them or reject them, help them or hurt them? A little boy is not concerned about what position his father holds where he works. What concerns him most is whether his father has time to play or to read a book. A little girl may be pleased that her mother is beautiful. But that does not matter unless her mother is also gentle, kind and patient.

Of course children are very naive. They have a lot of learning and maturing to do. But often in some areas their feel for life is better than ours. As I mentioned, they are not impressed with our fame or our fortune. For them the key word is LOVE. When we welcome children into our lives they do teach us humility. Without knowing it, they teach us what really matters.

Children have a long period of dependence on us. Someone must take care of them for years, or children will not survive. When we welcome children into our live we are committing ourselves to a helping role. This requires us to forget ourselves and look for the needs of others.

I wonder if the disciples of Jesus knew what he was talking about. The disciples wanted to start at the top. But Jesus reverses that order and starts at the bottom with the worst and the least, namely a child. In the time of Jesus a child was a nobody. Two thousand years ago in a very poor country like Palestine, a child could be more of a burden than a blessing, another mouth to feed when there ws never enough food. The infant death rate sometimes reached 30% of live births, and 60% of children were dead by the age of 16. Child abuse was almost a religious ritual in the Old Testament. Abraham came within an inch of killing his beloved son Isaac thinking that God wanted him to do so. Jephthah promised that he would sacrifice the first one who would come to meet him when he returned home after winning a battle. Sad to say, he kept his promise against his daughter who rushed out to greet him.

So with this history of child abuse ingrained in the Jewish culture it came to a shock that Jesus would place a child in their midst and tell them: WHOEVER RECEIVES A CHILD SUCH AS THIS IN MY NAME, RECEIVES ME.

Several years ago, there was a movie THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING, THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING. The story is about a Russian submarine that had some mechanical problem. It surfaced at the dock of a small American fishing village. The villagers and the Russians were both afraid of each other. They stood facing each other with guns in hand. Just then the tension was broken by a cry for help. A young boy, wanting a better view had climbed the church steeple A railing broke and left him dangling 50 or 60 feet in the air. Soon national and political differences were forgotten. All put down their guns, and Americans and Russians worked side by side to save the boy.

This story is only make believe. But it points to one question: WHY NOT? We need to commit ourselves to saving children, not only the unborn but those recently born, those who are eager to know what is right and wrong; children who become excited when they hear stories about Jesus, or those who do things that Jesus would do. Children do not need guns or bullets. They need food and shelter, schools and playgrounds, loving and kind teachers.

This is catechetical weekend in which we pray for and promise to give our prayers and assistance to all those who in one way or other teach children and help them to grow knowing Jesus, the loving teacher. Each of us today have received an invitation from Jesus to support, protect and assist children, those least among us with whom Jesus identifies. This is the last weekend to register for religious education. We are fortunate to have dedicated teachers and others who teach and assist in our religious education program. While I thank those who already assist in this program, I am inviting, and asking today, many of you to volunteer to become part of the program. I pray that some of you will talk to me about it. Children needs SOWERS OF GOD'S PEACE. They may be inviting you.