"Talitha, Talitha" - The 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reflections on the Revised Draft:
I owe a nod to author Max Lucado. The refrain in this homily (A Savior we can trust, a God we can touch) is taken from the subtitle of his recent book which I highly recommend, "Next Door Savior".
I also feel compelled to share with my readers something of the background to the way in which this homily developed. All week I've agonized over the plight of a young couple I know who just discovered that, of the twins they were expecting to be born of their love, one of the babies in the womb, a little girl, has died.
Each time I engaged these readings this week, the image of this young couple came to mind. They are individuals of exceptional faith, yet this tragedy is beyond words and I ask all of you to pray for their perseverance.
This is the reason why I chose to use a scene from marriage preparation in the opening section of the homily. I sincerely believe in the powerful grace present in the Sacrament of Marriage. And I pray that the power of Christ will enfold the young couple of faith now caught up in such a tragic loss.
May they know that their little girl is asleep in the arms of Mary our Mother. And soon she will hear the voice of her Lord calling to her, "Talitha, Talitha, it's time to wake up."
(Second Draft)
Homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Summer is a popular time for weddings.
So, I’m thinking about getting a subscription
to Bride’s Magazine.
Why?
Well, it might help me understand
the surprised looks I get from engaged couples
when they come to my office
and the first I say to them is:
“Susie, Steve. I’m so happy for you
and I’m honored to witness your marriage vows.
But, before we talk about the Sacrament of Marriage,
tell me about your reception.”
It’s not what they expect to hear from their pastor.
It’s then I’ll reach over
and tap the cover of Bride’s Magazine and say,
“You have a lot on your plate right now, don’t you?”
And they’ll smile and nod and say something like,
“Never before
have we ever had to keep so many people happy
all at the same time.”
______________
Putting on a wedding is a big deal.
And I want them to know
that I appreciate their current preoccupation
with putting on a big reception.
The reception is important.
It’s very important.
And it’s not only important to them,
it’s also important to Christ.
And it’s at this point in the conversation
that I remind them that Jesus’ first miracle
as recorded in the Gospel of John
was to make sure that a wedding reception
in a village called Cana went off without a hitch.
I then retell the story about the wine running low at the banquet
and how, at Mary’s urging, Jesus
changed ordinary water into vintage wine
just so a certain young couple wouldn’t be embarrassed
in front of their guests on their wedding day.
It’s my fervant hope
that the engaged couple sitting in my office,
will begin to believe, and I mean really believe,
that Christ is a savior they can trust,
that God is close…close enough to touch.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t pertain to
the things on your plate,
the items on your list
and the worries on your mind?
This is where faith takes root
and starts to grow.
It is highly important that faith takes root
at this point so that,
a year or two from now,
after hours of labor in the delivery room
and nights without sleep
and countless diapers
and, perhaps, months of colic,
that same young couple
will hear the words of God
at Mass some Sunday morning
and know that God is speaking directly to them
when they hear familiar verses from the Bible such as:
“Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not insist on its own way.”
Or again:
“What mother can ever forget
the child of her womb.”
Or again:
“What father among you would hand his son a scorpion
when he asks for piece of bread?
These are words about God.
These are words about us.
These are words about God living with us!
So, understand this: Jesus’ idea of religion
can’t be separated from things like
a young woman paging through Bride’s Magazine
or wedding guests sitting at a banquet table
or the grubby hands of a little boy
reaching for a peanut butter sandwich.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t relate to the stuff we do
and the things we think are important?
This is where our friendship with Christ takes root:
right there in
the items on our lists,
the food on our plate
and the worries on minds.
Because ours is a Savior we can trust,
a God we can touch.
No other religion offers this.
Now, of course, other faith traditions
have the words of their prophets
and the sermons of their preachers.
Other religions expound on the insights
of their philosophers and theologians.
We Christians do the same
but our God does more, much more.
Our God, you see, knows what it’s like to witness a young couple
worried over the details of a wedding reception.
Because God himself, in the person of Jesus,
joined in the celebration of a wedding in a town called Cana.
Our God knows what it’s like to look into the eyes of a child
because Jesus himself gathered them close and held them in his lap.
In Christ Jesus, the awesome Creator of Life,
stepped into the constricted world of time and space;
God entered deeply into the lives of human beings
so that human beings could enter deeply into the life of God.
That’s why Jesus took on flesh in the womb of Mary
and made his living fixing roofs as a carpenter
and helped friends haul in fish from the sea.
And it’s also the reason why, on a certain day, on a dusty road,
he decided to accompany a man named Jairus to his house
where a little girl was terribly sick and close to death.
“Talitha,” he said, as he walked into the room.
“Talitha, get up.
Get up, little girl, it’s time to get up.”
Now, what’s that sound like to you?
To me it sounds like a parent
calling a child to breakfast.
That’s right.
Jesus called a child who had died back to life...
like a parent opening a bedroom door!
“Talitha, it’s time to get up.
Wake up little girl.”
Such is the tender compassion of Christ, our Lord.
The Savior we trust.
A God so close to us...close enough to touch
______________
Come with me now, for just a minute.
Step back into my office where an engaged couple sits
waiting for me to instruct them
about the meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Listen in as I tell them about the miracle Jesus performed
at the wedding reception for young couple just like them.
Listen in as we push aside Bride’s Magazine
and open a leather-bound Bible and begin to pray.
And for what do we pray?
Why…we pray for the items on their list
and the things on their mind.
Which means we pray for sunny weather
on the day of their wedding.
and enough wine and beer when the guests arrive.
We pray that Christ, the Good Carpenter,
will provide for them a home
with a strong foundation
and a roof that won’t leak.
And we pray that Christ will be present in that home.
as they bless their daily bread,
and pack their lunches,
and make their beds.
We pray that Christ will accompanying them
wherever life takes them.
Even as once he accompanied a father named Jairus
into a room thick with sickness and fear.
We pray that they will lean on Christ,
as did Jairus and his wife,
through the darkest of nights.
That, in such times, they will hear Christ’s voice
calling through the rooms of their house,
through the chambers of their hearts:
Have no fear. Have no fear.
Then, turning to the child he'll say.
“Talitha, Talitha, it’s time to wake up.”
__________
These are the words given to us today.
The words of Christ.
The Savior we’ve come to trust.
The God we’ve come to church today…to touch.
__________________________________________________
(First Draft)
Summer is a popular time for weddings
and recently I’ve recently I’ve been thinking about
getting a subscription to Bride’s Magazine.
I’m thinking it might help me understand
the surprised looks I get from engaged couples
when they come to my office to discuss their upcoming marriage.
Maybe, if I had a copy of Bride’s Magazine lying on my desk,
they’d know that I’m “on the same page,”
that understand their preoccupation with putting on a big reception
and making sure that everything goes well
and is as close to perfection
as a wedding day can be.
Because it is important, so very important.
Maybe then they wouldn’t be so shocked
when I remind them that Jesus’ first miracle
as recorded in the Gospel of John
was to make sure that a wedding reception
in a village called Cana went off without a hitch.
I retell the story about the wine running low
and how, at Mary’s urging, Jesus
changed ordinary water into vintage wine
just so a certain young couple wouldn’t be embarrassed
in front of their guests on their wedding day.
Maybe then, the engaged couple sitting in my office,
would begin to believe, and I mean really believe,
that Christ is a savior they can trust,
that their God close enough to touch.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t pertain to
the things on your plate,
the items on your list
and the worries on your mind?
Maybe then,
some time later,
after hours of labor
and nights without sleep
and countless diapers
and months of colic,
that same young couple
will hear the words of Jesus
at Mass some Sunday morning
and know that he’s talking to them
when he says,
“What father among you would hand his son a scorpion
when he asks for piece of bread?
If you know how important it is
to feed your kids
don’t you think I’m going to give you
the gift of the Holy Spirit?”
Understand, here, that God’s Spirit
is the bread that nourishes the soul.
Also understand that Jesus’ idea of religion
can’t be separated from things like
grubby hands reaching for a peanut butter sandwich
and wedding guests drinking beer
and a young woman paging through Bride’s Magazine
What good is religion
if it doesn’t relate to the stuff we do
and the things we think are important?
After all, this is where it starts,
this is where faith begins
and our friendship with Christ
takes root:
right there in
the items on our lists,
the food on our plate
and the worries on minds.
Ours is a Savior we can trust,
a God we can touch.
No other religion offers this.
Of course, they have the words of their prophets
and the sermons of their preachers,
they expound on the insights
of their teachers and philosophers and theologians.
We Christians do the same
but our God does more, much more.
Our God knows what it’s like to see a young couple
worried over the details of a wedding reception.
Because He joined in the celebration in the village of Cana.
Our God knows what it’s like to look into the eyes of a child
because He gathered them to himself and held them in his lap.
In Christ Jesus, our God, the creator of the universe,
stepped into the constricted world of time and space;
entered deeply into the lives of human beings
so that human beings could enter deeply into the life of God.
This is why Jesus, the Anointed One of God,
made a living fixing roofs as a carpenter
and helped friends haul in fish from the sea.
And it’s also the reason why, on a certain day, on a dusty road,
he decided to accompany a man named Jairus to his home
where a little girl was terribly sick and close to death.
“Talitha,” he said, as he walked into the room.
“Talitha, get up.
Get up, little girl, it’s time to get up.”
Like a parent calling a child to breakfast,
he called the child back to life.
______________
Come back with me now, for just a minute,
step back into my office where an engaged couple sits
waiting for me to instruct them
about the meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Listen in as I tell them about the miracle Jesus performed
at the wedding reception for young couple just like them.
Listen in as they tell me about their lives
and the work they do
and the dreams they have
and the deep love they feel for each other.
Listen in as we push aside Bride’s Magazine
and open a leather-bound Bible and begin to pray.
And for what do we pray?
Why, we pray for the items on their list
and the things on their mind.
Which means
we pray for sunny weather on the day of their wedding.
We pray for enough wine and for guests to show up.
We pray for a strong foundation and a roof that won’t leak.
And we pray that Christ will be present in their home.
Blessing daily bread,
packing lunches, making beds.
Accompanying them wherever life takes them.
As once he accompanied a man named Jairus.
even into a room thick with sickness, tragedy and fear.
We pray that God be with them
on days of joy and days of struggle.
That they hear his voice
calling in chambers of their house
and the chambers of their hearts:
“Talitha, Talitha, it’s time to get up.”
These are the words of Christ.
The God of our everyday life
who is present every day of our life.
The Savior we trust.
The God we touch.
Reflections on the Revised Draft:
I owe a nod to author Max Lucado. The refrain in this homily (A Savior we can trust, a God we can touch) is taken from the subtitle of his recent book which I highly recommend, "Next Door Savior".
I also feel compelled to share with my readers something of the background to the way in which this homily developed. All week I've agonized over the plight of a young couple I know who just discovered that, of the twins they were expecting to be born of their love, one of the babies in the womb, a little girl, has died.
Each time I engaged these readings this week, the image of this young couple came to mind. They are individuals of exceptional faith, yet this tragedy is beyond words and I ask all of you to pray for their perseverance.
This is the reason why I chose to use a scene from marriage preparation in the opening section of the homily. I sincerely believe in the powerful grace present in the Sacrament of Marriage. And I pray that the power of Christ will enfold the young couple of faith now caught up in such a tragic loss.
May they know that their little girl is asleep in the arms of Mary our Mother. And soon she will hear the voice of her Lord calling to her, "Talitha, Talitha, it's time to wake up."
(Second Draft)
Homily for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Summer is a popular time for weddings.
So, I’m thinking about getting a subscription
to Bride’s Magazine.
Why?
Well, it might help me understand
the surprised looks I get from engaged couples
when they come to my office
and the first I say to them is:
“Susie, Steve. I’m so happy for you
and I’m honored to witness your marriage vows.
But, before we talk about the Sacrament of Marriage,
tell me about your reception.”
It’s not what they expect to hear from their pastor.
It’s then I’ll reach over
and tap the cover of Bride’s Magazine and say,
“You have a lot on your plate right now, don’t you?”
And they’ll smile and nod and say something like,
“Never before
have we ever had to keep so many people happy
all at the same time.”
______________
Putting on a wedding is a big deal.
And I want them to know
that I appreciate their current preoccupation
with putting on a big reception.
The reception is important.
It’s very important.
And it’s not only important to them,
it’s also important to Christ.
And it’s at this point in the conversation
that I remind them that Jesus’ first miracle
as recorded in the Gospel of John
was to make sure that a wedding reception
in a village called Cana went off without a hitch.
I then retell the story about the wine running low at the banquet
and how, at Mary’s urging, Jesus
changed ordinary water into vintage wine
just so a certain young couple wouldn’t be embarrassed
in front of their guests on their wedding day.
It’s my fervant hope
that the engaged couple sitting in my office,
will begin to believe, and I mean really believe,
that Christ is a savior they can trust,
that God is close…close enough to touch.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t pertain to
the things on your plate,
the items on your list
and the worries on your mind?
This is where faith takes root
and starts to grow.
It is highly important that faith takes root
at this point so that,
a year or two from now,
after hours of labor in the delivery room
and nights without sleep
and countless diapers
and, perhaps, months of colic,
that same young couple
will hear the words of God
at Mass some Sunday morning
and know that God is speaking directly to them
when they hear familiar verses from the Bible such as:
“Love is patient, love is kind.
Love does not insist on its own way.”
Or again:
“What mother can ever forget
the child of her womb.”
Or again:
“What father among you would hand his son a scorpion
when he asks for piece of bread?
These are words about God.
These are words about us.
These are words about God living with us!
So, understand this: Jesus’ idea of religion
can’t be separated from things like
a young woman paging through Bride’s Magazine
or wedding guests sitting at a banquet table
or the grubby hands of a little boy
reaching for a peanut butter sandwich.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t relate to the stuff we do
and the things we think are important?
This is where our friendship with Christ takes root:
right there in
the items on our lists,
the food on our plate
and the worries on minds.
Because ours is a Savior we can trust,
a God we can touch.
No other religion offers this.
Now, of course, other faith traditions
have the words of their prophets
and the sermons of their preachers.
Other religions expound on the insights
of their philosophers and theologians.
We Christians do the same
but our God does more, much more.
Our God, you see, knows what it’s like to witness a young couple
worried over the details of a wedding reception.
Because God himself, in the person of Jesus,
joined in the celebration of a wedding in a town called Cana.
Our God knows what it’s like to look into the eyes of a child
because Jesus himself gathered them close and held them in his lap.
In Christ Jesus, the awesome Creator of Life,
stepped into the constricted world of time and space;
God entered deeply into the lives of human beings
so that human beings could enter deeply into the life of God.
That’s why Jesus took on flesh in the womb of Mary
and made his living fixing roofs as a carpenter
and helped friends haul in fish from the sea.
And it’s also the reason why, on a certain day, on a dusty road,
he decided to accompany a man named Jairus to his house
where a little girl was terribly sick and close to death.
“Talitha,” he said, as he walked into the room.
“Talitha, get up.
Get up, little girl, it’s time to get up.”
Now, what’s that sound like to you?
To me it sounds like a parent
calling a child to breakfast.
That’s right.
Jesus called a child who had died back to life...
like a parent opening a bedroom door!
“Talitha, it’s time to get up.
Wake up little girl.”
Such is the tender compassion of Christ, our Lord.
The Savior we trust.
A God so close to us...close enough to touch
______________
Come with me now, for just a minute.
Step back into my office where an engaged couple sits
waiting for me to instruct them
about the meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Listen in as I tell them about the miracle Jesus performed
at the wedding reception for young couple just like them.
Listen in as we push aside Bride’s Magazine
and open a leather-bound Bible and begin to pray.
And for what do we pray?
Why…we pray for the items on their list
and the things on their mind.
Which means we pray for sunny weather
on the day of their wedding.
and enough wine and beer when the guests arrive.
We pray that Christ, the Good Carpenter,
will provide for them a home
with a strong foundation
and a roof that won’t leak.
And we pray that Christ will be present in that home.
as they bless their daily bread,
and pack their lunches,
and make their beds.
We pray that Christ will accompanying them
wherever life takes them.
Even as once he accompanied a father named Jairus
into a room thick with sickness and fear.
We pray that they will lean on Christ,
as did Jairus and his wife,
through the darkest of nights.
That, in such times, they will hear Christ’s voice
calling through the rooms of their house,
through the chambers of their hearts:
Have no fear. Have no fear.
Then, turning to the child he'll say.
“Talitha, Talitha, it’s time to wake up.”
__________
These are the words given to us today.
The words of Christ.
The Savior we’ve come to trust.
The God we’ve come to church today…to touch.
__________________________________________________
(First Draft)
Summer is a popular time for weddings
and recently I’ve recently I’ve been thinking about
getting a subscription to Bride’s Magazine.
I’m thinking it might help me understand
the surprised looks I get from engaged couples
when they come to my office to discuss their upcoming marriage.
Maybe, if I had a copy of Bride’s Magazine lying on my desk,
they’d know that I’m “on the same page,”
that understand their preoccupation with putting on a big reception
and making sure that everything goes well
and is as close to perfection
as a wedding day can be.
Because it is important, so very important.
Maybe then they wouldn’t be so shocked
when I remind them that Jesus’ first miracle
as recorded in the Gospel of John
was to make sure that a wedding reception
in a village called Cana went off without a hitch.
I retell the story about the wine running low
and how, at Mary’s urging, Jesus
changed ordinary water into vintage wine
just so a certain young couple wouldn’t be embarrassed
in front of their guests on their wedding day.
Maybe then, the engaged couple sitting in my office,
would begin to believe, and I mean really believe,
that Christ is a savior they can trust,
that their God close enough to touch.
After all, what good is religion
if it doesn’t pertain to
the things on your plate,
the items on your list
and the worries on your mind?
Maybe then,
some time later,
after hours of labor
and nights without sleep
and countless diapers
and months of colic,
that same young couple
will hear the words of Jesus
at Mass some Sunday morning
and know that he’s talking to them
when he says,
“What father among you would hand his son a scorpion
when he asks for piece of bread?
If you know how important it is
to feed your kids
don’t you think I’m going to give you
the gift of the Holy Spirit?”
Understand, here, that God’s Spirit
is the bread that nourishes the soul.
Also understand that Jesus’ idea of religion
can’t be separated from things like
grubby hands reaching for a peanut butter sandwich
and wedding guests drinking beer
and a young woman paging through Bride’s Magazine
What good is religion
if it doesn’t relate to the stuff we do
and the things we think are important?
After all, this is where it starts,
this is where faith begins
and our friendship with Christ
takes root:
right there in
the items on our lists,
the food on our plate
and the worries on minds.
Ours is a Savior we can trust,
a God we can touch.
No other religion offers this.
Of course, they have the words of their prophets
and the sermons of their preachers,
they expound on the insights
of their teachers and philosophers and theologians.
We Christians do the same
but our God does more, much more.
Our God knows what it’s like to see a young couple
worried over the details of a wedding reception.
Because He joined in the celebration in the village of Cana.
Our God knows what it’s like to look into the eyes of a child
because He gathered them to himself and held them in his lap.
In Christ Jesus, our God, the creator of the universe,
stepped into the constricted world of time and space;
entered deeply into the lives of human beings
so that human beings could enter deeply into the life of God.
This is why Jesus, the Anointed One of God,
made a living fixing roofs as a carpenter
and helped friends haul in fish from the sea.
And it’s also the reason why, on a certain day, on a dusty road,
he decided to accompany a man named Jairus to his home
where a little girl was terribly sick and close to death.
“Talitha,” he said, as he walked into the room.
“Talitha, get up.
Get up, little girl, it’s time to get up.”
Like a parent calling a child to breakfast,
he called the child back to life.
______________
Come back with me now, for just a minute,
step back into my office where an engaged couple sits
waiting for me to instruct them
about the meaning of the Sacrament of Marriage.
Listen in as I tell them about the miracle Jesus performed
at the wedding reception for young couple just like them.
Listen in as they tell me about their lives
and the work they do
and the dreams they have
and the deep love they feel for each other.
Listen in as we push aside Bride’s Magazine
and open a leather-bound Bible and begin to pray.
And for what do we pray?
Why, we pray for the items on their list
and the things on their mind.
Which means
we pray for sunny weather on the day of their wedding.
We pray for enough wine and for guests to show up.
We pray for a strong foundation and a roof that won’t leak.
And we pray that Christ will be present in their home.
Blessing daily bread,
packing lunches, making beds.
Accompanying them wherever life takes them.
As once he accompanied a man named Jairus.
even into a room thick with sickness, tragedy and fear.
We pray that God be with them
on days of joy and days of struggle.
That they hear his voice
calling in chambers of their house
and the chambers of their hearts:
“Talitha, Talitha, it’s time to get up.”
These are the words of Christ.
The God of our everyday life
who is present every day of our life.
The Savior we trust.
The God we touch.
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 11:54 AM
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