A Good Kind of Suffering: 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Second Draft
Suffering is a tough topic to handle. Let me know what you think of this homily and its attempt to compare the experience of Christ's suffering with the experience of human love.
Send your comments to me at jms48@fuse.net.
Your feedback is appreciated.
Fr. Jim
PS: For readers interested in charting the development of this homily, the first draft immediately follows that of the second.
Homily for the 29th Sunday of the Year
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
“Through his suffering…”
That’s a powerful statement.
No one likes to suffer,
we don’t even like to think about suffering.
It is ugly and horrible
and we avoid it as much as we can at every opportunity.
Or do we?
Is there a good kind of suffering?
Is there a kind of suffering that’s worth its cost?
Yes, there is.
And you don’t have to look very far to find it:
Parents sacrifice many things, countless things,
so their children might have a better life than they had.
People make financial sacrifices in order to ensure a financial future;
come collection time, we’ll make an offering to ensure the future of this parish
and all the good that’s accomplished here
by the grace of God and the love of Christ
who rescued you and rescued me from everlasting death
at the cost of his own life.
When we come to Mass,
we come to realize that grace isn’t cheap
and salvation is won at the cost of great pain.
That’s what Isaiah is getting at when, in today’s first reading he writes:
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
That’s why, when we come to Mass,
we gather beneath a crucifix,
not a Bengals banner
or a Nike Sign…
or a big screen at the US Bank Arena.
We come to proclaim the death of Christ,
to give thanks for suffering he endured.
His is the good kind of suffering.
Which is to say that his suffering is redemptive.
Which is to say that his suffering is like that of a sister who undergoes surgery
to donate a kidney, a part of her body, so that her brother might live.
That’s the way it is with all us here today.
We come to Mass to receive the Body of Christ..
that we might live…
that we might have life and have it in abundance,
a life that is free…
free of sin,
free of addiction,
free of fear…
but, not free from the suffering that true love entails.
Nowhere in the Gospel does it promise
that our life in Christ will be free from suffering
with Christ
in Christ
and through Christ…
I’m talking here about the kind of suffering
that comes from living the kind of love that Jesus lived.
And that’s what Jesus means in today’s gospel
when he challenges John and James:
“Can you drink of the cup of suffering of which I am to drink?”
These are hard words for you to hear
and they are hard words for me to speak.
I don’t cotton to them anymore than any of you.
But they ring true…and you know they do.
I stood at the side of a husband this week
who cried as he stood beside the bed of his wife of nearly 60 years
knowing that her time is drawing short.
As his wife slept he tried to put into words
the agony he feels.
At that moment, his suffering was deep
but his love was far deeper.
The witness of his love overwhelmed me.
Suffering is bad, suffering is good.
“Can you drink the cup of which I am to drink?” asks the Lord?
It’s the same question that lies at the heart of every vow,
every promise,
every sacred oath
to give your all
in the name of love, duty, obedience to God.
The kind of love that counts no cost.
The kind of love that saved our souls.
The kind of love that saves the world.
__________
Frist Draft--Somebody, anybody. Help!
The emphasis on suffering in today's readings resonate with recent tragedies tha have struck close to home and far too close for comfort.
The draft that follows is unfinished and, unfortunately, a wedding rehearsal this evening precludes my usual Friday night gathering of parishioners to assist me in composing this weekend's homily.
Please let me know any insights or suggestions the Spirit might be sending your way.
As always, thanks for your consideration and input.
Fr. Schmitmeyer
Homily for the 29th Sunday of the Year
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
“Through his suffering…”
That’s a powerful statement.
No one likes to suffer,
we don’t even like to think about suffering.
It is ugly and horrible
and we avoid it as much as we can at every opportunity.
Or do we?
Is there a good kind of suffering?
Is there a kind of suffering that saves, justifies, restores?
Yes, there is.
And you don’t have to look very far to find it:
Parents willingly forgo many things, countless things,
so their children might have a better life than they had.
Each one of us here makes financial sacrifices in order to ensure
a financial future;
come collection time, we make an offering
that ensures the future of this parish and all the good that’s accomplished here
by the grace and love of Christ who redeemed you and redeemed from our slavery to sin
at the cost of his own life.
That’s what Isaiah is getting at when, in today’s first reading he writes:
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
When we come to Mass,
we gather beneath the crucifix
and expose ourselves to a good and beneficial kind of suffering.
Like a sister who undergoes surgery
in order to donate a kidney, a part of her body,
that her brother might live,
we come here to receive the Body of Christ that we might live…
free of sin, free of addiction, free of fear…
But nowhere in the Bible does it promise
that our life in Christ will be free from suffering or pain.
And that’s what Jesus is getting at in today’s gospel
when he challenges John and James:
“Can you drink of the cup of suffering of which I am to drink?”
Suffering is a tough topic to handle. Let me know what you think of this homily and its attempt to compare the experience of Christ's suffering with the experience of human love.
Send your comments to me at jms48@fuse.net.
Your feedback is appreciated.
Fr. Jim
PS: For readers interested in charting the development of this homily, the first draft immediately follows that of the second.
Homily for the 29th Sunday of the Year
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
“Through his suffering…”
That’s a powerful statement.
No one likes to suffer,
we don’t even like to think about suffering.
It is ugly and horrible
and we avoid it as much as we can at every opportunity.
Or do we?
Is there a good kind of suffering?
Is there a kind of suffering that’s worth its cost?
Yes, there is.
And you don’t have to look very far to find it:
Parents sacrifice many things, countless things,
so their children might have a better life than they had.
People make financial sacrifices in order to ensure a financial future;
come collection time, we’ll make an offering to ensure the future of this parish
and all the good that’s accomplished here
by the grace of God and the love of Christ
who rescued you and rescued me from everlasting death
at the cost of his own life.
When we come to Mass,
we come to realize that grace isn’t cheap
and salvation is won at the cost of great pain.
That’s what Isaiah is getting at when, in today’s first reading he writes:
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
That’s why, when we come to Mass,
we gather beneath a crucifix,
not a Bengals banner
or a Nike Sign…
or a big screen at the US Bank Arena.
We come to proclaim the death of Christ,
to give thanks for suffering he endured.
His is the good kind of suffering.
Which is to say that his suffering is redemptive.
Which is to say that his suffering is like that of a sister who undergoes surgery
to donate a kidney, a part of her body, so that her brother might live.
That’s the way it is with all us here today.
We come to Mass to receive the Body of Christ..
that we might live…
that we might have life and have it in abundance,
a life that is free…
free of sin,
free of addiction,
free of fear…
but, not free from the suffering that true love entails.
Nowhere in the Gospel does it promise
that our life in Christ will be free from suffering
with Christ
in Christ
and through Christ…
I’m talking here about the kind of suffering
that comes from living the kind of love that Jesus lived.
And that’s what Jesus means in today’s gospel
when he challenges John and James:
“Can you drink of the cup of suffering of which I am to drink?”
These are hard words for you to hear
and they are hard words for me to speak.
I don’t cotton to them anymore than any of you.
But they ring true…and you know they do.
I stood at the side of a husband this week
who cried as he stood beside the bed of his wife of nearly 60 years
knowing that her time is drawing short.
As his wife slept he tried to put into words
the agony he feels.
At that moment, his suffering was deep
but his love was far deeper.
The witness of his love overwhelmed me.
Suffering is bad, suffering is good.
“Can you drink the cup of which I am to drink?” asks the Lord?
It’s the same question that lies at the heart of every vow,
every promise,
every sacred oath
to give your all
in the name of love, duty, obedience to God.
The kind of love that counts no cost.
The kind of love that saved our souls.
The kind of love that saves the world.
__________
Frist Draft--Somebody, anybody. Help!
The emphasis on suffering in today's readings resonate with recent tragedies tha have struck close to home and far too close for comfort.
The draft that follows is unfinished and, unfortunately, a wedding rehearsal this evening precludes my usual Friday night gathering of parishioners to assist me in composing this weekend's homily.
Please let me know any insights or suggestions the Spirit might be sending your way.
As always, thanks for your consideration and input.
Fr. Schmitmeyer
Homily for the 29th Sunday of the Year
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
“Through his suffering…”
That’s a powerful statement.
No one likes to suffer,
we don’t even like to think about suffering.
It is ugly and horrible
and we avoid it as much as we can at every opportunity.
Or do we?
Is there a good kind of suffering?
Is there a kind of suffering that saves, justifies, restores?
Yes, there is.
And you don’t have to look very far to find it:
Parents willingly forgo many things, countless things,
so their children might have a better life than they had.
Each one of us here makes financial sacrifices in order to ensure
a financial future;
come collection time, we make an offering
that ensures the future of this parish and all the good that’s accomplished here
by the grace and love of Christ who redeemed you and redeemed from our slavery to sin
at the cost of his own life.
That’s what Isaiah is getting at when, in today’s first reading he writes:
Through his suffering, my servant shall justify many,
and their guilt he shall bear.
When we come to Mass,
we gather beneath the crucifix
and expose ourselves to a good and beneficial kind of suffering.
Like a sister who undergoes surgery
in order to donate a kidney, a part of her body,
that her brother might live,
we come here to receive the Body of Christ that we might live…
free of sin, free of addiction, free of fear…
But nowhere in the Bible does it promise
that our life in Christ will be free from suffering or pain.
And that’s what Jesus is getting at in today’s gospel
when he challenges John and James:
“Can you drink of the cup of suffering of which I am to drink?”
posted by BlueCollarPreacher at 2:15 PM
<< Home