Blood sacrifice is the seed of Christian liberty. We Christians are called for a greater good … more than Apple pie, fancy homes and classic cars, waving flags, and barbecues…we focus on that which nourishes our soul; God wants us to see beyond personal happiness, personal success, and personal pleasure, we live but for the glory of God, and the good of others. Paul speaks of Christ not pleasing himself, “He bore, the insults….”those who insult you have fallen on me.”
Though we have a certain amount of freedom to live a life of abundance, the greater thing to do is to love others and consider the salvation of souls more important than the advantage of gain —– be unselfish and selfless in our desires and wants. And is that not what your parents do every day? Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was to show us the pathway to eternal life and [to share His life with us], and whatever we need to do to maintain love, peace, and unity, we ought to do that more than pursue the freedom of secular Western culture. Let us pursue those things that build up the Church, the Body of Christ, and edify one another. Now that the FREEDOM to see, hear, and speak the message of Christ.
In the First Reading for the Seventh Sunday after Pentecost from Romans 15:1-7, Paul tells us we must not look down on one another or judge or condemn one another. God has given us the freedom to have convictions that we ought to respect. Therefore, when our opinion comes in conflict with another person’s conviction, we have a greater duty as disciples of Christ to love one another. While freedom is a Christian strength, [it is also the ability to do what is right]. FREEDOM is not about using our power and dominance over the weak….
Paul used the words “strong” and “weak” to identify different groups in a Church. Strength in the Church does not mean being completely independent of each other, but we strive for mutual interdependence of each other. Those who are strong understand their freedom in Christ and are not bound by non-essential matters. The strong believers are also sensitive to the concerns of others and pursue harmony in the Church. We, as strong Orthodox, show our spiritual strength when we are compassionate and caring toward other Christian believers. We have a responsibility to tolerate and support the weaker brothers and sisters in lieu of selfishly satisfying our desires. This is a responsibility all believers of the Gospel have, for we should all consider the needs of others before ourselves.
Paul also used the word “please,” our “neighbor,” which we understand from Jesus, is anyone in need, not just our family and friends or the person living next door to us. The purpose of pleasing others is to build them up in the Church. To build something …means you need sufficient time (patience and endurance), the right materials, and tools to assemble a proper structure. A life focused on being a temple unto the Lord … not the secular FREEDOM to do or think what we want. So it is with the Church, a constant call for obedience to being Christ-like and courage to speak the words of eternal life…… meditate and be aware of our blindness and our deafness; we must learn how to listen to God’s Word, learning how to see human suffering around you….more deeply the meaning of Gospel and the life of Christ on Earth.
In today’s Gospel Reading from Matthew 9:27-35, we hear of two blind men and a mute who followed Jesus. It begins with two blind men going after Jesus, calling after Him in desperation: Have mercy on us, Son of David. There is already the element of faith in calling Jesus by this Messianic name. When they catch up to Jesus, He asks them: Do you have faith that I can do this? Without their trust in him, Jesus cannot do anything for them. These men were blind but not embittered. Their hearts were open and eager to encounter Jesus, whom they called “Son of David.”
None of us here today are physically blind, but we can be spiritually blinded when we let life’s difficulties harden our hearts instead of seeking out the Messiah to cure what ails us. In the face of suffering, our response is that of the blind and the mute of the gospels: “Jesus, Son of David, I trust in you.”
There is more here than meets the eye! What we have here is not just the restoration of their physical sight. They have gained ‘insight’. They can really see. They can see who Jesus really is through the eyes of faith. And faith cannot be contained. It is significant that the following story is about the healing of a man who is unable to speak. Are we, like the Pharisees and Sadducees, unable to see the truth because of a lack of courage? Do we have the tools, knowledge, and skills to speak the Gospel?
So often, in times of stress and pain….we harden our hearts and build up enmity between ourselves and others. We must live Jesus in every situation. We must see deeply into the meaning of Christ’s life as it is presented to us in the gospel reading.
It calls for an interior peace and examination of your HEART…..see every man as redeemable. And it starts right at the altar of HIS sacrifice… Jesus bore the guilt of SIN, the sacrificial lamb…He did the heavy work…..and we are called only to bear a small taste of it. We please our neighbor, for the good of his soul; not by serving his wicked will, and or humoring sinful ways…..He bore the presumptuous sins of the wicked; we are called only to bear the failings of the weak.
The great end in all our actions must be that God may be glorified; nothing more forwards this than the mutual love and kindness of those who profess Christ as Lord and Savior.
In closing, today, in the “modern world,” the situation has not changed. The harvest is as big as ever; people are as spiritually blind as the Jewish religious leaders and the scribes….lost and as rudderless as they have ever been. Who are the laborers in this modern world today? Bishops? Priests? Deacons, our religious brothers and sisters? Yes. However, every single person (in a very real sense) has a vocation. Multitudes of people in and out of the Church seek God in one way or another, but comparatively, few have a mentor who can help study HIM and know HIM more intimately. Behind all that Christ does is His deep compassion for the needs of the people. He sees them the way we should see all brothers and sisters seeking Christ….they are beaten down, harassed and dejected, wandering and aimless, like sheep without a guiding shepherd– and sheep without a shepherd only follow other sheep….a familiar image and constant reminder in 2024.
Homily delivered at St. Elias Melkite Catholic Church | We are Byzantine Rite Catholics of the Melkite Orthodox Catholic Church (steliasmelkite.org).
