Homily for 28 Apr 2016

28 Apr 2016

Right about the time we want to make our faith complex, Jesus steps in and says, “Keep it simple.  Keep it simple.”  And, really, we only have two commandments to follow: To love God with all our being, and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  Everything flows from that: the way we worship, how we live our daily lives, how we practice charity, our sense of morals and justice, and so on. 

Of course, all of that can start to weigh us down if we forget to “keep it simple.”  If we start to wonder if we’re holy enough, or if we’re Catholic enough, or if we’re charitable enough, we need only go back to the basics, and really listen to Jesus say again: “As the Father loves me, so I also love you. . . . Keep my commandments and you will remain in my love.”

Now, we might get tired of hearing about “loving God and loving our neighbor,” but that’s the short and long of it.  Life and faith are all about love; that is, charity and self-gift.  Jesus encourages us to keep our faith simple, and to do our best at being a person of charity.  After all, it’s through a heart of charity that Christ recognizes us as his brothers and sisters.

And charity begins and ends here, at the Altar of God.  In love, we offer thanks to God for all his blessings.  And in love and humility we receive even more blessings to share with others.  “Keep it simple,” Jesus says.  May our lives and faith revolve around the virtue of simple, everyday charity.  And, in that, our joy will be complete.