Homily for 11 June 2016

11 June 2016

Memorial of Saint Barnabas, Apostle

Nobody likes to pay bills; at least, I haven’t met anyone who likes paying bills.  Every time you pay a bill . . . you have less money.  It’s kind of sad how that works.  Happily, though, the way God figures it, the more we give, the more we have!

Jesus tells his Apostles, “As you enter a house, wish it peace.  If the house is worthy, let your peace come upon it; if not, let your peace return to you.”  So, either way, by offering peace to others, we’ll come out ahead, or break even.  People who accept our free gift of peace will probably give it back to us in other ways.  And, if not, we still have the peace of God within us knowing we did the right thing.  We never end up in the red by offering somebody peace.

Or we take the Apostles, for example (or Saint Barnabas, on his feast day today).  Giving a sincere “yes” to God yields a pretty big return.  In exchange for their “yes,” God gave them an adventure!  Casting out demons, curing the sick, raising the dead, being a voice of encouragement and love for others.  If you’re really into life and doing what’s right and just, saying “yes” to God gives a pretty high return.

But that’s how God works: the more we give, the more we have.  And what we can each give to God is what he’s given to us—those very precious gifts of faith, hope, and love.  The more faith we put in God, the deeper the life we have.  The more hope we have in God, the greater the happiness in our hearts.  And the more love we have for God, the more love we have for all.

Jesus says, “Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”  And we needn’t be afraid to give of what God has given us; because, the way God figures it, the more we give, the more we have!