Homily for 31 Aug 2016

31 Aug 2016

When Jesus walked the face of the earth, he could only do so much.  He was a single human being, touching one person at a time; healing them, counseling them, correcting them.  And he had to leave people behind because he was always traveling from place to place.  When Jesus tells the people he needs to move on to other towns, it sounds like the risen Jesus telling Mary Magdalene to stop holding on to him; in order for him to do really great things, he had to ascend to the Father.

And this is a reminder of who we’re ultimately meant to be: not only humans, but sanctified people, holy humans.  Without being holy—without letting ourselves be raised up in mind and spirit—we can only do so much.  St Paul says as much when he writes: “I could not talk to you as spiritual people, but as fleshly people, as infants in Christ.  I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take it.  Indeed, you are still not able, even now.” 

Our spiritual lives are something we mature in.  And the more we mature, the more spiritual “food” we can take in, and the more we can grow into our destiny—which is to be like God, right up there with the angels.  We’re not meant to be angels; we’re meant to be holy humans, humans raised up like Jesus in body, mind and spirit—even today.

In our humanness, we can only do so much to change the world.  But, allowing our Lord to lift up our minds and hearts, we can bring the power of God into the world.  And that’s our role here on earth: to be not only human, but to be holy humans and instruments of God’s Kingdom—like so many angels who have come and gone, and changed the world for the better.