Wednesday, September 20, 2017

Homily for 20 Sep 2017

20 Sep 2017

There’s a risk in being a devout Christian.  And the risk is that we’re going to look like a fool—not to God, or to ourselves, but to others. 

After all, God’s wisdom sometimes goes against the grain.  God’s law of love and forgiveness oftentimes goes against popular conventions.  The rituals and prayers that enhance our worship can be criticized as hopelessly out of touch.  There are lots of reasons why others may see us playing the role of “the fool.”

But that’s the risk of being a person devoted to Christ and his Church.  Whether or not it’s a big risk is a personal question.  It depends on whose opinion we value more: someone else’s or God’s.  St. John Vianney said, “Don’t try to please everyone.  Try to please God, the angels, and the saints; they are your public.”

We might be fools in the eyes of others for believing what we believe.  But it doesn’t matter much.  In God’s eyes we’re precious and dearly loved.  That’s what matters.

No comments:

Post a Comment