"BRING NO MORE WORTHLESS OFFERINGS."

Homily for July 14^th, 2014: Isaiah 1:10-17; Matthew 10:34-11:1.

          Suppose, instead of the words we heard in our first reading, we were to hear instead: “Hear the word of the Lord: I have had enough of your Masses; your rosaries and novenas I detest. Your incense I loathe. Bring me no more worthless offerings.”

          The last sentence we did hear – about worthless offerings. The rest is merely the translation into modern Catholic terms, of what the prophet says to his people in that first reading. He is telling them: God is fed up with all your prayers and worship. Why? Because, Isaiah says at the end of that first reading, “Your hands are full of blood! Wash yourselves clean! Put away your misdeeds … cease doing evil; learn to do good. Make justice your aim; redress the wronged, head the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.” 

           Isaiah is talking about what is called today “social justice.” We find the same message in many of Israel’s prophets. Were they speaking today, they would tell us: It is no use saying all the right prayers, making novenas, and offering Masses for your intentions, and invoking the prayer of the saints, if your life is not in order. In today’s gospel reading Jesus tells us what this means. “Whoever loves father, or mother, or daughter or son more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up my cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” 

Lest that seem too difficult, Jesus promises to reward us when we are trying to love him completely and serve others generously. “Whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple – amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.” And so we pray:

Teach us, good Lord, to serve you as you deserve;

to give and not to count the cost;

to fight, and not to heed the wounds

          to toil and not to ask for any reward, but that of knowing

          that we are doing your will.
         All this we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen