"The LORD said"

(The following is a homily given to the Catholic Community in Enid, OK on the Memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola, 7/31/15)

Reading 1 Lv 23:1, 4-11, 15-16, 27, 34b-37

Responsorial Psalm PS 81:3-4, 5-6, 10-11ab
Gospel Mt 13:54-58

 

When I first looked at the readings for today, I must admit, I was a little perturbed.  Who likes to read Leviticus, after all?  It’s a legal code, basically, of the people of Israel, telling them when to do what, and what to refrain from, and how much of this is used for that so that this ritual can take place on this time… my mind started going numb about a sentence or two into the reading.

When this happens, it usually means I’m supposed to find something in this reading.  It usually means that the devil sees somethings in this passage that he wants me to overlook. 

While I can’t say I didn’t overlook something… God knows I probably did, I must admit that on second reading I saw one little phrase that really spoke to me… in fact, it’s not even a complete phrase…

“The LORD said…” (Lv. 23:1)

Then it hit me that today was also the memorial of St. Ignatius of Loyola.  Ignatius: the founder of one of the largest and most influential religious communities of the Church – the Jesuits.

Ignatius was originally a soldier in Spain, living a life of earthly valor and propelled by a desire for glory.  Then, after receiving a serious injury in battle and being bed-ridden to months, Ignatius came out of his convalescence with fists blazing for Christ and his Church.  He did this because, in the end “The LORD said,” and that was good enough for Ignatius.

Were there hurdles to following God’s Call?  Sure.  His physical condition alone was hurdle enough.  But he also dealt with political and social hurdles for himself and his community.  But in the end, “The LORD said…” and that was good enough for Ignatius.

that Ignatius heard God’s call; regardless of the mundane; regardless of the lack of support; regardless of the risk that it took to leave everything that he knew behind in order to help our Lord bring about one of the most instrumental societies the Western Church has ever known.  Ignatius shows us the truth of sainthood by his acceptance of God’s call.

My brothers and sisters, sainthood is not made in the extravagant; it is bestowed upon those who hear the will of God in their lives and strive for it, not counting the cost.

Sainthood comes through obedience – obedience to the seemingly pointless endeavors our Lord asks of us here in this world; endeavors that make us perturbed or leave us confused.  Sainthood comes from perseverance in the face of the everyday struggles that where us down.  Sainthood is realizing that we are loved despite the fact that these everyday struggles will cause us to fall and fail; that we are not defined by our successes or our failings but in the identity we have been given by our very creation and made manifest in our baptism – our identity as beloved Children of God.

And in the end, how can we know that this is what makes a saint?  Because: “The LORD said…”

Will we listen?