Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Gospel: John 2: 13-22

Since the Passover of the Jews was near,
Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
He found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves,
as well as the money-changers seated there.
He made a whip out of cords
and drove them all out of the temple area, with the sheep and oxen,
and spilled the coins of the money-changers
and overturned their tables,
and to those who sold doves he said,
“Take these out of here,
and stop making my Father’s house a marketplace.”
His disciples recalled the words of Scripture,
    Zeal for your house will consume me.
At this the Jews answered and said to him,
“What sign can you show us for doing this?”
Jesus answered and said to them,
“Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”
The Jews said,
“This temple has been under construction for forty-six years,
and you will raise it up in three days?”
But he was speaking about the temple of his Body.
Therefore, when he was raised from the dead,
his disciples remembered that he had said this,
and they came to believe the Scripture
and the word Jesus had spoken.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Today’s sermon is on the Feast of the Dedication of Saint John Lateran, a church in Rome.

For the first three hundred years after the death and resurrection of Christ, Christians were forbidden to worship in public. 

In fact, when they were found at Mass, which was celebrated either in homes or underground, many were killed on the spot.

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Finally, in the year 313 AD, the Roman Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity, making it the official religion of the Empire. 

He then built the Basilica of Saint John Lateran, allowing Christians to publicly profess their faith.

To this day, we can visit, pray, and worship in that church, which is the oldest church in the world, located in the very heart of Rome.

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The Basilica of Saint John Lateran symbolizes three important freedoms: 

The freedom to possess a house of worship, the freedom to worship God in public, and the freedom to hand on our faith without the threat of violence.

We should pray for Christians in different parts of the world who, like the first Christians, do not have these freedoms; pray for them who risk their safety in order to worship God.

Equally, we should be grateful that these liberties remain intact here in America. As we heard in our responsorial Psalm today, “the Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

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Image credits: (1) Catacombs at Saint Peter’s Altar, Salzburg (2) Saint John Lateran, Wikipedia (3) Saint John Lateran, Wikipedia

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Gospel: Luke 17: 7-10

Jesus said to the Apostles:
“Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
‘Come here immediately and take your place at table’?
Would he not rather say to him,
‘Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished’?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded, say,
‘We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.’”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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On his deathbed, Saint Francis of Assisi said to his brothers, the first Franciscans, “I have done what is mine to do. Now you must do what is yours to do.”

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Francis viewed himself like the unprofitable servant in today’s Gospel. He didn’t need worldly accolades or praise. While he rebuilt the Church spiritually, and his example still inspires people eight centuries later, Francis simply did, “what was his to do.”

Jesus sees his Apostles similarly. Elsewhere, he calls them his, “servants.” They were elected by the Lord to work, to build the kingdom of God in four particular ways.

Using Gospel imagery, Jesus tells his Apostles they must: 

Plow the fields, spreading the Word of God wherever they go by planting seeds of faith.

Tend God’s sheep, always keeping a shepherd’s heart, by seeking out the lost.

Wait on others, seeing themselves as those who come to serve, not to be served.

Eat and drink. The Apostles are called to prepare the table of the Lord by celebrating the Eucharist, feeding the first Christians with the Body and Blood of Christ.

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Which of these four things might the Lord be calling us to do?

Plowing the fields, spreading the Word of God; tending God’s sheep, seeking out the lost; waiting on others, being their servant; or eating and drinking, inviting people to the table of the Lord.

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“I have done what is mine to do,” Saint Francis said 800 years ago. “Now you must do what is yours to do.”

We are simply God’s servants, his hands and feet in the world.

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Image credits: (1) iFunny, St. Francis (2) R. Weber, Tending the Fields (3) thenivbible.com

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Luke 17: 1-6

Jesus said to his disciples,
“Things that cause sin will inevitably occur,
but woe to the one through whom they occur.
It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck
and he be thrown into the sea
than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.
Be on your guard!
If your brother sins, rebuke him;
and if he repents, forgive him.
And if he wrongs you seven times in one day 
and returns to you seven times saying, ‘I am sorry,’
you should forgive him.”

And the Apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied, “If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Jesus often uses strange, mysterious language to describe the power of faith.

“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,” he says in today’s Gospel, “then you would say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”

I’ve never wrapped my arms around a mulberry tree, but I imagine I’d look like a fool if I tried pulling one out of the earth. After a tug or two, my arms would be scratched and red all over, causing me to lose heart and give up.

Not even the world’s strongest person could uproot a tree with their bare hands.

But with faith, anyone can do it, Jesus says, because faith derives its power from God.

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What does this mean more concretely?

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There are all kinds of unwelcome things – people, habits, memories, experiences, emotions – that get deeply rooted in our hearts. 

We want them gone. We try to uproot them, but for one reason or another, we cannot summon the strength.

This is where faith comes in.

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It may require asking the Lord over and over again, but with daily faith the size of a mustard seed, that mulberry tree can be cast into the sea.

It begins, as with all things in the spiritual life, by turning to the Lord.

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Image credits: (1) A Christian Pilgrimage, WordPress (2) One More River To Cross, WordPress.com (3) Inklings Community