24th Sunday, Ordinary Time

 


24TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME


I’ve referenced the 1983 film Christmas Story in previous sermons. For the purposes of this sermon, I’ll be focusing upon a scene that features the father and his beloved lamp: he’s very carefully gluing the lamp back together. How did it become broken in the first place? It depends on who you ask. The father accuses his wife of intentionally knocking the lamp from its position on the table. She for her part claims that it was not done intentionally. Either way, the lamp appears to be broken beyond any hope of repair. Nevertheless, the father issues a call for the glue. Ultimately, however, it’s too tall of an order. The glue holds, but only for a brief period. In the end, it turns out to be a lost cause. 


Now let’s shift our attention to a far more critical bond: your relationship with the Lord. It seriously needs to be understood as a bond. This bond forms when you undergo the Sacrament of Baptism. From his perspective, the Lord looks forward to this relationship. Note how he is being presented in this passage from Romans—as the Lord of solidarity. He goes well out of his way, taking his place among the living by being born of the Virgin Mary. And furthermore, he takes his place among the dead by sacrificing himself on Golgotha. He extends himself so that he can be revealed as Lord of both the living and the dead (14:8-9). His mission has everything to do with the subject of solidarity. 


He’s committed to the process of forming a bond with each of us. It remains to be seen, however, whether this bond will be a bond that holds. Recall the illustration of the lamp. Recall how the glue holds, but only for a brief period. If you discover that your bond with the Lord has somehow dissolved, be careful about where you assign the blame. Don’t assume that the Lord has pulled away from you; rather, reflect on how you have been pulling away from him. It can happen in any number of ways. 


As for the other two readings, they seem to be isolating on one particular area of concern: our practice of forgiveness (see Sirach 28:2-5 and Matthew 18:21-35). Your bond with the Lord weakens considerably when you refuse to practice a spirit of forgiveness. The glue begins to give way, to lose its consistency. Conversely, when we allow ourselves to move forward with the practice of forgiveness, then the adhesive bond receives an injection of strength. And as a result, you take on the character of a lamp that has been successfully reassembled. It’s been put back together, and it’s glowing with a profound radiance. 

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