We all live out our faith in the reality of our lives, in the reality of the world around us. However, the reality and values of the world can often provide obstacles and hardships in the way we are called to live out our faith. I remember that during Christmas break of my first year in seminary, I was asked to spend a week with the sisters at the parish of Immaculate Heart of Mary in Houston, Mississippi, not too far from us here in Tupelo. That was my first experience in Northeast, Mississippi. I remember some of the older members there telling me what it was like living in an area with almost no Catholics, where there was no parish established and where there has never been a resident pastor once there was a parish nearby, where often times, they only went to mass a couple of times a year, only after traveling a very long distance at great sacrifice. I thought about where I served in Ecuador as a missionary, where two priests served a huge rain forest region of more than 100 villages, where many villages did not even get mass once a year. Yet, somehow, the people tried to find a way to remain Catholic and to maintain their Catholic identity.
Our readings today focus on the challenges we have in living out God’s laws and commandments in a secular world, in living out a life of discipleship in a world that has different values and different morals from ours. Our first reading comes from the book of Sirach, one of the books that is included in our Catholic Bible, but only that is not found in Protestant Bibles. The author of the book, Joshua Ben Sirach, was a scribe from Jerusalem who became part of the Jewish diaspora, the Jewish population who left Israel and who lived in other surrounding countries. Having established a school in Alexandria, Egypt, this practicing Jew found it very difficult living out his faith in a pagan society where Jews were in the minority - sounds similar to the situation we Catholics have here in Mississippi. Ben Sirach’s message was intended for Jews who were a part of this diaspora, who were under the influence of the Greek way of looking at things that was so pervasive in the ancient world of that era. Sirach asserts that there should be no compromise with the prevailing culture when it came to keeping God's law. It is our choice to either follow or disobey God’s laws. We are responsible for the consequences of our choices. Paul's message in his first letter to the Corinthians enhances the message that we heard from Sirach, as Paul contrasts the wisdom of the prevailing Greek culture with the wisdom of God. Paul advises us as Christians to seek true wisdom in God’s revelation instead of engaging in endless discussions of Greek philosophy. According to Paul, God in his great wisdom has saved us through his son Jesus Christ and has prepared for us “what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and what has not entered the human heart.”
But we Christians are not to deny the realities of the world, to withdraw from the world and to live in some sort of existence that denies the reality of the world around us. We are called to dialogue with the world and to bring our values to the world. When I was in Ecuador, not only did we bring the faith to the people, but more than the government or any other agencies working in the area, I saw the Catholic Church doing so much to improve the lives of the people, running medical clinics, schools, orphanages, business initiatives, loan programs, farmer cooperatives, and much more. St Augustine once said: “For grace is given (to us) not because we have done good works, but in order that we be able to do them.” It is the same with God’s laws and commandments. They have been given to us not to hinder us or punish us, but to support us and guide us and help us to achieve our potential as human beings and as disciples of Christ. When I thought of today’s readings, I thought about Ms. Jane Sullivan, whose funeral we had here at St James just a couple of days ago. I had mentioned at Jane’s funeral that I was always impressed by the great balance Jane had in her life of faith. Everyone here at St James knew of her good works and works of charity - picking up the newspapers for residents on her street at Traceway, feeding the neighborhood stray cats, taking people to doctor’s appointments, and visiting the sick and shut-ins. Yet, we also knew Jane as a great woman of prayer and faith, always studying the faith and studying God’s word, being members of adult faith formation programs and Bible studies and prayer groups. To me, this balance between the spiritual and religious practice of our faith and the works of love and charity that grow out of our faith. As a priest, I always try to find the balance of the two in my own life, and to promote this balance with my parishioners. It is that balance in our spiritual lives that will help us live out God’s laws and commandments in our lives. We know that this is not always easy, but it is the challenge we have in our lives of faith.
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