Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time July 4, 2004 Isaiah 66:10-14c Galatians 6:14-18 Luke 10:1-12, 17-20	Listen to Audio

I am sure that there is not one person here who has not had the experience of being nagged by somebody. You know, the person who just has to “straighten you out” or make you do something you don’t want to do or change you, even in a way that you know is best, but for some reason you don’t change, maybe out of laziness maybe out of desire. And, of course, a true nag does not let up! When they don’t succeed, they just try harder doing what didn’t work. And their constant effort, no matter how well intentioned fails to produce any effect in you other than increased resistance and resentment. Even – and this is important – even if you know they are right! With very few exceptions, nagging does not change anyone.

You’ve also had the experience, haven’t you – I know I have – of being the one who nags! You know how frustrating it can be. You know it’s for the other person’s good, but they just won’t listen. And the harder you try, the more obstinate they become. And you’re at your wits end. Eventually you know that trying harder just doesn’t work, and you give up in desperation – without having accomplished what you wanted!

Today, Jesus invites us to try something new. Notice when he sends his disciples out to proclaim the Kingdom of God, to call people to conversion, he tells them first of all that they must be detached even from the results of their efforts. They must try their best, but success is in God’s hands, not their. It’s very significant that he says “I am sending you like lambs among wolves.” He’s telling us, first of all, that we must not behave like the wolves! The most important thing is that we don’t become like the people we’re trying to change. And yet, psychologists tell us that’s the greatest danger – to become like our enemies, those who oppose us or whom we oppose – and if we are honest we see it all around us in the world, among communities and nations as well as individuals.

What does Jesus mean by “I am sending you like lambs among wolves”? First of all, it is an acknowledgment of the ferocity of opposition that any true follower of Christ will encounter. Love is not always returned with love. Sometimes love encounters hatred, violence, and indifference. Yet we have to remain steadfast in love. Returning hatred for hatred, violence for violence, or even indifference for indifference will only perpetuate an ever-growing cycle of evil.

The image of the lamb does not imply weakness or passivity, or even gentleness. As Jesus uses it, it is clearly the image of self-sacrifice – the Paschal Lamb, who is slain to redeem his people. Any follower of Christ must also be an imitator of Christ. If we are to be like Christ we can expect the same treatment he received.

It’s here that we can turn to the first reading, and see the power of love. These wonderful words of Isaiah were addressed to an impoverished and dispirited gaggle of refugees returning from exile in Babylon to a Jerusalem that was in ruins. Yet it is the promise of God’s enduring love that give them hope and the strength to rebuild their heritage. God did not say, “See, you deserved the punishment you received.” Instead, God said simply, “No matter what you have done, I love you. You are still my people.”

It has been said that Christianity has not been tried and found wanting, but that it has been found difficult and left untried. What would happen if we really took being like our Christ seriously?

© Thomas Welbers 2004

Thomas Welbers 2004