Jan 24th

Post date: Jan 26, 2021 2:54:51 AM

January 24, 2021 Homily by Fr. Karl Schray

There is a story about a holy monk. In the town where he lived,

the houses of the rich stood in an isolated area so that they had to hire

men to watch over their property at night.

Late one evening as the monk was walking back to the monastery,

he met a watchman walking up and down the street.

“For whom are you working?” the monk asked. The man told him

and then inquired, ‘And for whom are you working, Brother?’

The words struck the monk like an arrow.

Hesitating he said, “I am not working for anyone just now.”

They walked on for a while. Then the monk asked the man,

“Will you by my assistant?” ‘I should like to’, the watchman replied,

‘but what would be my duties?’

The monk said, “To ask me that question (for whom are you working?)

every now and then.

This is the question we might ask ourselves every now and then;

Who or what am I working for?

Every one of us is called by God, both individually and collectively. The

mission of loving, preaching, teaching, and healing which Jesus began in Galilee

is now the responsibility of the Church.

And who is the Church? Yes, we are!

Be we monk, sister, priest, married or single laity, we are all called

and, in this call, we become what God wants us to be.

Simon Peter, Andrew, James, and John were ordinary fishermen.

What Jesus needs are ordinary folk who will give themselves to Him. What Christ needs is not our ability but our availability. What Jesus teaches his disciples is not a course of study but a way of life to follow.

In the First Reading, the prophet Jonah was called by God to tell the people

of Nineveh that God was angry with them and was going to punish them

if they did not repent. Jonah was not concerned with the Ninevites—

he was worried about what they would do to him bringing this bad news

to them. Many people thought it was long overdue for the warlike Ninevites

to feel God’s wrath. After Jonah goes in the opposite direction and

is swallowed by the whale, he goes to Nineveh and tells them

that in forty days they will be destroyed.

However, the Ninevites respond in an unexpected way—they accept

Jonah’s message and turn their attention to God and go into mourning and

fasting and repent of their evil ways. But perhaps the greatest change

happened in Jonah himself. He finally realized that God’s love is not limited—God’s forgiveness is not limited—God’s offer of salvation is for all!

Monday is the Feast of St. Paul’s conversion and the climax of our week of

Prayer for Christian Unity. We will probably not have a ‘knocked off my horse experience’ because for most, conversion is a lifelong process.

This is the Year of St. Joseph (the Pope declared) and a journey of the heart, together with St. Joseph toward Jesus Christ.

God first called Simon Peter, Andrew, James, John and the other Apostles,

along with Jonah, Paul and Joseph to work for him. They all answered— “Yes, Lord”.

I ask myself and you again. For whom are you working?