NB. This is my last Mass at OLR. I am moving back to Irving, TX on Monday, June 27th.
13th Sunday OT
Fr. Philip Neri Powell OP
OLR, NOLA
Christ
set us free! From what? From
the Law and from sin and death. How did he set us free? By taking on
our broken human nature, dying on the Cross, and rising again from
the tomb. Where and when did he set us free? Jerusalem in the first
century. And here and now. New Orleans in the 21st
century. Most importantly, why did Christ set us free? Paul
says it as plainly as it can be said: “For
freedom Christ set us free.” For no other reason are we set free
from the slavery of sin and death. And so, Paul urges us not to fall
back into sin, not to put ourselves back into chains. He says,
“...do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh.” Do
not abuse your freedom as a chance to wallow in the world – the
world of violence, hatred, lust, anger, and revenge. That world
refuses the gift of freedom and is kept in slavery to serve chaotic
passions absent reason. So, do not abuse your freedom, Paul, says;
“...rather, serve one another through love.” That's true freedom.
Not a license to do whatever we feel like doing. Not permission to
pick and choose from among nearly infinite options. But the
recognition that we have an end, a goal and that goal is best reached
by loving service to our neighbors.
Loving
and serving our neighbors is nothing new for those who follow Christ.
The only element of our loving service that changes is the
circumstances in which we serve lovingly. It might be a war, a
plague, a natural disaster; or something less dramatic like a death
in the family or a financial crisis. What never changes is the
urgency of our service, the urgency of our YES to Christ. This
urgency is daunting; it's intimidating because we have our things to
get done. I've been packing and cleaning these last three weeks. Not
only my own stuff but the accumulated stuff of 98yrs in St. Dominic
Priory. I wanted to be focused and diligent. But Christ kept calling
me to service. I had to serve on the Provincial Chapter for two
weeks. I had to arrange and preach the funeral of a brother who died
earlier this month. I had to take over the financial management of
the priory. I had to preside at the profession of the Priestly
Fraternity of St. Dominic. Among a thousand other acts of service. I
was annoyed, impatient, sometimes rude, and always reluctant to give
my time. Then, I read the Gospel for this evening: “No one who
sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for
the kingdom of God.” Chastened, I closed my big whiny mouth and got
back to work.
Three people approach Jesus to express their desire to follow after
him. Each one has an excuse for not doing so immediately. They didn't
feel the necessary urgency in taking up their crosses. The first
thinks that following Jesus means literally traveling around in his
entourage. Jesus teaches him (and us) that following him is not a
matter of physical proximity to him but rather a matter of loving
service wherever we find ourselves. The second wants to bury his
father first, an ancient religious custom worthy of respect. Jesus
teaches him (and us) that those who do not follow him are already
dead. Let them bury those who have died. We have work to do right
now. The last, wants to say goodbye to his family before he follows
Christ. Again, a failure to feel the urgency of loving service. Jesus
teaches him (and us) that once we've chosen to follow him, there's no
looking back. Serve or do not. There is no try, there is no turning
around to contemplate what we've left behind. Our work as followers
of Christ is before us, waiting for us up ahead.
So,
when Paul says that Christ freed us for freedom, he means that Christ
saved us from sin and death so that we may serve lovingly without the
distractions of sin and death. The works of the flesh keep us bound
to sin, chained in slavery. Each of the three who wanted to follow
Christ were slaves to a demand, a custom, an idea of living that
prevented them from enjoying the urgency of Christ's work. What is
the chain binding you? Probably one of the usual suspects: money,
time, false humility; pride, hoarding your gifts for yourself,
impatience with other sinners. Or, is
that just me?
Maybe you've acquired an odd notion of love – it's all about
feeling warm and fuzzy! It's all about unconditional approval and
acceptance. Or some weird idea about service – it's the gov't's job
or Church agency's job or those-other-people-over- there's job. No
where to lay your head. Let the dead bury the dead. Don't look back.
“I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify
the desire of the flesh.” Christ set us free for freedom. Christ
set us free so that we might live in the state of being free. Free
from sin. Free from eternal death. Free from the poisonous narcissism
that is consuming our nation. Free from the irrational passions that
are herding our neighbors into hell. Free from all of those
things-of-the-flesh that turn us into fools and deceive us into
believing that we can be God w/o God. Christ set you free for
freedom. Beware that you do not sell yourself back into slavery.
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