Sermon Cloud

A few years ago, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger published a collection of speeches which is entitled Values in a Time of Upheaval. The purpose of the book is to show the world that choices we make have an impact which is at times far reaching, especially when it comes to those decisions that impact freedom, culture and the wellbeing of God's creation.

Making choices is easy at times, when the options presented are life giving for us, for our families or for those we love, but when the possibilities all have good to offer, it can often be more difficult to choose the best alternative. The scripture passages today show us one possibility for a guideline that might be helpful.

The apostle Paul, whose Feast day we celebrated this week, encouraged the community at Galatia to recognize that by means of the gift of his self-giving, Christ provides us with the gift of freedom. We in turn should use this gift of freedom to love one another as He has loved us ( Gal 5:13-18).

If love guides our decision making, then our focus is always on the good of the other, and we are more easily able to see and appreciate the big picture when considering the choices we make. This is true for parents who make decisions for the good of their children, for students who make decisions about their futures, for communities of faith who make decisions to reach out beyond their own confines and respond to the needs of God's people who are in need ... indeed in all facets of life.

Particularly for the disciples of Jesus, our lives should always be focused on proclaiming the kingdom of God. Many distractions can tempt us to turn our gaze away from this task of primary importance. In fact we sometimes crowd our lives with all manner of different activities which really have the effect of drawing us away from the gospel which should be our focus.

Jesus himself faced these temptations in the gospel today ( Lk 9:51-62). He tried to prepare the Samaritans to receive his word by sending messengers ahead of him (Lk 9:52) but they did not believe him. In fact the disciples wanted to punish them for their apparent lack of interest (Lk 9:54). Do we at times get so caught up in our own activities that we find it difficult to listen for God's word that calls us to freedom and to life?

Someone Jesus met on the road (Lk 9:57) had all good intentions and wanted to follow Jesus, but he was stark in his answer to their querry. Do we at times start out with good intentions of trying to discern the call of God, but soon get lost in a series of decisions or choices which ultimately draw us away from the intimacy of prayer, or cloud our ability to hear God's voice calling to us?

Jesus even called strangers to follow him and was met with hesitation instead of willing acceptance of his invitation (Lk 9:59). Do we sometimes make excuses for not accepting the invitation to love, or to seek out the needy, seeing in them the face of our Saviour who calls for our help?

Today's readings remind us of the gift of freedom, but along with freedom comes a responsibility to use this gift wisely. Like the prophet Elijah, we are called to reach beyond ourselves, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and calling others to do the same. The first reading gives us the example of Elisha ( 1 Kings 19:19-21) whose life was changed by the call of Elijah, so that he gave away his riches and dared to respond to the call of the Lord. At times we too are called to give up our own will, and to follow the Lord to places and experiences we would not necessarily choose. Are we willing to do so?

The values we learn from people of faith, and from the experiences of a life of faith are always meant to call us to deeper freedom. As we celebrate Canada Day, let us give thanks to God for the gift of freedom. Even in the changing times we find ourselves living these days, these values of love, trust and faith will ultimately guide us back to the Father who waits for us with open arms.

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