HOMILY Love God Above All

Transcription

1 HOMILY Love God Above All Father Larry Richards Moderator, Bread of Life Community Homily for the 30th Sunday of Ordinary Time Year A Readings: Exodus 22:21-27; 1 Thessalonians 1:5c-10; Matthew 22:34-40 As I go around and do various retreats, I always ask everyone, "What is the greatest sin?" Everyone will always say murder or rape or abortion, etc. Everyone has his or her own pick about what the greatest sin is. I say to them, "Doesn't it just make sense that the greatest sin would be going against or breaking the greatest commandment?" Doesn't that follow? If Jesus says, "This is the greatest commandment," then to break that commandment would be the greatest sin - I would imagine. I would think! So, last night I said to a group, "How many of you love God with all your heart and mind and soul and strength?" And of course, people raised their hands. I said, "No, not even close, ladies and gentlemen. If you think that you love God above all things created, you haven't a clue!" Nobody here does. I don't care if you are charismatic and you speak in tongues. Whooo! You don't love God above all things created, and neither do I. I am soon to be a forty year old virgin, celibate priest who has given everything to God, and do you think that I love God with all my heart, mind, soul and strength? Not even close! Not even close, because I still do things my way. I do them my way, instead of God's way. So, what I need to do is really look and acknowledge that the greatest of all sinners is Fr. Larry Richards, because I'm not living the way that God has commanded me to live. Paul knew that. Francis knew that. Anyone who ever knew God knew that they were the greatest of all sinners, and not just in some "pie in the sky" false humility type way, but deep in their heart, knowledgeable reality, "I AM THE WORST OF ALL," because I don't fulfill His command to love God above all. Loving God above all things means that if I pick up a piece of paper, I do it for

2 love of God, if I turn on the TV I do it for love of God. Everything I do I do for the love of God. I NEVER do my will, I only do His. Can you raise your hand now and say that you truly love God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength? Nobody here can! So, we each need to be made humble and realize that we have no room to judge anyone else, because we fall into that category of not loving God above all. Jesus today is quoting from Deuteronomy 6:4. This is the Shema Israel. It's what the Jewish people say everyday, a couple of times a day. Everyday they need to say this. The reason I want to make this clear is that most of us (especially those who are charismatic) go to Mass and do all these "things" and have in the back of our minds that little sense that "Thank God I'm not like the rest of men. I pray everyday. I tithe, I fast when it's appropriate. I'm a pretty good person." You know, most people who are pagans will say that they are good people. I say, "You're not holy." They say, "Yes I am." No they aren't, neither am I. I'm not making any judgments, I'm just telling them who they are. None of us deserves heaven. None of us! You've got to get over that "I'm a good person" thing, because that doesn't cut it. Nowhere in this whole Word of God does it say that good people go to Heaven. Nowhere. The Word of God says that the only people who go to Heaven are HOLY PEOPLE. Hebrews 12 says, "That holiness without which we will not see God." Very simple! In Deuteronomy 6, God's making it very clear, "Hear O Israel, the Lord your God is one. Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul and with all your strength. Take to heart these words which I enjoin on you today. Drill them into your children. Speak of them at home and abroad. Whenever you are busy or at rest, bind them on your wrist as a sign and let them be a pendant on your forehead. Write them on the doorposts of your houses and your gates." God is saying, "Know this. Drill it into your mind, drill it into your hand, drill it into whatever you do. Talk about it." The commandment that all of us are called to obey is to love God above all. Put it on television, underneath everything that is on, "Love God above all things created." Put it on your mirror so that when you look at it everyday it reminds you, "Love God above all things created." Put it on your desk, so that when you go to work you know, "Love God above all things created and with all your heart, mind, soul and strength." That's the call! Again, we get discouraged. We say, "I don't Father." You are right. That creates humility, and then all you have to do is then ask for this desire. "Lord, I want to love You above all things." You know, it's not possible to do this alone, is it? That's why you've been given whom? The HOLY SPIRIT. The Holy Spirit inside of me, the Holy Spirit inside of you can help us to love God above all

3 things, because the love of the Father and the Son together is the Holy Spirit. So, if you and I really want to love God with all that we are, we need to surrender to the Holy Spirit and get caught up into the love of the Trinity. We do it by asking for it and by surrendering to Him. "Lord help me." Make that something you drill into your heart. "Lord, I want to love You above all things created." Now all the good Jews, when they heard this greatest commandment, said, "Uh-huh. Very good. Go for it, Jesus. You did it right." But then the next thing he said really confused everyone. Because, He took all the laws, the 640-some laws of Leviticus, and He summed it up into this next line - this is in Matthew 22:39 - "The second is like it. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments the whole law is based, and the prophets as well." So, He takes all the laws of the Old Testament, He takes all the Prophets of the Old Testament, and He says, "Love God, and love others as you love yourself." One of the first books I read (I encourage you to read it if you never have), is a book by Carlo Coretto. It's called, Letters from the Desert. For forty years he was the head of the Catholic Youth Movement in France. He left everything and he went into the desert in prayer and adoration - for years. He had two blankets in the desert because it was very cold at night. One day he saw a person there who needed a blanket. He thought, "Boy, I can't give up my blanket, I'll freeze tonight." Then he walked by. Later on he fell asleep and he had a dream. This big rock came and fell on top of him. He realized as he was dying under the rock that he loved his own life more than he loved someone else's. His own skin was more important to be warm at night than another person's. He realized that that's what Purgatory was going to be like for him. When it came right down to it, his skin was more important than someone else's. You see, that is what Jesus is saying. We are called to love everyone as we love ourselves. This command from Jesus is very early in His Ministry. Later on He makes it even worse. In John 13:34 He says, "Now, I give you a new commandment. By your love for one another, such as my love has been for you, you must now love each other. This is how all people will know that you are My disciples - by your love for one another." So, what does He say? He says that we must love each other as how? As HE HAS LOVED US. This is such basic Christianity. But, I really believe that we don't get the basics. It's easy for us to do Novenas, and praise God and use the Charisms - it's easy for us. But, when it comes down to the basics - to love God above all - and I think, "Am I really doing that?" - NO! Do I love others as He has loved me? Do I live my life not only as

4 the first commandment in the Old Testament says - loving others as I love myself, but now, do I love others the way Jesus has loved me? Meaning - is their skin more important than my skin? The answer must be, yes! It goes beyond just loving others the way I love myself. Now, I'm putting them above and before me. That is the way I must live my life! Again, simple, simple, simple. Ask your husband, ask your wife. "Sweetheart, do I put you before me - I want you to be honest with me." Take the honesty and repent! Ask your kids. Ask co-workers you are working with everyday. Those of you who are in school, ask your schoolmates. You never make fun of anyone do you? You'd never do that of course, because that would show that you are more important than them. You'd never put anyone down of course, because that would show that you are more important than them. Those of you who are older - nobody here would ever gossip would they? Oh no, never! Because, that would say that you are a judger of everybody else in the community! Nobody else would ever say anything about what Father isn't doing right or what someone else isn't doing right.nobody here would ever do that, right? Because we think humbly of ourselves and others as superior, as it says in Philippians 2. Right? Oh, yes Father! Well, see, this is the call of God. First of all, we have to have an Act of Humility. "Lord, I don't love You above all, but I want to." So when you realize, "I'm the greatest of sinners, I can't ever judge anyone else," then you ask the Holy Spirit to change your heart, because you can't do it yourself. Then, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, then I have to have the attitude that says, "Lord, help me to know that everyone's skin is more important than mine, that I'm here to give it all up for them." Let's make that practical. Today, this is Ministries Day. I'm going to ask everyone to go down after Mass and walk through the ministries tables. There are 30 different ministries here. You might think you are pretty busy today and need to go right home and get out of here. I'm going to ask you today to be more concerned about other people than you are about yourself. Instead of walking right out these doors today so you can go home and do "your thing," you need to walk down that hall. There have been people here since 8:00 this morning, and it's taken a month for some of these people to build their displays. It'll take you two minutes to go down and walk through and see what they've done. Whose skin is more important? Yours, or someone else's? This is very practical. You can do it this very day. I'll give you an opportunity. Ill bet some of you will walk right out that door and go straight home, not changed by the homily. Not changed at all by the Word of God. The problem is, most Catholics do exactly that. They hear the Word of God, they're convicted by it, and then they go on and do exactly what they want anyway. Are you one of those? Are you one of those who hear the Word of God, and say, "Lord, I give you

5 permission now to change me," and put what you learned into practice? Your decision, gentlemen and ladies! May each of you know his love today and forever. Amen.