Homily for 3rd Sun OT, Year B
Fr. Albert
St. Peter’s, New Iberia
Forty days more and New Iberia shall be destroyed! Like Nineveh, we are full of sin. Drugs, violence, theft, drunkenness, and lust all have a home in our dear city. So, maybe it’s high time someone walked through the city proclaiming its imminent destruction. Then maybe, just maybe, we would take our lead from Nineveh, proclaim a fast, and put on sackcloth. After all, look at what Jesus is doing. In Mark, this is the first time Jesus speaks and what does he do? He walks around saying, “the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, repent!”
Do you think that would work? Is proclaiming the Gospel to New Iberia as simple as Jonah’s mission to Nineveh? A single day’s walk, some angry shouting about repentance, and bam, the city is converted; Then New Iberia will be a light to the nations. Sounds great, no?
But you know that if you were to just run through the streets and shout about repentance at random, you would be mostly ignored. You might even end up as the next viral video to be mocked on the internet. We can already find plenty of videos now of street screamers, pamphlet passers, and erstwhile evangelizers. In this “post-Christian” world, so many people are numb to these things and pre-programmed to dismiss them as unworthy of their attention.
And yet, does that justify doing nothing? You all know that New Iberia really is full of sin and violence, as are most cities. You also know that the percentage of people practicing the Catholic faith has decreased steadily over the last few decades. Perhaps screaming about repentance isn’t the answer, but there must be something we can do. If what we believe is true really is true, we can’t just leave so many in the dark.
Indeed, there is. I already spoke last week about the importance of listening to God, of paying attention to his presence in others, in ourselves, and especially in the Eucharist. This is important because the first step to evangelizing the world is to be evangelized, to respond to God’s call to you. Hearing homilies and learning about the faith are like listening to John the Baptist. Listening to them can help you recognize Jesus, but they can’t replace your personal commitment to following Christ and His Church. If you are sincere in following Jesus, then your example will help to spread the faith in the world.
But it goes further than that. We have to be deliberate about evangelization. Jesus didn’t say “keep minding your own business, other people will come on their own.” No, he gave them a mission. “I will make you fishers of men.” Yes, we have priests and sisters and missionaries, but every Catholic is called to spread the faith.
But there’s a reason Jesus first picks fisherman. It wasn’t just so he could set up a wordplay like “fishers of men.” No, it’s because fishing is good training for evangelization. Many of you fish and some of you are probably experts. You know that you have to go get fish, they don’t just come to you. And fishing is a skill you have to develop. You have to learn how to cast, where to fish, when to fish, and what bait to use. Then, you have to be patient. All the work in the world cannot make a fish bite your hook. All the planning in the world cannot make a school of fish swim into your net. The trick is to be in the right place at the right time and then wait and see. There’s even a fundamental kind of trust, a reliance on providence.
The comparison to evangelization is obvious. The first thing we have to learn is how to cast our nets. When I say “evangelize,” what does that even mean? What kind of verb, what kind of action is that? Many people probably picture a priest giving a homily – like right now – or a missionary handing out bibles in a foreign country. Even worse, some people probably think of the pamphlet pusher on the sidewalk, or a relative who’s always guilt-tripping you about something. Don’t get me wrong, guilt trips have their place, but they are by no means the only or even primary way to evangelize.
The fact is, evangelization is a requirement. If you do not share the Gospel with others in some way, then you are not really living the Gospel. The Good News is not News if it is not shared. But, evangelization can take many forms: a kind word to a stranger, a book suggestion, a recommendation for music. It can be a heartfelt conversation, a simple invitation to see what brings you joy and peace. It can look like awkwardly listening to your new age friend ramble about some strange ideas. You probably won’t get people to see the merits of Catholicism in one conversation, but it builds a bridge, it’s a start. And, yes, sometimes a bold witness in public is needed. Jonah did what he did because God told him to and some people really are converted by an encounter with a stranger telling them about Jesus. Hundreds of thousands just marched publicly proclaiming a gospel of life and that witness is not a waste – it is a kind of evangelization.
Yet, throughout all the diverse ways to evangelize, there are two recurring themes: that you try and that you humbly rely on God. St. Paul, who traveled the whole known world evangelizing, said that he came with “weakness and with great fear and trembling.” Even though I am a priest, I often struggle to speak of the Gospel outside of here. I am often afraid. But “fear is useless” and Paul said, “woe to me if I do not preach the Gospel.” Woe to us indeed if we do not.
Yes, it can be difficult and uncomfortable. Yes, it can affect your own salvation. But, sharing the Gospel is not all public preaching and distant travel; Start close to home. Look at your relationships. Where is the faith in each of those relationships? Look at your abilities and opportunities. How can you use them to share the faith? Look at your own faith. Are you willing to at least try, to trust in God and cast the net? If you try and fail, try again. Like anything else, you will get better with practice, you will learn how to recognize more and more the right approach at the right time. More importantly, you will begin to better recognize the voice of God prompting you, calling you to cast your net.
It might not be forty days, but New Iberia – and the whole world – will be destroyed. When the time comes, who will be prepared? How can the world be ready for the end if there are no Jonahs, no Simons and Andrews? Your friends, family, and coworkers… who will call them to faith and give them a chance? Why can’t it be you?
