16th Sunday in Ordinary Time |
[Father Paul]
Today, I am introducing my sermon by discussing my strategy for the next few weeks. Last week, Jesus sent his disciples out to spread the word that the Kingdom of God is at hand. This is hard work, so we read in today's Gospel that Jesus asks them to leave and rest for a while. But they caught up with him anyway! And he continued to feed them with his word - they were like sheep without shepherds. This may be why the liturgy chose Psalm 23, which I will speak about in a moment. But before I continue, I also want to mention that next week and the weeks after, Jesus will feed this crowd with the miracle of the multiplication of loaves. The problem is, in the weeks ahead of us, we discover that many don't believe him, and some even stop following him. So, I have decided to do a series of sermons on faith for the rest of the summer. "Tell me why..." is the title of this series. Why should I believe? As your pastor, I hope you will discover, as I have, the real peace that comes from choosing to believe. I hope you will make a special effort to join us, and I hope you will bring a friend who may be doubting!
So, to the readings at hand.
Let me begin with a little story. Last week, I went with our 24 young people to Steubenville, Ohio, for a youth conference, where I joined 2,500 teenagers to praise and worship God and get to know Jesus personally. It was amazing. On the bus on the way back (thank you, by the way, because most of the $6,000 for the bus came from your Sunday offering. Never underestimate how much good you are doing by contributing financially to our parish), we heard most of the young people give little testimonies about how this impacted their lives. One boy in particular, who was probably about 18, stood out, and I would like to share what happened:
He relates that on the Saturday of the adoration, the "main event," if you will, he had been feeling rather upset and angry about something. He didn't even share what it was. But he said that while he was feeling down on himself with all these 2500 teenagers all having a great time, he felt a hand on his shoulder from one of the chaperones behind him and immediately felt this negative energy leave him. He couldn't explain it, but it was very real.
Psalm 23
"The Lord is my shepherd;
there is nothing I shall want.
Fresh and green are the pastures
where he gives me repose.
Near restful waters he leads me,
to revive my drooping spirit."
Yes, my sermon today is about the psalms. And as we read from Psalm 23, we can be reassured, just like in this young man's story, that God is always with us. But, what this young man did not realize, and could not have realized, was the story behind the story: the chaperone behind him, the one who put his hand on his shoulder. He had reported this privately to one of the other chaperones, who passed it along to me. But while standing there with all these teenagers, he noticed the young man still sitting, looking a bit down. So he felt this instinct to reach out to him and place his hand on his shoulder. He said that the moment he did that, he felt this negative energy leave him.
"He guides me along the right path;
he is true to his name.
If I should walk in the valley of darkness
no evil would I fear.
You are there with your crook and your staff;
with these, you give me comfort."
Wasn't it amazing that this young man chose to relate that particular story at that moment, not even knowing that the counterpart to that story was living on that bus as well? Like a beautiful harmony, God's grace is amazing.
"You have prepared a banquet for me
in the sight of my foes.
My head you have anointed with oil;
my cup is overflowing.
Surely goodness and kindness shall follow me
all the days of my life.
In the Lord's own house shall I dwell
for ever and ever."
I share that story to introduce you to the Psalms. The psalms are incredibly passionate. They are about life, all of it: the good, the bad, and the ugly. These ancient psalms have survived for almost 3000 years because they are so relevant to humanity. And they cover the whole range of emotions. I can't even describe how I felt when I heard about the story of the young man and the chaperone, but somehow, for me, Psalm 23 captured it.
Or consider another kind of psalm, the psalm that expresses our loneliness, despair, and sadness, something that at least some of us might be feeling right now or certainly have in the past or will in the future.
But picture this. A small group of us went to the Holy Land in 2023, and one of the highlights for me was a visit to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest when Jesus was arrested. After interrogating him, they threw him in a dungeon, which was, in this case, just a dark, dingy cistern, probably filled with about 2 feet of water (you could still see the water lines on the concrete. You could also still see the stains where Jesus, beaten and bloody, would have leaned against the wall. I remember being in that dungeon, wondering what he must have felt. And the tour guide had me read from a podium, and we read from Psalm 88. I wonder if Jesus himself prayed this psalm -- He was a rabbi, so it is safe to assume he was intimately familiar with them:
Psalm 88
"Lord my God, I call for help by day;
I cry at night before you.
Let my prayer come into your presence.
O turn your ear to my cry.
For my soul is filled with evils;
my life is on the brink of the grave.
I am reckoned as one in the tomb;
I have reached the end of my strength,
Like one alone among the dead,
like the slain lying in their graves,
like those you remember no more,
cut off, as they are, from your hand.
You have laid me in the depths of the tomb,
in places that are dark, in the depths.
Your anger weighs down upon me;
I am drowned beneath your waves.
You have taken away my friends
and made me hateful in their sight.
Imprisoned, I cannot escape;
my eyes are sunken with grief.
I call to you, Lord, all the day long;
to you, I stretch out my hands.
Will you work your wonders for the dead?
Will the shades stand and praise you?
Will your love be told in the grave
or your faithfulness among the dead?
Will your wonders be known in the dark
or your justice in the land of oblivion?
As for me, Lord, I call to you for help;
in the morning, my prayer comes before you.
Lord, why do you reject me?
Why do you hide your face?
Wretched, close to death from my youth,
I have borne your trials; I am numb.
Your fury has swept down upon me;
your terrors have utterly destroyed me.
They surround me all the day like a flood,
they assail me all together.
Friend and neighbor you have taken away:
my one companion is darkness."
Are there more sadder words in all of literature? When we pray "the divine office" as clergy, we pray all 150 psalms in a four-week cycle. We pray this particular Psalm on Friday nights. It isn't easy because sometimes I'm in a pretty good mood when I come across that psalm. But what we must realize, too, as followers of Jesus, is that we live in a community, and even though I might not feel that way, someone else might.
And so, thankfully, other psalms are more uplifting!
Psalm 91
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
and abides in the shade of the Almighty
says to the Lord: "My refuge,
my stronghold, my God in whom I trust!"
It is he who will free you from the snare
of the fowler who seeks to destroy you;
he will conceal you with his pinions
and under his wings you will find refuge.
You will not fear the terror of the night
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the plague that prowls in the darkness
nor the scourge that lays waste at noon.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand fall at your right,
you, it will never approach;
his faithfulness is buckler and shield.
Your eyes have only to look
to see how the wicked are repaid,
you who have said: "Lord, my refuge!"
and have made the Most High your dwelling.
Upon you, no evil shall fall,
no plague approach where you dwell.
For you has he commanded his angels
to keep you in all your ways.
They shall bear you upon their hands
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
On the lion and the viper, you will tread
and trample the young lion and the dragon.
Since he clings to me in love, I will free him;
protect him, for he knows my name.
When he calls, I shall answer: "I am with you."
I will save him in distress and give him glory.
With length of life I will content him;
I shall let him see my saving power.
I conclude with one more psalm, psalm 16. These, I think, are the most beautiful words ever written. Let each sentence, each word fall deeply into the core of your being:
Psalm 16
Preserve me, God, I take refuge in you.
I say to you Lord "You are my God.
My happiness lies in you alone."
You have put into my heart a marvelous love
for the faithful ones who dwell in your land.
Those who choose other gods increase their sorrows.
Never will I offer their offerings of blood.
Never will I take their name upon my lips.
O Lord, it is you who are my portion and cup,
it is you yourself who are my prize.
The lot marked out for me is my delight,
welcome indeed the heritage that falls to me!
I will bless the Lord who gives me counsel,
who even at night directs my heart.
I keep the Lord ever in my sight:
since he is at my right hand, I shall stand firm.
And so my heart rejoices, my soul is glad;
even my body shall rest in safety.
For you will not leave my soul among the dead,
nor let your beloved know decay.
You will show me the path of life,
the fullness of joy in your presence,
at your right hand happiness for ever.
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