Resolution

Homily for Tuesday of the Twenty-sixth Week of Ordinary Time

I know that I have told you this before, but it bears repeating. The passage from St. Luke’s Gospel for this day marks a deliberate change from the Galilean ministry of Jesus. He resolutely decides to make his way to Jerusalem where he will die on a cross. At first hearing, these words do not give us a true sense of the atmosphere in which Jesus and his disciples were living. These were dangerous, formidable, ominous days. Jesus was about to be humiliated, tortured, and murdered – for us. He knew it, but he was resolute, steadfast, unyielding and unwavering in his movement toward his fate. Everything written after chapter nine of St. Luke’s Gospel must be read with this in mind.

Such love had he, and such mercy did the Father extend, that the Son of God came down from heaven to take on our humanity so we could live with him forever. Jesus is here for us always, and trusting in him and surrendering our fears, doubts, anxieties, and burdens gives us the freedom to live in him that surpasses any other way of life.

St. Therese of the Child Jesus, known as the Little Flower, is someone who understood this completely and lived it explicitly. The church celebrates her today as well as her inspiring spirituality of simplicity. Despite her short life, complicated by the unbearable weight of physical suffering, she sought holiness in doing seemingly small acts of love every day. Her trust in and surrender to Jesus was the bedrock of her life of faith. Even with the trials she faced, she had a strong sense of purpose and of God’s will for her.

The hardships we face are real; the trials we endure are real. They can be painful, destructive, and even cause us at times to feel as Job did – lamenting the day of our birth and the suffering of the innocent. But the life and death of Jesus and the lives of St. Therese and so many other Saints show us that God’s purpose is greater than any hardship. The Eucharist we celebrate is a tangible gift in helping us remember that it gives us strength on the journey, infusing us with God’s grace, helping us trust and surrender to the freedom that is found in Christ.