Deacon Mike Meyer / Sunday, June 9, 2024 / Categories: Blog, Homilies Choose Sides Homily for the Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B The Lord of the Rings; Harry Potter; A Wrinkle in Time; The Hunger Games: What do these bestselling novels turned blockbuster movies have in common? They’re all stories about the battle between good and evil. We humans are naturally drawn to good versus evil stories because good and evil battle it out in our minds, hearts, and lives every day. We’re participants in one way or another. Today’s readings help us choose sides. Our first reading from Genesis reminds us of how evil entered the world through Adam and Eve. You’ll recall that the prequel to this story teaches us that on the seventh day of creation, God looked at all he had created and proclaimed it to be very good. Then all hell broke loose, quite literally, when in today’s passage, Adam and Eve disobeyed God’s only prohibition by eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Through their first sin, evil took root in human existence, and God’s perfect creation hasn’t been the same since. The Cliff Notes version of the story is simple: “God’s creation was perfect until humans messed it up.”[1] Adam and Eve messed it up by choosing Satan’s will over God’s will, and they suffered the consequences and repercussions that humanity has paid the price for ever since: shame, fear, blame, illness, death, and worst of all, a broken relationship with God. That’s what sin does: it’s not just harmless disobedience; sin alters our relationship with God from comfort to threat, from healthy respect to fear, from trust to mistrust.[2] Fortunately for us, God has never stopped trying to fix the mess we made. Since that first sin in the Garden, we hear repeatedly in the Old Testament that God lovingly swoops in to save his people every time they violate God’s covenants. The New Testament reveals the culmination of God’s efforts and God’s definitive response to human disobedience and sin when God sent us his super man: Jesus Christ. Through his life, passion, death, and resurrection, Jesus conquered sin and death and reclaimed all of God’s creation for the forces of good. “Good has already won the battle, evil is on the run, and there is no chance of the tide ever turning the other way,” even though evil acts and human suffering continue here on earth.[3] Jesus didn’t stare slack-jawed as the battle between good and evil raged before his eyes; he did something about it. He offered his life on the cross to deal with it once and for all and gave us the power to deal with it, too.[4] How’s that? Through his Word and perfect example, Jesus taught us how to live the good life God intended for us at creation. He taught us to do God’s will. Throughout the Gospels and in every choice we face, Jesus invites us to follow him, to live as he lived, and to love as he loved. Whenever evil confronts us, we need to follow Jesus and conquer evil with love instead. So if our middle fingers start twitching when someone cuts us off in the Flemington Circle, blow them a kiss instead. If we’re tempted to give someone a bollocking on Facebook for a particularly nasty post, say a prayer for them, and turn the other cheek instead. I’m not saying it’s easy, but as G.K. Chesterton said, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and left untried.” If we want to join the forces of good, if we want to be part of Jesus’ family, we need to do what Jesus did in every moment of his life: we need to choose God’s side by doing God’s will. Choosing God’s side also helps us deal with the collateral damage we suffer from the battle between good and evil. However great our faith and obedience to God’s will may be, we’re still victims of circumstance and other people’s bad choices. We’re still subject to the vicissitudes of life that accompany a world ravaged by sin. We’re still mortal. Yet, for all the challenges the forces of evil throw at us, those who choose God always have one thing—hope. As Saint Paul so confidently proclaims in our second reading, “the one who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus.” Those who choose God’s side don’t lose heart amid our present suffering because we know that a resurrected body awaits us. We know that this life and our sufferings are temporary and “light” compared to the “eternal weight of glory” promised to those who do God’s will. In short, all who choose God inherit an eternal mindset that keeps our eye on the prize, fixed not on what’s seen, but on what’s unseen. Paul’s eternal perspective on the battle between good and evil gives us the strength to persevere because it gives us hope. Those who choose God may at times be at wit’s end, but we’re never at hope’s end. I confess that I’m a sucker for good versus evil stories. The Wizard of Oz; The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; and Les Mis are some of my favorites. I love these stories because they give me hope that good always wins in the end. We can’t help but participate in the battle because we’re touched by its consequences and confronted with good and evil choices every day. We have to choose sides. If you need help choosing, take another look at today’s readings and remember that there’s no greater good versus evil story and no greater hope than Jesus Christ. Jesus took God’s side and conquered evil forever. God already won. Choose God’s side; don’t side with losers. Readings: Genesis 3:9-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35 [1] Mary M. McGlone, “The Reign of God Is at Hand,” National Catholic Reporter 60, no.17 (May 24-June 6, 2024), 19. [2] Peter Kreeft, Food for the Soul: Reflections on the Mass Readings (Cycle B), Elk Grove Village, IL: Word on Fire, 2023), 586-7. [3] Michael Patella, Angels and Demons: A Christian Primer of the Spiritual World (Collegeville: Liturgical Press, 2010) at xvi. [4] William Barclay, The Gospel of Mark, The New Daily Study Bible (Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2001), 90. God Doesn’t Play Favorites Feeding the Spirit Print 589 Tags:Homily Deacon Mike Meyer Preaching Deacon Michael A. Meyer Year B Please login or register to post comments.