A homily by Fr.
Gene Tucker, given at Trinity Church ,
Mt.
VernonIllinois on
"THE ‘BIG PICTURE’ MEETS THE ‘LITTLE PICTURE'”
“Lord, when
did we see thee hungry?”
A week ago
Friday, I took part in our Sr. High youth retreat, called “Happening”, which
was held at the Cathedral in Springfield
Many of us
had arrived, and were getting organized for the weekend’s activities, when
there was a knock on the door of the Parish House. Someone answered the door, and outside stood
a family: a dad, a mom, and two young
girls, who looked to be less than six years old. They said they walked over from their home,
and that they had nothing to eat. They
said they’d heard that they could get some food at the Cathedral.
We felt
helpless. We were all from other places,
and didn’t know what resources there were in Springfield
Out of our
confused state, someone had the presence of mind to ask the family to come
inside, out of the cold. Once inside,
the mother said that she was pregnant, and that she was on medication. She held
up an IV tube that she said she needed for medication she was taking.
Not long
afterward, someone who was a member of the Cathedral came by. He said he was familiar with the area, and
could find some way to help. We assured
the family that, one way or another, we would find a way to help them.
In the week
and a half since then, I have thought about that family quite a bit. I wondered what other needs they had? Were their young daughters going to school
somewhere? Did they have heat in their
home? Why were they without food? Did the husband lose his job, or did some
other catastrophic event come into their lives.
Lots of
prayer has also taken place since that encounter, as well.
And the
words of today’s gospel have passed through my mind and heart quite a bit as
well: “As you have done it to the least
of these my brethren, you did it to me.”
In today’s
gospel, Jesus concludes a series of teachings, all of which have to do with
“last things”. “When the Son of Man
comes in his glory,” we hear Him say.
These “last
things”, that glorious time when God’s purposes and plans will be fully known,
are never far from Matthew’s mind as he records Jesus’ teachings, His miracles,
and His victory over death.
The image
that Jesus paints for us is a cosmic one…it is the picture of Jesus, seated as
king on His throne, judging the nations.
It is the image that our reading from Ephesians also paints, that of the
cosmic Christ, reigning with power and great glory.
But let’s
return to Matthew for a moment.
As
important as it is to remember that Matthew never seems to entirely lose sight
of the “big picture”, he never loses sight of the everyday, the
here-and-the-now, either. The mundane is
never far from Matthew’s mind as he records Jesus’ teachings and His holy
life. They are present in Matthew’s
record of Jesus, who is “God with us” (that is, Emmanuel), because a practical
concern for everyday conduct was never far from Jesus’ mind.
You see,
the two are present in Matthew’s account in a way that is unique. The “big picture” of God’s plan intersects
with the “little picture” of daily living that make up everyday living.
What
happens in the everyday carries with it implications for eternity.
Our
relationship with God is dependent upon our conduct in daily life. That is Matthew’s unique focus.
We walk
with God, day-by-day.
And as we
do, God is watching, taking stock of our actions, and our motivations for
acting (the Lord expounds on the connection between outer actions and inner
motivations in His Sermon on the Mount – see Matthew, chapters five to seven).
As we come
to the aid of those in need, visiting those in prison, clothing those who need
covering, feeding those – like the family we encountered a week ago – who need
food, we are affirming our connectedness in Christ.
For it is
the Lord who said, “Wherever two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of you.”
(Matthew 18:20). As we support
others in need, we are serving not only them, but Christ…. “As you did it to
the least of these my brethren, you have done it unto me.”
To some
ears, this understanding of relating to God might seem strange. After all, isn’t the business of being saved
a matter of God’s grace, first of all, and then, our response, made in faith,
second of all?
Isn’t the
business of being saved most concretely stated in John 3:16? Hear those words again: “For God so loved the world that he gave his
only begotten Son, to the end that all who believe in him should not perish,
but have everlasting life.”
Yes, God’s
initiative of grace, and our response in faith, makes it possible for us to
come into a close and personal relationship with God. Certainly that is the understanding that we
can glean from the Fourth Gospel.
But then
what?
What
happens after we receive God’s grace and come to believe in Jesus Christ’s
saving power, becoming sons and daughters of God?
How do we
live our lives after that event takes place?
That’s were Matthew’s gospel provides the blueprint….Maybe we could call Matthew’s gospel account a “recipe for daily living”, for that is where much of its focus lies.
That’s were Matthew’s gospel provides the blueprint….Maybe we could call Matthew’s gospel account a “recipe for daily living”, for that is where much of its focus lies.
To comprehend
the fullness of the gospel in its entirety, no one approach can do justice to
all the implications of the coming of Jesus Christ.
We relate
to God through the saving power of Jesus Christ, which we receive by faith (see
John 3:16, quoted above). We also relate
to God by following Jesus’ teachings.
The two ways of relating to God are not mutually exclusive, but are
necessary to fully understand the ways that we relate to Him.
Concentrating
on God’s grace and our response of faith alone won’t capture the importance of
our daily conduct. For our deeds and not
so much our words will point the way to Christ.
St. Francis of Assisi
Today’s
gospel text reminds us of the “big picture”, namely that Christ will come again
(a truth we affirm each Sunday as we recite the Nicene Creed). This is, of course, an Advent theme, as
well…for the season of Advent asks us to prepare for Christ’s first coming (His
birth in Bethlehem
Today’s
gospel text also reminds us that our daily conduct is an outward manifestation
of the inner disposition of our hearts, hearts that have turned to God through
faith in Christ’s redeeming sacrifice, which brings us into right relationship
with God the Father.
AMEN.
