“Jesus journeyed from one town and village to another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the Kingdom of God. Accompanying Him were the Twelve and some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities, Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, Susanna, and many others who provided for them out of their resources.” Luke 8, 1-3
Holy Cross School Mass, September 16 (Homily)
Have you ever seen Sesame Street? Let’s say today’s Mass is brought to us by the letter G. And the letter G brings us the word “geography.” (Mr. T will give us an idea of what geography is: “Geography is a science which is all about the Earth’s land, water, air, and living things—including people. The word comes from the Greek geo, which means “Earth,” and graphy, which means “writing or description.”)
Part of our local geography is Mt. Hood. Perhaps you have seen that Mt. Hood often has snow on it, but there are times of the year where the snow melts. When it melts, it forms creeks and then they form rivers. There is a similar situation in the land called Israel. In the northern regions of Israel there is a mountain called Mt. Hermon. It, too, has snow for much of the year, but that snow melts (just like on Mt. Hood) and it forms creeks and then rivers. In Israel, those rivers spill out into what is called the Sea of Galilee. The rivers bring with them all kinds of nutrients and things that support life. The Sea of Galilee is abundant with fish and the water supports all kinds of vegetation all around its shores.
The Sea of Galilee also empties itself out into what is called the Jordan River. That river runs along the Jordan Valley and the whole shoreline is lush and abundant with life. At the end of the river, however, is what we call the Dead Sea. It is called “dead” because it only receives water and never let it go! Do you see the great difference between the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea? One gladly receives life (in the form of water) and then shares itself with the whole valley below it. The Dead Sea “takes” and never “gives.” And that is why it is “dead.”
The Saints whom we remember today, Cornelius and Cyprian, received an abundance of gifts from God, including the gift of courage. They gladly shared that and their other gifts with others. Today, the Church remembers their generosity. Our Gospel passage today (Luke 8, 1-3) mentions that many women, including Mary Magdalene, Joanna, and Susanna helped Jesus “through their resources.” They received an abundance of gifts from God and shared them with the Lord and His followers – so that the Good News might be shared far and wide.
Can we say anything like this about our community here at Holy Cross? Have we received many gifts from the Lord? Yes! Do we share those gifts, like the Sea of Galilee does? Well, how we live each day, what we say, and what our priorities are will be the most direct answer possible to that question. Even if sharing our God-given gifts is hard and tiring, let’s remember that our Biblical theme this years says: “Let us not grow tired of doing what is good.”
