16th Sunday in Ordinary Time, July 22, 2012
Fr. Joseph Eddy, O. de M.
(Full sermon text) In my religious community we have recreation time each evening. Sometimes we play card games. One of our favorites is Uno. Uno is a very simple game (the object is just to get down to uno or one card), but if you want to be successful at the game you have to have a strategy. Each person gets 7 cards. The cards are different colors and have different numbers on them. Also within the deck, there are several wild cards and cards that force your opponent to draw extra cards.
The emperor’s sunken boats, a volcanic lake, and a famous sanctuaryA man full of life and of the Lord’s love, Fr. Tony Fortunato, O. de M. explains the significance of the famous Sanctuary of the Holy Crucifix in Nemi, Italy, and the history of the Mercedarian friary there. View it on our YouTube channel.
Visit the Mercedarians’
These “special cards” are very helpful if we use them prudently or in the right way at the right time. So even though it is a simple game those who are successful use prudence; using their reason to make the right choice with their cards.
Gift of counsel in Baptism
We must do the same in life’s big and small struggles. Under the virtue of prudence is the gift of counsel. Each Catholic receives the gift of counsel at the Baptism and is sealed with it at Confirmation. It allows the person to judge in particular events what ought to be done in view of our ultimate end of union with God.
Jesus uses counsel in today’s Gospel. It is only the middle of Mark’s Gospel and already the Pharisees are planning to put Jesus to death. Yes, Jesus will offer His life in the ultimate sacrifice for the salvation of all, but He knows that the proper time has not yet come. Jesus discerns what is the Father’s Will for His life. We do not know how He does this but we do know “he withdrew from that place” to avoid the deadly plans of the Pharisees. Also, Jesus tells those he has cured “not to make him known.” It may seem strange to us that the Savior would hide or seek to avoid any attention that would bring about the wrath of the Jewish leaders. Didn’t the Messiah come to die for all at the hands of the religious leaders? Is Jesus being a coward? Why would the God-Man run away from his mission?
The key lies in counsel. Jesus has the free will to make the next move, but particular events tell Him to step away. Our Lord is not fleeing from the Cross, but subjecting himself to the Father’s plan. It is just not yet the time to offer Himself up. The Gospel still needs to be proclaimed more. Jesus’ message must take root if the people are to accept the “sting” of the cross.
Scourge of abortion
So in our mission as Pro-lifers, we must pray for an out-pouring of the gift of counsel. That we and our leaders may know in particular events what ought to be done in view of our goal, which is the end of Abortion in our Nation. Certainly this terrible scourge has gone on too long and the stakes are extremely high (innocent human life). Yet, we must change the fabric of our society. We do this through prayer, protesting, but mostly through the holiness and witness of our lives. We have all the “right cards.” The Holy Spirit is guiding our efforts to fight this battle.
Abortion is clearly a heinous crime. Yet, how we play our cards will determine how quickly the bloodshed ends! We must always act with dignity, patience, and, especially, the gift of counsel. So let us follow our Lord in all aspects of His life. For the battle is not ours, but God’s and he will work through us to bring respectability back to our nation.