Father Rick Bolte's Homily

C: Twenty Eighth Sunday of Ordinary Time            2007-10-14

If you know the story of today’s first reading, you probably are aware the Naaman was hesitant to wash in the Jordan River seven times.  For healing from leprosy, he was prepared to something extraordinary such as a long period of fasting and prayer, giving a large sum as alms, or some other great service.  To simply wash in the Jordan River was too ordinary.

We are in some ways like Naaman.  We don’t easily recognize the love of God or others in our ordinary, daily lives.  For example, how many of us appreciated having a comfortable bed and house to sleep in last night?  Did we think to appreciate that we had hot and cold running water in our sinks and showers?  Did we acknowledge the effort put forth by whoever prepared our food?  Did we appreciate our spouse or older children who helped with the young children?  Did we notice or thank anyone who did the chores of clearing the dishes or cleaning the house?  How many of us thought to be thankful for another day, the many things we can do, the people who surround us, or the opportunities we have to grow in love?

So much love comes to us in the ordinary!  Failing to notice and appreciate it causes many problems.  How many spouse, children, and parents have felt taken advantage of and unappreciated?  We don’t like to think we owe anyone anything.  We see Naaman trying to give a gift to Elisha perhaps as payment for what he received.  We can get caught up in thinking that what we receive is also something we pay for.  We’ve brought home the money, we cared for the house, we took care of the children, we did the cooking, cleaning, etc.  When we’ve made donations to charities and performed some service for the church or community, again we think we’ve mostly paid God back.

If we look at our own work, however, we realize that we don’t just do things because it’s our job or even for whatever we get in return.  Much of the effort and dedication we put into our work is an expression of our goodness and a desire to give something of value to another.  Even when we are compensated for what we do, we still have a sense that the quality of what we give is indeed still a gift.

When others do things for us, it is the same way.  When we have paid for what we got or somehow did an exchange of labor, we have not fully appreciated what we received.  What our family does for us, what God does for us, and even what strangers do for us is an expression of love.  When we fail to recognize it or feel we deserve it, we miss the opportunity to know that we are loved.

Our Mass is also called the “Eucharist.”  That is a word that means “thanksgiving” and reminds us of one of the most important things we gather to do.  The Church requires us to attend Mass weekly as a minimal means of recognizing all we have to be thankful for.  Let us ask God today that we may appreciate more fully the love we receive.  Let us show God and one another how much we value the ordinary gifts of love we receive every ordinary day of our lives!