Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)
June 14, 2015 7:00 am · Deacon Keith Boswell
In the first reading from Ezekiel, we're told that God would take a very small branch from the top of a cedar tree, plant it and make it grow into a tall and majestic cedar. In the Gospel, the Kingdom of God is compared to a mustard seed, again it is something that is tiny that turns into a large plant that provides shelter from the sun. And in the reading from second Corinthians we are reminded that we walk by faith, not by sight.
A lot of people confuse faith with hope. Hope is nothing more than desire. It's more childlike and grounded in nothing but expectation. We hope our lives will turn out OK, we hope that we will win the lottery. There is a lot of fantasy in hope. Faith is entirely different. Faith is grounded in a belief that something is going to happen from what we have experienced, and what we know to be true. I hope this afternoon is going to be cool and wonderful, but I have faith it's going to be hot, it's grounded in experience.
