Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Homily)

September 27, 2015 7:00 am  · Deacon Keith Boswell

Homilies, Ordinary Time

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What are you willing to do to keep from sinning? Today's Readings talk about who is authorized to act on Christ's behalf and the destructive nature of sin. In the first reading and in the first half of the Gospel, believers were questioning the authority of those that prophesied and those driving out demons. There was a real "us-them" mentality with the Disciples that still exists today. Jesus basically said, if they are doing good things in my name, be grateful, leave them alone.

In the second half of the Gospel, He speaks about how destructive sin is. Jesus was talking hypothetically. He didn't actually expect people to maim themselves, but wanted to drive home the severity of sinning. So what would we do to stop sinning? Would we cut off our hands? I wouldn't. Would I take myself away from the occasion of sin? Maybe. It depends on the sin. We have a culture that finds guilty pleasure in sinning.