The Word Of Peace
Homiletic Reflections On Peacemaking

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

September 22, 2002

What Are You Prepared to Do?

    In the smash movie hit, The Untouchables, Kevin Costner who plays Elliot Ness of the Treasury Dept. is commissioned to bring to justice the most notorious gangster of the Prohibition era, Al Capone. In his efforts he proved unsuccessful and sought out a hand picked group of law enforcement agents to help him bring Capone before a court of law. In the film he meets Sean Connery, who plays a well-placed police officer in the Chicago police force. In one scene the two men are talking in a hospital chapel and Costner says to Connery,”I want you to help me get Capone. His reply: You want me to help you get Capone, then what are you prepared to do. Costner replies: Everything within the law. And then what are you prepared to do? Mr. Ness, you must understand that if you open the ball on these people you must be prepared to go all the way. How do I do that? replies Costner. Its simple, he pulls out a knife, you pull out a gun, he send one of yours to the hospital, you send one of his to the morgue—that’s the Chicago way. And So I ask you again, what are you prepared to do?

    The powerful and grizzly seen from the movie gets at the heart of our gospel today—“what are we prepared to do?” Our Lord tells that that many people, and perhaps all of to some degree, are like the son who said yes but who failed to do the Father’s will. None of us can presuppose that because we are here this morning, or that because we are ordained or volunteer many hours in service to the Church that we have said yes to the Father and carry out the Father’s will. We know that this short and challenging story throws us back on ourselves to ask that most dangerous and penetrating questions: Which of the two brothers am I?

    The answer to that question comes in a faithful and prayerful discernment that allows oneself to place oneself in the presence of the Lord. If we a re honest to God we will be shown where and how to be the one that says yes to God in word and deed—that is, to have one’s whole being directed toward doing the will of the Father. This can and often does happen when a person desires to do the good and to live simply in the trust that the lord will direct him or her to the way that serves the Father. But for this to happen a person must have the courage to face themselves for whom and what they are not hiding in the guise of the perfect human being. This attitude of humility is able to recognize the imperfect and sinful self—the false self without despairing of the self because our God loves us for who we are, understands human weakness and shows us that we can love ourselves and others “warts and all.”

    This is at the crux of many people’s religious and emotional problems—that is, they simply cannot love themselves. They keep thinking that they must prove themselves to God; they must earn God’s love. That is to misunderstand our Lord’s call to do the will of the Father. We do not do the will of the Father to earn God’s favor and love—we do God’s will out of thanksgiving for the love that God has for us, often despite the things we do or do not do. I am convinced that if one day all people were to wake up one morning and actually love themselves the world would begin that awesome transformation that can deliver it from the cycle of violence, guilt and revenge, which has always visited grotesque evil on human beings.

    This is possible for us if we adopt the attitude of Christ. Jesus did not grasp after power, riches, glory and notoriety by which are world stands spellbound. Oh no! He emptied himself, that is, he let go of the false self of self-centeredness and left the answer to such a emptying to the Father. That is why he was raised! He was raised because he is the embodiment of the prefect self-sacrificial love of the Father. He is the One that has done the will of the Father. He is the One that can answer the questions today: What are you prepared to do? Everything and anything unto death so that they will know the love of the Father for them and the love they must have for others, the world and themselves. 

So then the questions remains for us: What are we prepared to do?

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created November 10, 2002