The Word Of Peace
Homiletic Reflections On Peacemaking

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B

Trial By Ordeal

At the end of the Dark Ages there emerged a man named Charlemagne. He would become emperor of the Holy Roman Empire that sought to bring political and religious unity to Europe. It was at this time that one of the great efforts was made to Christianize the Germanic tribes. It is popular legend that Charlemagne set up two lines when he visited a tribal village. In order encourage conversion to Christianity he set up one line with a priest offering the Holy Eucharist and at the end of the other was an executioner offering the chopping block. Needless to say there were many conversions. But what kind of conversions were these?

So often such tribes kept and outward appearance of Christianity but maintained the old beliefs of the mythic world. One such belief was known as the trial by Ordeal. A person’s faith would prove real if God protected them when immersed in boiling oil or some other form of torture. It was reasoned that if God were with this person they would be spared harm. This is magical thinking of course and many modern people pooh pooh this kind of view of the world. But do we really?

Jesus raises the issue of his own persecution and death. And we even hear later in the gospel of Mark Jesus being taunted on the cross that if" God were really with him he would not allow this suffering." Yet, history tells us and so does our own experience that the righteous so often suffer in this world for the message they bring and the lives they lead! So often the powers that be test by ordeal the genuineness of the righteous. Why doesn’t God rescue them? Because the righteous are revealing a God that suffers with us, that places God’s own self in the hands of human beings with the call to love and not hate. To embrace God's truth and not falsehood is our call. To share and not hoard the good of the earth. To struggle for a world in which every person is honored and respected. And we know that the cost is often persecution, a trial by ordeal of those who say yes.

In our world we know the result of the rejection of the righteous is war, violence, injustice, cruelty, egotism and indifference to the plight of others. Today is our celebration we have in attendance those young people who will be journeying to their first communion. They will be invited to sit at the table of the Lord and partake of his love and to share with others. We also have their teachers here who have committed themselves to share the love and knowledge of Christ these young folks so that they may grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ and the Father in the power of the Holy Spirit. We are happy to have them here and we express our commitment to them today that we as adults will struggle to protect and follow the righteous one, Jesus Christ. We will make this promise a few weeks from now when we commit ourselves to the Jubilee Pledge for Justice.

This pledge will serve as an outward symbol that will consistently challenge and remind us of our baptismal promises and our Eucharistic feast to share Christ’s love with all. We will recognize and commit ourselves to our Christian stewardship by the use of our time, talent and resources to help build the Kingdom of God with the Lord and others in our midst. By our example these young people will know without question what it means to live the Eucharist. We need by threatened with the ax, and we can face the ordeal because despite the struggles and suffering we know that God is with us. We know that despite the tough times in life, we will be renewed. We know that even if we suffer because we try to live a righteous God will give us the victory of the resurrection just as our Lord was given the victory.

And so we know that this pledge will be easy to take not because it is easy to be a Christian, but because the Spirit of the living God will make it so!! We do not rely on our powers, which can quickly wilt under the fire of the ordeals of life. Rather we place our trust and lives in the hands of the one that is with us in all things.

We have no guarantees that things will always go well for us in life. Indeed, if were to be true to the Gospel we can expect some rough times. But we don’t mind at all for if were to be like these young people, offering our lives freely and openly to the Lord then we know not even death can triumph. So as we prepare to take the Jubilee pledge in the next few weeks let us remember receive these little ones that the Lord has given us in committing ourselves to pray, learn and work for peace and justice. Then we will receive not only these little ones but also the One who sent them to us.

Deacon Robert M. Pallotti, D. Min.
Created September 23, 2000