I was deeply troubled by the news of the assassination attempt on President Trump in Pennsylvania last night. After leaving the 5:30 PM Mass and turning on my phone and being flooded with news updates, I was surprised by the attempt, yet not shocked.  A friend even texted me, acknowledging my prior warnings about the trajectory we find ourselves as a nation are on.  That’s why this event is not shocking to me because it reflects the increasing godlessness we have been witnessing in recent years.

Thanks so much for stopping by to read this homily for the 15th SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME, July 14, 2024.  I had prepared and preached a different homily (which you can find on the homepage) but felt it important to prayerfully respond to the news of Saturday evening coming from Pennsylvania.  I appreciate your sharing this on your social media posts and your feedback and comments…  I’m also grateful for all those who’ve asked for the audio version and share them as well at SOUNDCLOUD click HERE or from ITUNES as a podcast HERE.  May the Lord be glorified in your reading and sharing- Father Jim

Those of us who attend Mass regularly are hopefully better attuned to the spiritual challenges we face. As we gather to partake in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, we immerse ourselves in the Scriptures and receive the Eucharist, connecting with the Lord Jesus. We affirm that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, and that there is a clear distinction between good and evil.

It’s crucial for us to acknowledge the reality of spiritual warfare and the active presence of evil in the world. Despite Jesus’ victory over evil, battles continue to be waged, not just at public events, but within every human heart.

We come to Mass not to bask in our righteousness, but because we recognize our flaws and our need for a savior. However, it’s possible that we may view the church solely as a safe haven, seeking assurances that God is in control and that evil will be overcome.

Fortunately, this Gospel challenges us. What did we just hear? Jesus sending His apostles out two by two with authority over unclean spirits. That’s truly amazing. When we think about the Apostles, they are quite an assorted bunch of sinners who have responded to Jesus’ invitation to “come, follow me” in their own unique ways with varying levels of belief and commitment. They are entrusted by Jesus with His power and authority to accomplish some of the very same things that have left them amazed in the Gospel passages we’ve been reflecting on in the past few Sundays. Remember what we’ve been hearing at Mass these past few weeks:

– His calming raging seas and violent winds threatening to sink their boat and drown them;

– Jesus instantly healing a woman suffering from hemorrhages for 12 years simply by touching the hem of His cloak;

– or even more spectacular, Jesus raising a 12-year-old girl from death.

Jesus has demonstrated in astounding ways, still treasured 20 centuries later, that He was God incarnate in these miracles. But now Jesus turns to the 12 and tells them to go do what He has done – and we read, “the twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.”

There’s something incredibly important about this command, this mandate of Jesus to His apostles. This came immediately after what we reflected on last Sunday at Mass. When Jesus was unable to do anything miraculous in the Synagogue of His hometown of Nazareth. Jesus was heartbroken by the lack of faith and belief in those who had known Him the longest and should have been the most receptive, causing them to miss tremendous opportunities to experience miracles.

In the face of that rejection and hostility, Jesus doesn’t wallow in disappointment, let the hurt numb Him into inaction, or let doubt enter in. He doesn’t want the hardened faces and obstinate hearts to sow evil seeds in the hearts of His followers. So He empowers them with His power and authority to accomplish some of the same miraculous feats He has accomplished.

That is what Jesus wants us to do as well. We’re not meant to cower in fear from an angry, divisive, and increasingly evil world. We’re not meant to simply turn to the Lord in prayer in the face of that. We have to do that, for sure. That’s step one. But then Jesus is saying to you and me – now what are you going to do? How are you going to cast out demons and perform miracles?

It’s not as dramatic as we can sometimes allow ourselves to imagine.  How can you and I work to defeat evil in our own lives? It can start with a good examination of conscience and making a good confession. It can continue by thinking about that family member or neighbor who I know I should apologize to – but have dismissed considering it because they did something wrong and what they did is worse, and so on and so on. The power of God that is unleashed when we genuinely and sincerely own what we’ve done wrong and vulnerably apologize to the person we’ve hurt can cast out demons as profoundly as any exorcism. Every time we make a decisive step to resist an occasion of sin, whether it’s something as simple as the “well everyone else is doing it” sins like gossiping and just making nasty and rude comments online, to the more serious temptations that people face that we resist and dismiss from ever considering, we’re helping to fight the evil one in our own lives and living our vocations as Christ’s followers.

How can we perform miracles? By seeing a need and filling that need. When we’re intentionally attentive to someone in pain, someone who is alone, someone who is overwhelmed and find ways to selflessly extend ourselves to them, we start to make real Christ’s love to someone who may not know or may doubt His presence. Too often we let the lies of the evil one with “what good will this do,” “I don’t know what to say,” “I can’t fix that situation” lull us into inaction. As a priest of 25 years, I can’t remember a time I prayed for some severely sick person that they had this amazing, miraculous cure, but I also can’t remember a time that someone didn’t appreciate me being with them in their loneliness, their fear, their isolation, and praying with them and just being with them. The Lord is not asking us to anticipate what He wants or will accomplish through us. He’s asking ourselves to make ourselves available, take the steps into someone else’s pain, loss, crisis and let Him work His miracles, whether they are ordinary or extraordinary through us.

These are dark, challenging times for sure.   The anger, division we can see, hear, sometimes fall into are some of the most basic trademarks of Satan.   Our being here, our worship and prayer to the One who created us, who saves us is a great place to be. He remains with us here, and as we receive His very body and blood – He comes within us, “under our roofs” as we pray in that prayer right before we come up for communion. We have Him, who commands the wind and the sea, who casts out demons, who heals the sick and raises the dead within us. How are we going to let His power and authority be known and experienced in what we say and do?