Homily for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

Homily for 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: Repent and Believe in the Gospel
​Readings here: http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/100117.cfm

In the Gospel today, we hear Jesus reference John the Baptist and his preaching. John the Baptist preached in these words: “The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe in the Gospel.” These were the words that the tax collectors and prostitutes heard and believed. The words that let them experience the joy of Gospel.

Repent and believe in the Gospel.

The Gospel – the good news that Jesus Christ loves you. He gave His life to save you. And now He is living by your side to enlighten, strengthen, and free you. This is the good news, and how good it is! This is the good news that has inspired countless saints, missionaries, and martyrs from the beginning of the Church until now; the good news that brings peace and joy; the good news that saves.

Repent and believe in the Gospel. We’ve described the Gospel, but what about, “repent”? Why does “repent,” come first?

Imagine a person in a hospital bed. She is anxiously waiting to hear from the doctor. She checked into the hospital the day before because she wasn’t feeling well. The doctor ran some tests, and he finally comes in. He says to her, “I’ve got great news. Take this medicine daily; come back for rehab once a month, and completely change your lifestyle.”

How would the woman respond? “That’s not great news. You’re just telling me to make these radical changes. Why do I have to do this? What’s wrong?”

The doctor would respond, “Ma’am, you are very sick. If you don’t make these changes, you will die in the next month. But if you do everything I tell you, you will overcome this illness. Actually, you’ll feel better than you have in a long time.”

Repent comes before believing in the Gospel because the good news doesn’t make sense if we don’t know we’re in danger. Friends, there’s nothing more dangerous than being in a state of mortal sin.

A mortal sin is a grave sin that we commit knowingly and freely. We call it mortal not because it kills our physical lives but because it kills the life of our soul. Jesus says in the Gospel of John, “I came that they may have life and have it to the full.” He was speaking about the life of our soul, the life of God. We snuff out God’s life from our soul when we commit grave sins knowingly and freely. Grave sins include those that are connected to the 10 commandments. I’ll list just a few:

• The first commandment is You shall have no strange Gods before me. This means we cannot use santeria, brujeria, curanderos, witchcraft, ouija boards, etc. Our God is the Lord, and we are to place our trust in him alone.

• The third commandment is Keep holy the Sabbath day. This means that we have to go to Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation, including in the summer, including when we go on vacation.
  
  
• The sixth commandment is You shall not commit adultery. This means that we cannot have relations with another person outside of marriage in the Church.

If we commit these sins knowingly and freely, then we have committed a mortal sin, and there is nothing more dangerous than being in mortal sin.

Why is mortal sin so dangerous? If we die in the state of mortal sin, we go to the everlasting suffering of hell. And in addition to the eternal consequences of mortal sin, we also experience effects of mortal sin even on earth. Almost every time I am asked to do a house blessing, it is because the family is experiencing strange occurrences in the home – perhaps even attacks from the evil one. And 99% of the time, that family doesn’t go to Mass, and the couple isn’t married in the Church. It’s a dangerous thing to be in a state of mortal sin.

Thanks be to God, our Lord did not want to leave us in this situation. This is the good news of the Gospel! If we find ourselves in a state of mortal sin, the Lord has given us a way out, a way to overcome the illness, a way to repent and believe in the Gospel. He has given us a way for our souls to come back to life. He has given us the sacrament of Confession.

The sacrament of Confession restores the life of God to our soul. It is obligatory for everyone to go to confession at least once a year, but if we have committed a mortal sin, we need to go right away and certainly before receiving Holy Communion. Confession brings us even more than healing and peace; it brings our souls back to life, back to communion with God. Confession is the way that God has given us to repent. Repenting means being sorry for our sins, being ready to make up for them, and being ready to try our best not to sin again. If we do this, then we can know the joy and peace of believing in the Gospel.

When was the last time you went to confession? Has it been over a year? Have you committed a mortal sin since your last confession? Then come right away. If you don’t remember how to go to confession, then do a quick Google search, or call us at the office. We’d be happy to help. No matter your situation, do whatever it takes. There’s no time to waste. John the Baptist did not say, Repent when it is convenient and believe in the Gospel. He was urgent. Today is a gift, and tomorrow is not guaranteed. We need to be urgent, too. Otherwise, we’re not only in eternal danger, we’re missing out on the joy of the Gospel.

Repent and believe in the Gospel.