Gospel-Homily for Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (2024)

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We Can Get Back What We Lost.

When I was eight, my mother brought me to Dunkin’ Donuts. We sat at the counter, and I ordered a plain donut. Why would a kid order a plain donut instead of a chocolate-covered one? Because a guy wearing an apron with flour covering his arms had just come out of the doughnut-making room and was carrying out a tray of plain doughnuts. Mine was crunchy on the outside and still warm inside. It was delicious because it had just been made. The waitress brought my mother a cup of coffee in a porcelain cup (the way coffee should be served). Before we left, my mother had two free refills. Today at Dunkin Donuts, the coffee is served in paper, and if you want a refill, you pay. The donuts are not as fresh. I am not downing one of the most successful businesses in the States. My point here is that over the passage of time, we can sometimes lose some of the qualities and fine details that made us special.

They did a taste test, and the majority of those who participated concluded that McDonald’s Paul Newman coffee was tastier than Starbucks. That news, of course, didn’t go over very well with the Starbucks people.  So, they closed all their stores nationally for three hours and taught all the employees how to make a cup of coffee. Apparently, over the passage of time, the old formula had been forgotten. Notice what the management at Starbucks teaches us. It is sometimes necessary to go back in the past and get some of the qualities that we lost.

My brother played the trumpet in high school and college. Then he got a nice paying job, a wife, and two kids, so he retired from the trumpet. Ten years ago, he took out the trumpet and started playing it seriously. He took lessons and practiced every day. After he retired, I asked him, “Now, what are you going to do?” He retorted, “I play in two bands and an orchestra. Sometimes, you lose something during that passage of time, but you can get it back again.   

Josiah was eighteen years old when he became king of Judea. He decided to restore the temple, thinking that people would go back to church again. While they were knocking down a few walls, someone found an ancient book. They blew the dust off of it and gave it to the king. It was Moses’ last words of advice before the Israelites entered the Promised Land. In it he wrote: “Remember when we were slaves in Egypt and God freed us. Then, the Egyptians charged against us with chariots to destroy us. The undefeated and most powerful army that ever marched came after us, and we did not even have a butter knife to protect us. But God saved us. Then we went into the desert with no food or water, and God provided. We were very close to God. We loved God. We no longer love God as we did in those days, but we can get it back. Every day, we will love God with our whole mind and strength.”

When I was ordained, a priest asked me what I thought. I told him, “For ten years, I have been in the seminary, six years in Italy trying to speak Italian, and ten years of dreaming of saying Mass and offering the Sacraments. And now it is finally here.” The priest told me, “Remember this day because during the passage of time, you may lose some of that energy and enthusiasm. If that happens, you get it back. Every day, you make sure you get it and keep it. Every one of us is unique and special. But in the passage of time, life can beat us up, and we may lose what made us special. Remember, if that happens, we can always get it back.