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

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Hitting the Bullseye Every Time.

In the ancient world, archery was very popular. They set up targets and bulls-eyes as a way to measure the accuracy of a shot. Let’s say you pull back the bow. Just as you release the arrow, you have a hiccup. The arrow will probably leave the path leading to the bulls-eye’s center. Once the arrow is in flight, the direction cannot be changed. It is on a path that has been predetermined. This is how the Israelites understood sin. Sometimes in life, something will happen, and your life heads in the wrong direction.

            We recall when Peter was amazed by the catch of fish. As his boat was sinking with the number of fish it, Peter fell to his knees before the Lord and told him, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.” What Peter was saying was that his life was like an arrow in flight. His life was going in the wrong direction. Do you remember how Jesus responded? He told him to “Follow me.” In other words, “Follow me, and your arrow will hit the target.”

            Years ago, my father went on a hunting trip with his buddies. One of the younger and inexperienced hunters got horribly lost and panicked in the deep woods of Maine. It is scary to be lost in the woods at night. My father could barely hear the lost man’s frightful, high-pitched voice over the static of the walky-talky. Once my father got him to calm down, he told him that he would fire a shot and he should walk ten paces toward the direction of the sound and stop. After taking the steps, my father instructed him to get back on the walky-talky.  If he was out of range, he could retrace his steps and start again. When the lost man called my father back, Dad told him that he would fire his rifle again. Once again, he took another ten paces toward the sound. With the man walking ten paces at a time, my father eventually brought the young man into camp. When my father came home, he told us the story. I remembered how impressed I was with the way Dad helped the man.

Jesus once described the world without any lights. He said the sun and the moon would lose their light, and the stars would fall from the sky. That is a bit like being lost in the deep woods of Maine at night. But Jesus told us what to do when we are lost. He said that his words will never pass away. We will always have light and direction.

We get lost sometimes in life. It happens. When it does, we know what to do. We take ten steps in life, and we stop to listen to the sound of the Lord’s voice. He may say, “Just pray the Our Father.” So, I will pray it and walk my ten steps. Then I stop and listen again to the sound of His voice. I may hear Him say. “Do unto others as you would have them do to you.” That is what I will do this day, and I will take my ten steps. Then, I will stop and listen to His voice again. This time, I may hear His advice to give a cup of cold water to a little one. I will do that. I will be generous to someone who cannot repay me and take my ten steps. I stop and listen again. This time, it may be turning the other cheek. So today, when I am ignored or insulted, which can happen a thousand times a day, I will not retaliate. I stop, listen, and take my steps. I am no longer an ancient arrow in midflight that cannot change directions. My life is now a smart car with GPS.

When we sin, we miss the mark, the bullseye. When we listen to the voice of the Lord and follow Him, we hit the bullseye every time.