Gospel-Homily for Twenty-first Sunday of Ordinary Time (2024)

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You Are Blessed, So Live Like You Are Blessed.

My brother played the trumpet in high school. So, during his midlife crisis, he decided to take the trumpet up again. He connected with a very inspiring teacher. His weekly lessons progressed well, and he is now in three bands and an orchestra. He is also well sought after by all the local churches at Easter time. I was on the phone with my brother the other day, and he informed me that his beloved trumpet teacher had died of cancer. He was forty-five years old. My brother went to the funeral and it was standing room only. Apparently, he had made an impact on the world around him. After I hung up the phone, I had a few thoughts. I turn sixty-four in two weeks. I will have the forty-five years of my brother’s instructor with an additional nineteen years of life.

On top of that, most living beings in the world never get to have sixty-four years of life unless you are a tree. In addition to this, I was given life. I never asked to be born, nor did I ever negotiate for it. It is a gift. Then, in the Gospel, I hear that the Father sent the Son into the world so that we could have access to eternal life if we choose it. To me I have a piling of graces and gifts. I am certainly blessed. And that is the point. I want to live like I am blessed.

I know that we have many setbacks and disappointments in life. There are many reasons we can live like we are upset, angry, sad, and cursed. But we will always have reasons to live like we are blessed.

5000 disciples who went out of their way to hear Jesus speak, who ate the bread at the multiplication of the loaves, left Jesus. They tossed in the towel. They abandoned the cause and gave up on Him. It certainly looked like a setback and a huge disappointment, but Jesus is never cursed. He still had eleven apostles. It would have been twelve if Judas had not cashed out. Think of it. Eleven believers and what God can do with them. At that moment, when the 5000 disciples had left the Lord, Peter stepped up and accepted the call. That was a great moment.

This is the faith lesson. The most important moment in our life is now. It is not the future or fulfilling a dream. The most extraordinary moment is now. That is how you will know if you live like you are blessed. So love now, forgive now, and don’t put it off. Be generous now, be kind now, and be committed to excellence now. So live now because we will never have this moment again.