am I boring?

Homily

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time

St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas

15 July 2020

AMDG +JMJ +m

Have I become boring?  I think so.

The pandemic has backfired for me, as it may have for you.  These strange times are an invitation to think more deeply, to read more, and to pray.  I've gone in the opposite direction.

Over the last year two friends of mine have read War and Peace, The Count of Monte Cristo, and Les Miserables.  They invited me to join them.  I've started all three.  I've finished none.

We make time for what we love.  Do I still love to learn?  Do I love engaging the great questions and stories of the human heart?

Nah, I think I've become boring.  I prefer being distracted and entertained.  My excuses have won out - I'm busy.  Things are complicated.  2020 has been a  bear.

But today's Scriptures are motivating.  They make me want to try again.  To recover that zeal for learning.

The one whose life bears great fruit is the one who can contemplate the meaning of life.  It's the one who never settles for biased headlines, cheap shots, instant reactions, fake news and childish politics.

It's rather the one who has a zeal for knowing history, and the great thoughts and stories of the human heart.  Who knows that the great challenges of every generation must be answered by those willing to engage life's great questions.

To speak the word the world most needs to hear at this moment is not for the faint of heart.  Today's Scriptures speak of patience and perseverance on the path of learning.  Only those willing to engage in a long struggle to answer the questions of today will become like God.

2020 has caught me off guard.  In times of crisis, I am not to panic, but to respond with prayer, meditation, and a zeal for learning.  I think I've gone the wrong way.

The future instead belongs to those who can cut through the noise through prayer, meditation and learning.