When I was a 3rd grader at St Andrew’s School in
St. Paul, MN, we use to gather in the parking lot for recess out of earshot of
the nuns to tell jokes. For those of you familiar with 3rd grade
humor, it usually borders on the gross, the grosser the joke the funnier the
joke. For the sake of this homily, I have modified the grossness of the joke.
“These two guys were walking down a path, when one suddenly stops the other and
says, “What’s that on the path right in front of us? It looks like dog poop.” This
guy gets down on his hands and knees and looks closely at the substance on the
path and says to his companion, “It looks like dog poop.” He then leans in real
close and smells the substance, and says, “It smells like dog poop.” It reaches
out his right hand and rolls some of the substance around between his
forefinger and his thumb, and says, “It feels like dog poop. Hmmm, you know, I
think it is dog poop. It’s a good thing we didn’t step in it!”
As human beings we are constantly making assessments about
all sorts of areas in our lives. The gospel for today is calling us to do the
same, and while not as gross an assessment as the one told in the joke, Jesus
is calling on us, as his disciples, to make an assessment of how we are using
the gifts and talents God as given us to build up the Kingdom of God in our
world. How well do our lives stand up to
the look, smell, and feel test which we heard in the joke? I think a good
barometer on how well we are living our discipleship can be found on the soles
of our shoes. The soles of our shoes can be an excellent indicator on the
condition of our eternal souls.
Are the soles of our shoes worn down from our coming to
church week after week? It is here that we encounter the Body of Jesus Christ in
the presence of all of us who are gathered here. You and I are the living and
breathing Body of Jesus Christ. It is from one another in our faith community
that we should be able to find the support we need in our efforts to build up
the Kingdom of God in the world outside of these 4 walls. It is here that you
and I are fed the words of God in the Holy Scripture proclaimed at Mass. It is
here that you and I are gathered around the table of the Lord and are fed by
his Body and his Blood. This church building is the starting point by which we
go out and live our lives as disciples of Jesus in the world.
Are the soles of our shoes worn down from our going out into
the world in service to those who are in need? Are the soles of our shoes worn
down from feeding the hungry? Are the soles of our shoes worn down by visiting
those who are sick? Are the soles of our shoes worn down as we go and sit with
those who are dying, quietly and gently cradling their hands in our hands? Are
the souls of our shoes worn down by going and sitting with those who are feeling
distress or anxiety or grief? Are the soles of our shoes worn down by our going
out to embrace and welcome the stranger into our community? Are the soles of
our shoes worn down as we go and pray with those who feel overwhelmed by the
troubles of life or bring support to those who have been abused? Are our shoes
worn from bringing the presence of Jesus to all we encounter and serve, even
when they may seem ungrateful? Are the soles of our shoes worn down by being
Jesus Christ to our very sad and weary world so desperately in need of love?
Or do the soles of our shoes show no wear because they have remained
propped up at home, with no intention of going out and using our gifts to serve
God and neighbor? How we have used the talents, the gifts that God has given us,
in order to build up the Kingdom of God in the world is indicative by the
condition of the soles of our shoes. The more they are worn in service to God
and our neighbor, the stronger our soul is.
In our service to God and neighbor, there may be times the
soles of our shoes may step into a little poop along the path. But then, we
are just following in the footsteps of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who must
not have only stepped into his share poop, but was known to get down on his hands and knees and clean, wash and dry the feet of those he
came to serve.
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