Fr. Alan's homily for Sunday October 15th 2006
"This is the Word of the Lord" comes after the reading. "Thanks be to God" everyone replies. In some churches the readers lift up the book as they say those words. But then the response "Thanks be to God" is a mistake. People should say: "No it isn't." "The word of the Lord" is not a book, nor letters, nor print.
The Letter to the Hebrews says that this Word is not like words in a book, but that the word of God is something alive and active. You can always close a book and put it away on the shelf. You can't with this, for no created thing can hide from him; everything is uncovered and open to the eyes of the One to whom we must give an account of ourselves.
Give an account of ourselves. When we come to Mass, there is an element of "Last Judgement" about it. The Liturgy directs us to prepare by acknowledging our sins. That is the Word of God speaking. Before Communion the ritual asks us to say Lord I am not worthy to receive you. Some people find this disconcerting. They think that we harp on "sin" and make a meal of unworthiness.
Yet we have to abide in the wisdom that we are not yet perfect, not yet good. The standard of goodness is the one of whom Jesus says No one is good but God alone.
Hebrews says the word of God judges the secret emotions and thoughts. In your car you can rage against other drivers in ways you'd never think of doing if you were face to face. We like to think we can keep some of our life to ourselves, secret.
On the radio this week there was a programme about keeping a diary. One contributor said that diaries are important because they assume secrecy - not to be read till I am dead - as the saying goes. So diarists usually write the truth. We all keep diaries, whether or not we write them down, because we all live and think and act. We keep that diary and the Lord reads it.
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