Homily for September 28, 2025

 

As preached by Sister Cecelia
Holy Wisdom Church

Jonah 3:1-10, 1 Corinthians 10-14-17, Matthew 24:32-44

In the Epistle to the Corinthians read this morning we are warned about worshiping idols. And immediately in the words preceding this warning, Paul preaches that God is faithful and will not let us be tested beyond our strength. But in the testing God will also provide the way out of it as well as the strength to bear whatever trials come our way, including the temptation to make idols we cling to.
          Jesus used the fig tree leafing out to indicate that summer was coming. For us at this time of year, the tree leaves turning colors indicate that winter is coming. Jesus assured us that we know how to interpret these signs.  Are we equally aware of how to interpret this warning about trials to come?  As Jonah warned the people of Nineveh and they changed, are we willing to see what needs changing in our attitudes as we journey through life?  Do any of our attitudes involve idols we are inadvertently worshiping?

          I believe that deep within our hearts is an impulse to worship. This same impulse causes us to “follow” Christ.  This is an impulse that lifts our whole self into a personal act of gratitude and wonder.  It is a response to realizing that our life is a gift. It is a gift to realize that we are united to the rest of humanity. We are one with all of Creation.

What better reminder of this Unity than when we receive Christ’s body and blood in the Eucharist!  This worship of ours is not confined to being in church, but is or can become active from the moment we awaken in the morning until we turn off the light to sleep at night.

Besides our inclination to worship and follow Christ, we have a tendency to hold on to what we learned about God as a youth. We need to bring knowledge to virtue so that our spirituality does not become bad theology.   Idols come in all shapes and sizes, and are difficult to recognize.  A commitment to knowledge can provide us with the tools we need to make judgements that are true and kind, compassionate and just.

It is easy for subtle idols to creep into our lives, but we have been warned. We can help ourselves by remembering that we are one with all of Creation and by giving thanks to God for all our many blessings—and even our challenges.

Remembering that we are one with all Creation as Patriarch Bartholomew said recently when speaking at Fordham is a *level of consciousness from which we can take action and inspire others to rise to an appreciation of, and a gratitude for, the material world and the beings who dwell in it. It calls us to take action, to become engaged with the world and its inhabitants – not for the sake of self-gain. Rather, in imitation of our Lord Jesus Christ, we extend ourselves for the sake of others, and in doing so, we find meaning for our own lives. *

Christ is in our midst.