Homily for the Fourteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A

The motto of the BBC, which goes back to the Christian influence of its

foundation, is “Nation shall speak peace unto nation”. The motto was changed

in 1934 to just one word: “quaecumque”, meaning “whatsoever”. Rather

than being a term of disrespect, it was based on St Paul’s letter to the

Philippians 4:8:

“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,

whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are

lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there

be any praise, think on these things.”

These sentiments inspired the dedication in the entrance hall of Broadcasting

House:

“This Temple of the Arts and Muses is dedicated to Almighty God by the first

Governors of Broadcasting in the year 1931, Sir John Reith being Director-

General. It is their prayer that good seed sown may bring forth a good harvest,

that all things hostile to peace or purity may be banished from this house, and

that the people, inclining their ear to whatsoever things are beautiful and honest

and of good report, may tread the path of wisdom and uprightness.”

We might comment how far things have changed, especially with regard to the

matter of promoting purity. They changed their motto back to the previous

motto in 1948.

The BBC was never an explicitly Christian foundation, and certainly not an

organ of either the Church of England or the Catholic Church. But its

impartiality on religious matters has been questioned for decades, as well as

what may termed its promotion of an immoral lifestyle.

These matters all tie up with today’s readings. In the first reading, we have a

prophecy of Christ, entering Jerusalem, not on a horse, the animal of war, but

on a donkey, coming to bring peace to the nations. Christ is not the sort of king

who seeks to dominate, and cut off the heads of those who refuse to bow before

Him, but there are consequences in this life and the next for those who ignore,

obstruct and oppose Him. In the Gospel, Christ says “my yoke is easy and my

burden light”. Some might see the yoke of Christ, His teachings, the way of

life we are called to, as a burden. But I rather like the way St Augustine puts

it: he says that some people might like to make life easier for a bird by

removing its heavy wings. But if you do that, it remains attached to the earth.

Meanwhile, following Christ gives us wings, so to speak. And in the second

reading, St Paul says that we are not to be following the things of this world, or

to be attached to the ideas and behaviours of the world. Our life is one of the

Spirit, not of the flesh. By this expression he is contrasting sinful behaviours,

that involve gratifying our lusts, our selfishness, our ego and so on, with

allowing the Spirit to direct our hearts, so that we exercise self-control. Using

the image of a bird, if you want to fly, you have to put in the effort to flap your

wings, and once you are in the air, even if you are able to glide, you can’t fall

asleep. If a bird stays on the ground and lives on the ground, it is in danger of

being caught by a cat, or put in a cage by a human being. Chickens, of course,

are birds that can’t fly. They live on the earth all the time, and are there to lay

eggs and provide food. They get fed, and then later on get eaten themselves.

We are not called to be spiritual chickens! There’s a whole world up there of

the Spirit.

And if we start to fly, we not only get to see the world from a different

perspective, we also are able to travel much further and explore more of the

world. Our faith opens up new horizons to us. By faith we can know about

things we would never know about – so much of the Christian faith relies on

God’s revelation, rather than us taking ages to work things out for ourselves,

and getting it wrong in the process. “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and

earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and

revealed them to little children.” Yes, there are things sometimes that

theologians take ages to work out and discover, whilst those of more simple

faith have accepted them for years, just by humbly listening to the Church.

There was a Protestant theologian who through studying his Bible came to

make all sorts of discoveries about the Eucharist. He then decided to sneak into

Mass and sit at the back and see what happens, and was astounded to discover

all these biblical references, including the words of Isaiah in the Holy, Holy,

Holy, and the invitation to share in the wedding feast of the Lamb in the

invitation to Holy Communion: “blessed are those called to the supper of the

Lamb”.

“Nation shall speak peace unto nation.” Put into practice whatsoever is good.

If we want that to happen, it requires the gentle yoke of Christ.

Curious about exploring things further?  If you would like to ask further questions about the topics raised in these homilies (or maybe think it wasn’t explained too well!), please feel free to e-mail Fr Michael at stjoseph.thame@rcaob.org.uk