X Sunday in OT-[C]: I Kng17:17-24;Gal1:11-19;Lk7:11-17

X Sunday in OT-[C]: I Kng17:17-24;Gal1:11-19;Lk7:11-17

Scripture lessons: The first reading, taken from I Kings 17, shows us how our merciful God uses His prophet Elijah to resuscitate the only the son of the poor widow of Zarephath who had given the prophet accommodation in her house during the famine.  Today’s gospel reveals to us the compassionate heart of God in Jesus.  Meeting a funeral procession coming out of the village of Nain, Jesus was visibly moved at the sight of the weeping widow, going out with the town to bury her only son. Perhaps he could foresee his own mother in the same position at the foot of his cross. So Jesus stopped the funeral procession, touched the coffin, consoled the mother and surprised everyone by resuscitating the boy, thus extending God’s love and compassion to the grieving mother.

In the second reading, taken from the letter to the Galatians, St. Paul declares that the good news of God’s love, mercy and salvation which he preaches has been directly revealed to him by God Who had chosen him for ministry from his mother’s womb.   Also I would like to take your attention to St. Paul’s missionary zeal.

Exegesis:  When Christian writers warned about the sin of sloth, they were not trying to get people fill every waking moment with work. In some ways, just the opposite. St. Thomas called sloth "the sin against the Sabbath."  The sin against the Sabbath. You remember in the Bible the Sabbath is the seventh day - the day when God rests after the work of creation. He makes the Sabbath "holy" - that is, a day set apart. It becomes the most important day of the week - a day dedicated to God.

Sloth is the sin against the Sabbath - a refusal to do the most important task, to worship God. As the Catechism says, "acedia or spiritual sloth goes so far as to refuse the joy that comes from God and to be repelled by divine goodness." (#2094)
A Seattle businessman once said that he has more productive things he can do on Sunday morning. But he missed the point. The most productive thing any human can do is spend time with God, to worship him.

We can see this in today's readings. There is a curious verse in St. Paul's letter to the Galatians. He mentions that after his conversion, (quote) "I went into Arabia." We don't know with 100% certainty but he apparently wanted time alone, with God, out in the desert - a place without distractions. St. Paul teaches us wonder and gratitude - thanking God for his mercy. That's what we do at Mass; the word "Eucharist" means to express thanks.

From gratitude flows wonder and praise. It's interesting that we hear today about a boy and a young man brought back from death. These miracles caused people to praise God. The Gospel says, "They glorified God." At Mass when the priest holds up the Host - the Body of Christ - many people quietly say, "My Lord and my God" - a beautiful act of glorifying God.

It should be a moment of joy and peace, but it can be the hardest thing a person does all week. A hundred things have more appeal: sports, TV, the Sunday paper, the Internet. Or even work - like mowing the lawn and weeding the garden. Good things to do, but a guy can fool himself and think that because he is working hard, he's not being lazy.

Joke:  The minister was preoccupied with thoughts of how he was going to ask the congregation to come up with more money than they were expecting for repairs to the church building. Therefore, he was annoyed to find that the regular organist was sick and a substitute had been brought in at the last minute.  The substitute wanted to know what to play.

“Here’s a copy of the service,” he said impatiently.  “But, you’ll have to think of something to play after I make the announcement about the finances.”

During the service, the minister paused and said, “Brothers and Sisters, we are in great difficulty; the roof repairs cost twice as much as we expected and we need $4,000 more.  Any of you who can pledge $100 or more, please stand up.”

At that moment, the substitute organist played “The Star Spangled Banner.”(Patriotic song, during which all are expected to stand)

And that is how the substitute became the regular organist!

Conclusion:  So, summer begins shortly. I hope you have time for relaxation - time for family and friends, but above all for what matters most. When you put God first, everything else will find its right place. That's why it's natural after Sunday worship to have family time - or quiet time or time for good reading or even a nap. 
Remember Paul, "I went to Arabia." The desert - the place of encounter, wonder and gratitude. As we said in the Psalm, "I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me..."

Practical Applications: 1) Find some time to spend with God. God deserves ten percentage of your time to spend in return to God.  2) Be zealous as St. Paul did.  Avoid sloth.

Tenth Sunday in Ordinary Time: Introduction

Message:  Elijah heals the son of a widow. She praises the Lord that her son had been healed.  Jesus raises from the dead the son of a widow of Nain.  All are amazed and glorify God.  It is this God who revealed his Son to St. Paul that he might proclaim him to the Gentiles.

Saints and Events in this Week: 11-Tuesday-Saint Barnabas, apostle; 13-Thursday-Saint Anthony of Padua, priest, doctor of the Church;