Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

In our second reading today, St. Paul reminds us that we are temples of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in the body, heart, mind, and soul of every person. Because we are temples of God's Spirit, we must give glory to God both in respect for ourselves and for others, including those with whom we may disagree.

We are living in a time when many people exhibit little tolerance for those with whom they have differences of opinion, perspective, or worldview. We see this in world, national, and local politics, on social media, in society, and in our Church. People are despised, put down, and dismissed - sometimes violently - because of differences of opinion or perspective.

Of course, this is nothing new. Throughout human history, we have seen it in national and global atrocities and in the interaction between individuals. It is an undeniable human trait. So, I have no great words of wisdom that will answer questions about moving through all of this.

I will, however, quote the late Bishop of Springfield, John Marshall. Soon after he became Bishop of our diocese, I had an opportunity to sit down and talk with him.

In our conversation, Bishop Marshall began to talk about the many differences between so-called liberals and so-called conservatives in the Catholic Church. He spoke about how people may lean one way or another, but that people who are entrenched in the extreme on either end of the spectrum reject Christ. 

Bishop Marshall meant that when people are so caught up in and focused on their own perceptions, opinions, and positions, they tend to reject people who have any opinion that deviates even slightly from their own and, in turn, they reject the Holy Spirit who dwells in every person.

His warning against extremism is no less powerful in the political realm nor among our interactions with family, friends, and co-workers than for people of the Church.

Every person has gifts of the Holy Spirit that can be used in positive and constructive ways in the Church and the world, and we all use those gifts successfully to varying degrees. When we reject someone with whom we disagree, we ignore the many ways the Spirit works through that person, and, in doing so, we reject God and the action of God in our world.

Jesus gives us many commands and words of advice that teach us how we are to look upon, treat, and act toward those with whom we disagree.

He tells us to love our neighbor as ourselves. This does not mean that we simply give lip-service to acting like we love someone. It means challenging ourselves to treat others with the same respect with which we want to be treated. It means that we may disagree with a person's perspective or position, but we don't demonize them.

Jesus tells us to love our enemies. This, undoubtedly, is a difficult command to follow, but we are called to do just that. To see in those with whom we disagree, their good traits and, again, as temples of God's Spirit.

Finally, St. Paul cautions us to "let your conversation be always full of grace." Mary Flynn was a lifelong resident of Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and, at one time, was running for office. When being interviewed, a reporter referred to her political opponent as her enemy. She immediately and gently told the reporter that they weren't enemies but worthy adversaries." Those were words of grace and revelation of her respect for her opponent.

To put it as simply as possible: We need to recognize that we are all sinners, and we all fail to follow God's will in our lives, and yet, God loves us all and dwells in us all, and all of us are made in the image of God. If all of us approached one another with these facts in the forefront of our minds and hearts, we might all get along a little better and actually do something to make our world better and closer to the kingdom of heaven.+