HOMILY PRONOUNCED BY MONS. DIEGO MONROY PONCE; GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICAR OF GUADALUPE, RECTOR OF THE SANCTUARY.
ORDINARY X SUNDAY

Sunday, June 10th of 2007

THE PROPHET IS RECOGNIZED BY HIS ACTS

Brothers, the wonders that God makes between us, do not stop revealing his beneficent presence. Because Christ, who was sent by the Father to save us, acts permanently today through the Church; then, it, and by the will of the one who created it, makes the divine work of the salvation.

In fact, the church, as we saw it in the celebration of Pentecost, has the same mission of Christ to carry out actions that make that the gift of salvation is accepted by all the men. This is an aspect of its prophetic ministry, it means, of its task of announcing the good news of salvation to the whole humanity.

The readings from today speak about two miracles that are signs of something more important. In the first reading that we listened today, the prophet Elias is presented as one that invokes to the only one that can give life. He does not give back life, but he requests it to God. That woman widow from Zarephath that gave accommodation to the prophet, she thought that God had visited her to punish her because of her sins taking the life of her only son. After Elias gave back her son with life again, she recognizes, in this sign, that he is a man of God, because the word that he pronounces is fulfilled. Even more she discovers that the God of Elias is God of life and not of death as she thought when she was afraid of loosing his son.

In the Gospel from today, Jesus appears as a new Elias, but superior because of the fact that Elias begged God for the life of the dead child, whereas Jesus by himself gives back life. In the last Sunday of the ordinary time, faith appears as something previous to the miracle which is received as a kind of prize. Jesus, in fact, does not answer anything to the soldier, he simply says that he has not find (in Israel) a faith as big as the one of the man that asked fervently the health for his servant. In the evangelical episode from today, that follows the one that we have made a reference, faith is seen like a gift. The miracle is the thing that invites to have faith, and to discover it as an unequivocal sign of the mercy of God.

It is important to notice that in the passage that follows in this same Gospel of Luke, Jesus assures that the arrival of the messianic times is a fact because the deads raise and the Gospel is announced for the poor people (Lk 7,22). We have, in the narration from today, as an answer to John the Baptist who asked him about his identity as messiah; Jesus gives two signs of the messianic times: the announcement of the Gospel to the poor and the resurrection of the deads. In fact, He announces the Gospel to the widow (who is poor) from Nain, through the return of her alive son.

The signs that Elias and Jesus communicate, these show a God that is characterized as the lord of life. These signs of the messianic time are still (today) unequivocal evidence of a Gospel, it means, of good news for the world. These are signs that the Church and each one who forms it, have to give to fulfill the mission that has been entrusted to us. Not only the words (although they seem convincing) are the ones to testify to what we have lived about the mystery of Jesus in the middle of the world. The credible facts are necessary, the testimony.

The Catholics complain frequently of the lack of faith of a number (every time bigger) of people and of the increase of Catholics that abandon faith. Instead of lamenting about the fact, that is undeniable, it would be very advisable that we return our gaze to ourselves to see if our life corresponds to what we profess, in such a way that, seeing us, the others have enough and reasonable reasons to believe. Faith is perceived just through the acts (cf. James 2, 18). Faith just can be communicated through the testimony of life. I repeat that the words are not enough, they can be denied by the testimony. My brothers, those who want to see, they will be able to believe, to wait and to love in a Christian way, if they see in our way to live, the coherence between the Gospel and what we preach.

That poor widow from Zarephath and without her son in who she saw some security in her life, as the one from Nain with all the people of the funeral discovered in the merciful attitude of Elias and Jesus, the kindness of God and the certainty of which they announced.

My brothers, to announce the Gospel, it demands coherence with ourselves and generosity towards God and those to whom we give individually or as Community this service.

The Eucharist, is the place of an sincere encounter with God and with the brothers that help us to live our prophetic vocation in favor of the men on good will that look for and love truth. From the Eucharist, we together, united to Christ, we give Glory to God, and we give a very strong sign to the world through the Christian unity and charity. May our sweet lady of the Tepeyac, merciful mother, continues showing and leading us to her Son Jesus Christ our brother and true God for whom we live.