Homily for 31st Sunday of Year

This homily was delivered at St Dominic's East Camberwell by Rev Fr Paul Rankin OP who was ordained in 1984.  He was, until May this year our Pastor.  He was moved to PNG for other work for the order, but is with us again at the moment.  This was the homily he delivered at 6pm Mass Saturday 4th November for 31st Sunday of the Year.

I normally listen carefully to the homily and try to remember it so I can put it into practice during the week. I departed from this approach last night and asked Fr Paul for his homily. I was so struck by it and his delivery.

During the night, I wondered whether I might ask him could I share it on my blog. I asked him this morning and he very graciously agreed.  I am delighted to be able to share this homily of Fr Paul with you.

I hope it speaks to your soul like it did to mine last night.

Do we think of Christianity as basically a simple religion?  Not easy, but uncomplicated.  Demanding hard things like tolerance and patience, long suffering, exposing ourselves to ridicule or hatred for our beliefs, but simple.

You know: “love God and love your neighbour?”’  Got it!

 Haven’t we all found, though, that we start the day with the resolution to do that, even if were brought up in those distant pre-Vatican 11 days- making a ‘morning offering’ of the day, and then, gone about the day without ever thinking about it again- until the examination of conscience before going to bed.

We probably spent the day doing good, more or less, as well as possible.  But St Catherine of Siena would not think we had done as well as we could. In her Dialogue, she writes that Jesus said to her, regarding the exercise of charity,” unless you do it for love of me, it is worth nothing to you in the realm of grace’’.

This is the difference between a good life, and a holy life.  And holiness is what we are offered.

In fact, Christianity cannot be a simple religion since the human person is not a simple being.  Listen to the advice, or exhortation, of a medieval Dominican, Humbert of Romans.  Here is what he had to say in one letter:

“…let us strive most eagerly to turn away from sin with our whole heart by avoiding faults; let us turn to the Lord with our whole heart by doing penance.  Let us seek the Lord with our whole heart by begging pardon, let us cling to the Lord with our whole heart, loving God above all things; let us serve the Lord with our whole heart with our praise; with our whole heart let us follow the path of the Lord by our pursuit.

Then, a reason why we might do all this: ‘’ We really owe all this to the Lord who gives our heart countless gifts”.

And a catalogue of these gifts: “The Lord illumines our hearts with wisdom, governs them with goodness, feeds them with delights, draws them with beauty, changes them with power, makes them one with love, allures them with promises, teaches them with harsh blows, shakes them with threats, and softens them with blessings.  Our most delightful God looks into our hearts by proving them, speaks by informing them, touches by stirring them, visits in consoling them, gives life by justifying them, and open them by shedding light on them.

 For all these gifts we ought to thank God tirelessly.”

 St Catherine again relates Jesus explaining why each person has different gifts, instead of everyone having all of them.

‘’I could well have supplied you with your needs, both spiritual and material. But I wanted to make you dependent on one another so that each of you would be my minister; dispensing the graces and gifts you have received from Me. So, whether you will it or not, you cannot escape the exercise of charity.

So, let us get the maximum benefit and offer all that we have and all that we do for the glory of God and making known His truth.


May God bless Fr Paul . New horizons.