Homily
[Sirach 27:4-7; Psalm 92; 1Corinthians 15:54-58; Luke 6:39-45]
To lead us into the teaching of our Lord in the sacred texts, I begin this homily with reference to the empty chair in the middle of the sanctuary. It is called, in Latin, the cathedra, the seat from which the Bishop of a diocese presides and teaches the people entrusted to his care. It is empty, because, as of the announcement last Tuesday of my transfer to Vancouver, this Archdiocese is awaiting a new Bishop. For this same reason, my coat of arms will soon be removed from the back of the cathedra. Someone at the office suggested it be replaced with a sign that says “Gone fishing!” Well, I haven’t gone fishing; I will be with you another couple of months as Archdiocesan Administrator until my departure, which will be in early May.
So, here in this local Church, we find ourselves in a time of transition until a new Bishop is appointed. We pray that it will not last a long time. The Gospel text speaks of another transition, which is not temporary, but permanent, one not unique to the Archdiocese of Edmonton but experienced by every follower of Jesus Christ: the transition to holiness, from sinner to saint. The call to holiness is universal, and Saint Paul reminds us that the transition we are all called to undergo takes us not to another geographical location on this earth but to eternal life in heaven, where we shall be clothed with immortality.
My move to Vancouver was set in motion by a call I received from the Apostolic Nuncio just over a week ago. Our common call to holiness comes from the Lord, and reaches us in the sacrament of Baptism. From that moment, we are united to the Risen Lord Jesus, and his very life becomes the principle and pattern of our own. A disciple is not above the teacher, Jesus says, but becomes like him. This “becoming like Christ” is another way of speaking of our transition from sinner to saint. It is made possible, not by our own unaided efforts, but by God’s gift of grace.
Anyone who has undergone a move understands well that there are a number of decisions that need to be made, such as what to take and what to leave behind. So it is with the interior movement of the soul as we move forward in holiness. Jesus outlines some of the decisions every disciple needs to take – what we need always to keep with us and what should be abandoned – for the journey of conversion.
The first is to decide never to think of ourselves as greater than our teacher, thereby leaving behind the illusion of self-sufficiency. In practical terms, this means allowing Jesus always to determine for us the direction of our lives. He decides; we do not. We look to him as our moral compass, not to our own desires. We find the very meaning of our human existence and of all reality in him, not in our intellect. The move towards holiness begins from and is sustained by the foundational decision to accept Jesus Christ and his revelation as the sole determinant of all aspects of our lives.
From this, other decisions for the journey naturally follow, such as the one to bring with us an attitude of humility and leave behind the temptation to judge others. “Why do you see the speck in your neighbour’s eye, but do not notice the log in your own eye?” As disciples of the Lord, we must remember we are always sinners in need of the forgiveness and redemption that only Jesus can give. There is never a point in our lives when we do not need the love and mercy of Jesus Christ. The transition from sinner to saint cannot happen without this recognition and apart from his saving grace.
Finally, Jesus tells us that his disciples must come to terms with what they treasure. As I pack up things for my move, I’ll take with me things that I hold dear, such as family mementoes, meaningful gifts, and the like. Jesus invites us to look within ourselves and consider the treasures we carry not in boxes or suitcases but the heart. There, we know we should treasure Jesus above all else and the hope we find in him. Yet, there can be within the heart other “treasures” unworthy of our Christian calling: reputation, achievements, possessions, love of money, and so on. Residing in the heart they are invisible to others, perhaps even to our own awareness. They become visible when we speak and act. “Out of the good treasure of the heart, the good person produces good, and out of evil treasure, the evil person produces evil; for it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” We are known by our words and actions. Jesus illustrates this by analogy with the health of a tree, which is known by the fruit it produces. Or, in the words of Sirach, “a person’s speech discloses the cultivation of the mind.” The move towards holiness requires a regular and honest self-assessment, asking what our words and actions reveal about ourselves, and then seeking from God the grace we need to carry in our hearts the love of Christ as the treasure that surpasses all others.
That divine love reaches us every time we celebrate the Eucharist, the memorial and presence of Christ’s self-sacrifice on the Cross for us and for our salvation. May the grace of our communion with him in this sacrament move us always further along our never-ending transition from sinner to saint until we reach the new and eternal abode of heaven.
✠ Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Saint Joseph’s Basilica
March 2nd, 2025