Jan. 25, 2015: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time B

Click to hear Audio Homily
A child asked his dad, "Daddy, how much do you make an hour at work?" The dad replied, "I make $30 an hour. Why do you ask?" The son replied, "Can I borrow $15?" "Where are you going to use $15?" the dad asked. The boy would not say, and he got up and went into his room. Puzzled, the dad took out $15 out of his wallet and headed toward his son's room. "Here is the $15. Now can you tell me where you are going to use it?" The dad noticed that the son already had $15 in his hand. The son said, "Now I have enough money. Can I buy an hour of your time? Please come home early tomorrow. I would like to have dinner with you."

Whom are you working for? It is a good question to ask from time to time. In scripture, Our Lord reminds us to choose whom we serve when he said, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon." (Matthew 6:24) If Jesus asked us point blank, "Whom are you working for," can we honestly say to him that we are working for him and for the Kingdom? Are we serving the Heavenly Father's will or our own.

Jesus said in today’s Gospel, "The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." If I truly believe in the gospel the I would change my way of thinking, my attitude, my disposition, and life choices so that Jesus could be the Lord and Master of my heart rather than sin, selfishness, and greed. Jesus gives us grace to see sin for what it really is - a rejection of his love and wisdom of our lives and a refusal to do what is good and in accord with his will.

Jesus calls each of us, "Come follow me," just as he did with Andrew, Simon, James, and John. He invites us to work for him for the Kingdom of God. We can work for the kingdom of God in our own stations of life.  Foremost, he is asking us to change our heart and our intention to serve Him alone. Intentions matter, as Mother Teresa said, "It's not how much you give, but how much love you put in giving." Mother Teresa was speaking of love for Jesus and not self-love.  Are we focused on pleasing the heart of Jesus, or are we worried about the results and performance? It's not how much we give, but how much love we have for Jesus as we offer him even the smallest amount.