8-24-25 -21 Sunday of Ordinary Time

 

                                                                    

“William Barclay, scripture scholar and writer, once told the story of Basil Oliver.                                    Basil was eighty-five years old when he died. Some called him the oldest office boy in London. More than thirty years earlier, after losing his wife, he moved into the London Central Y.M.C.A. and never lived anywhere else.   Instead, he quietly made himself useful. He collected outgoing mail, fetched stamps, ran errands, and assisted with whatever needed to be done. On Sundays, he distributed newspapers and served coffee in the lounge. Always smiling, always humming, —a kind of unofficial chaplain of kindness.                                                                                                                                      Then one Sunday, Basil didn’t come down to serve the buffet. He was found unconscious in his room, and he died the next morning.                                                                                                                       It was only then, that people began to realize how many lives he had touched. Basil had been a quiet rescuer to young people new to London; a source of steady help for anyone who was down on their luck; and a faithful churchgoer who never missed a service.  He never made a show of his religion.  His was a faith without fanfare.                                                                                                                   What he gave was not grand but good, not loud, but lasting.  His life was a parable of meekness with muscle, of servanthood without spotlight. And those who knew him say this: “though he is dead, he still speaks. His kindness echoes. His works follow him.”   Barclay imagined that the welcome Basil received in heaven was: ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master’s joy.’ (Matthew 25:21-23)”^1&2 In this story we see humbleness is rewarded by the remembrance that is left behind.  I think Basil was a person whom “the “Master of the house” (Luke 13:25) would be glad to open the door to.   Basil lived a simple life, limited only by his circumstances.  He made the best of his abilities and offered them to God by doing good things to other people.   In his lifestyle he must of felt he was obeying what God had asked of him.                                                                                                                                               In Latin the word from which our word “obey” comes is Obedire.  In its root meaning from the Latin, it means to “listen deeply.”³ Over the past couple of weeks, we have seen similar gospels to the one we come to this week. These gospels have spoken of the importance of listening and being faithful to what Jesus has asked us to do.  But, more than that, also these gospel asks of us are we being “faith filled” in our trust and relationship in Jesus. The sacraments and prayer certainly are things that can empower us to do good, but it is also essential that we focus on the quality of our relationship with Jesus not the sum of our good acts.  Many saints over the centuries have done wonderful acts of kindness to and for others, and these were certainly important to do.  But the power to do and sustain doing such acts was based on their day-to-day relationship and trust in Jesus.  Their faith relationship was the power source of their human actions.  Our relationship with Jesus is something Jesus offers to each of us, each day of our lives.  It is for us to decide how we will “listen deeply” to Jesus’ presence in our lives.  Our situation in life, whether we be elderly or young, strong, or infirmed, free, or imprisoned, rich or poor, matters not to Jesus.  There are no walls that can keep him out if we choose to let him in.  He welcomes us to this relationship with him no matter what our status in life is.  Wherever life or our choices has placed us, can still become “holy ground” if we choose.  The stronger our relationship with Jesus grows, the more we will be able to identify where and how we can demonstrate that love we have been given by Jesus to others.  As this love and friendship of Jesus grows, it empowers us to do acts of kindness and goodness toward all the persons and situations that we encounter.                                                               The refrain of the Responsorial Psalm this weekend is our marching orders for this week- “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News.” (Psalm 117: 1).  Tell the Good News not so much by preaching it, but by acts of goodness and kindness to others.  When you choose to do that, then people will know they have been touched and graced by love.  And they in turn may start to seek out this love for themselves by asking you, “from where your caring and kindness comes?”         

1.      1. Barclay, W., “In the Hands of God.” Westminster Press, (adapted).

2.       2.Sunday Sermons

3.       3.33 Days to Eucharistic Glory,  Blue Sparrow Books, 2025