From the Deacon's Desk

Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Readings: Isaiah 55:10-11 / Romans 8:18-23 / Matthew 13:1-9

I will be delivering the following homily at all Masses today at St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis:

Today’s second reading addresses suffering. When we enter a period of suffering, it would be wise to ask ourselves these two questions: First, What is it that God wants me to learn from this? Second, What does God want me to reveal to others through my suffering?

I’ll come back to these questions later.

The second reading comes from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Paul knew that establishing the Church in Rome would be challenging; in fact, it would be dangerous. Those choosing to move forward would experience tremendous suffering.

As we heard, Paul encouraged them when he wrote, “…the sufferings of this present time are nothing compared with the glory to be revealed…” 

Paul’s words should still encourage us today.

How we unpack Paul’s message may be determined by our particular understanding of suffering, suffering both for and with our faith.

What type of suffering were the Roman Christians enduring and what type of suffering do we endure in our faith life?

First, there is what might be called intellectual or spiritual suffering, the inability to fully comprehend what God is asking of us and how God is working in our life and in the world.

Christianity was new to the Jews in Rome. Teachings were difficult to understand and expectations difficult to meet. Several times in Scripture we hear that followers of Jesus found his teachings too challenging, both in understanding and in practice, and many made the decision to walk away.

Doesn’t that still apply to us as well? We can’t seem to wrap our minds around what God wants from us; we find a particular teaching of the Church impossible to comprehend; or we can’t understand why God allows things to happen to us or in our world. We are called to rely strictly on our faith.

Paul was encouraging the Romans to move forward with the end in mind. Suffering will be replaced with the glory to be revealed.

Jesus told his apostles, What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later. (John 13:7)

Our faith assures us that all things will be made known to us in God’s heavenly kingdom.

The suffering Paul is referring to may also be physical suffering. The new Christians in Rome would face persecution, beatings, torture, and imprisonment.

Their burgeoning faith would be put to the test. Was it strong enough to withstand it? Would they believe Paul’s assurance that all the suffering would be worth it in the end?

To apply Paul’s words to our lives, listen again to what he wrote to the Romans: “…the sufferings of this present time are nothing compared with the glory to be revealed…” 

Carol and I look back on the cancer treatment she endured in 2024 and know in our hearts that what Paul wrote to the Romans is absolutely true.

With the gift of time and hindsight, the beauty and glory of our shared suffering has been revealed to us, and continues to be revealed to us.

When Carol recalls the things she learned and experienced during that time, she often refers to them as “the blessings of cancer.” 

Here is just one example:

Pretty quickly after Carol’s diagnosis, I was inundated with offers of help. People wanted to bring meals; they volunteered to drive Carol to treatments; they offered to clean our house or cut our grass.

I was raised to be self-reliant. It was my responsibility to take care of Carol and while I appreciated the offers, I thought we should handle things on our own.

My daughter Laura told me she was going to set up a meal train – a sign-up calendar for people to bring us meals each day – because so many people were asking if they could help. I discouraged it, telling her we would be fine.

I’m not sure she used these exact words, but basically Laura said, “It’s not all about you, Dad. People love you and mom and need a way to show you. You need to allow them to do that.”

Other than the twenty pounds I gained in 2024, the meal train was such a blessing. It allowed me to be more fully present to Carol. And it wasn’t really about the food – Carol and I felt the love that was put into those meals.

In addition to meals, Carol received hundreds of cards in the mail. People encouraged us, shared how special we were to them, and assured us of their prayers.

Carol told me at one point, “I wouldn’t wish cancer on anyone, but everyone should have the opportunity to feel as loved as I do.”

Our family and friends, and our parish and school communities helped share the burden of Carol’s suffering. The weight of our yoke was dispersed among so many others who stepped forward to help. And with our faith as an anchor and Jesus guiding us, our burden was much lighter.

I was also surprised to hear how others were impacted by what Carol and I went through in 2024. We’ve been told that how we navigated and shared our experience helped others going through a challenging time.

Laura’s words echoed in my brain, “It’s not all about you, Dad.”

Perhaps our challenging experience not only offered future blessings to us, but allowed others to benefit in real-time.

A good friend of mine is currently serving as a full-time caregiver for her husband. She never complains, but I know she struggles at times with why this is happening and why so much is being asked of her. She has a strong faith, but having a strong faith does not mean we have full understanding of God’s plan.

I attempted to encourage her by letting her know that she has provided Carol and I – and I’m sure many others – an incredible witness of what a sacramental marriage should be.

While she is waiting to have the glory of her suffering revealed to her, she is already revealing the truth and beauty of the faith to others. 

Returning to those two questions we should ask ourselves when we enter a period of suffering: What is it that God wants me to learn from this? and What does God want me to reveal to others through my suffering?

There is no one best way to handle the suffering all of us will face at one time or another. However, keeping these two questions in mind allows us to be grounded and focused, better able to accept what is to come.

May we rely on our faith and reflect upon the unexpected blessings we’ve received as a result of past suffering, and may that allow us to better navigate the challenges yet to come and await the glory to be revealed.