Saying "Yes" when it matters. Homily for the 26th week of Ordinary Time

Homily 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time A

By Deacon Joe Peters

Deacon Joe, Jan with Ven and Andres in El Salvador

In today’s gospel Jesus is confounding the Chief Priests and elders – who are continuously trying to trip Him up. In the reading just prior to today’s they had asked him “By what authority do you do the things that you are doing? – Jesus said that He would answer them only if they answered his question to them –– Does John’s ability to Baptize – come from Heaven or from Man? – They were reluctant to respond because either way they answered would put them in trouble – If they said John’s authority came from heaven – then they would be acknowledging John as a prophet from God – if they said John’s authority came from Man – then they would be angering the people who all believed in John’s prophetic abilities. So, they refused to answer – saying they did not know. 

This prompted Jesus to further question them using the parable of the two sons. The first son – when asked to go out into the vineyard to work – says No – but then thinks more about it and goes – while the second son says Yes – and doesn’t go at all. The priests and the elders (as well as all of us, I would think) acknowledge that the first son – had ultimately done the “will of his father” – Jesus then explained to the priests and elders – their error. They took very public roles of doing God’s will as servants of the church, yet their motives and actions were far from the correct service that Jesus expected. He further explained that even the worst of people, the tax collectors and prostitutes – had listened to John and repented – and they would be saved. – I really love how timeless Jesus’ stories are for us even today. Which one of us cannot identify with these two brothers. How many times in my own life have I said I would do something, just to get out of an awkward situation and yet had little or no intention of following through on it. Or as the first son – waffled for an answer and finally said no – only to have a change of heart later and do the right thing. My mom was a champion of getting us to overcome our reluctance to do things with the simple phrase – “I’m telling your father when he gets home!” That always seemed to get us to figure things out – and usually pretty quickly! 

Jan and I recently spent a week in El Salvador with the Maryknoll Missions, along with a number of deacons and wives from around the US. We found ourselves immersed not only in a different culture, but surrounded by a history different from the one we remembered. A predominately Catholic country, back in the 1970s and 80s many people in El Salvador suffered persecution and death as they stood up against an unjust government which denied human rights and freedoms to its poor people. Perhaps the most familiar to us living outside of El Salvador was Bishop Oscar Romero.

Bishop Romero’s story reminded me of today’s Gospel. He grew up wanting to be a priest and despite his father’s wish that he follows in his footsteps as a carpenter, Oscar got his way. He was able to go to Rome for seminary training and when ordained he was stationed in various parishes in El Salvador over the next 20 years, eventually becoming an auxiliary Bishop and later Archbishop of the capital city of San Salvador.

In many countries, especially in Central America, a very few people typically owned the vast majority of land and wealth in the country. Because of his education and personality Romero tended to be a favorite of the wealthy class and although he was concerned for the poor, when it came to confronting those in power, he preferred not to cause waves. In the late 60’s and through the 70’s it became increasingly evident that the wealthy were responsible in many ways for the extreme poverty in the country. It was almost impossible for a poor person to own land and the wealthy controlled most of the jobs in the coffee and sugar cane fiels that paid dirt poor wages. Many Jesuit and Maryknoll priests and other Religious throughout the country worked tirelessly, trying to improve the lot of the poor and eventually they too became targets of government suppression. A number of religious women and men, along with clergy, who stood in solidarity with the poor, were murdered.

Deacon Joe serving Mass at the Chapel
where Bl. Romero was shot

At first, Archbishop Romero tried not to get involved with what was going on, refusing to believe that the wealthy were in fact encouraging the government and military persecution of the El Salvadorian people. When one of his closest friends a Jesuit, Fr. Rutillo Grande, who had worked to get him to confront the government, was murdered, Archbishop Romero realized that he had to work harder to support the poor. His No then became a Yes! In taking up the cause of the poor, his flock, Archbishop Romero preached loudly and often for a non- violent solution. He struggled to get the government to investigate the deaths and disappearances. He eventually became a target of those he had defended for years. In March of 1980 during mass, as he just finished his homily, a military sharpshooter took aim and assassinated Archbishop Romero. In taking a stand against evil in defense of the El Salvadorian people his original No had truly become a Yes. He became a powerful symbol for peace and justice as the struggle in El Salvador continued as a civil war for another 10 years as over 70,000 people were ultimately killed including many more priests and nuns. Romero was beatified in 2015 by Pope Francis and will be canonized in the near future.

Like the first son in the Gospel – Even saints have those moments of hesitation…– surely not always in as dramatic a setting as Archbishop Romero’s –

But, I’m sure we can all recognize times that we said no, to God or to others, that have given us second thoughts, nagging at our consciences… Maybe the answer lies in sacrificing a little more and giving a larger donation to a relief fund or helping someone on the street or visiting someone who is alone or sick in the hospital. I think we can all agree that our world would be a much better place if more of our “no’s” became “yesses”.

And sooner, rather than later!

Deacon Joe making soy milk at the
Maryknoll Lay Missioners Project