Homily on the Gospel of Luke 17:22-37
by Father Vincent Farhat,
At Our lady of Purgatory Catholic Church, New Bedford, MA,
First mass for those who have fallen asleep in the Hope of the Resurrection.

Massachusetts, March 11, 2020

“Remember me in your kingdom”, as we celebrate the first Mass for this group and we remember in a special way all the names who have been placed in this book, and all the deceased members, all our loved ones, we remember them in our prayers and in our Mass today.

Today’s Gospel reading (Luke 17:22-37): it is a great reminder for us. It is a great reminder for us that sometimes we concern ourselves with storing up so many things for what is to come. We want to make sure we have enough food; we want to make sure we have enough clothes; we want to make sure we have everything that we need, just in case something happens. Right? And St. Luke is trying to tell us today none of that matters and all of us know that none of that matters. What matters is our relationship with God. In the end, it is all that matters. This man in the Gospel is not going to take his candles with him; he is not going to take his barn with him. What he will be taking with him is his soul and his relationship with God. During the season of Lent, this is a perfect time for us to reflect on all of these things; it is a time to reflect on the meaning of forgiveness. It is a time to reflect on the meaning of helping those who are in need, of helping those who are marginalised, of doing everything we can to act the way that Jesus wants us to act. For this reason, this is why Jesus came.

Jesus came to save us from our sins and to prepare [us] a place: paradise, eternal life with Him. This is all a stage rehearsal. What we do every day is just a rehearsal, and how we rehearse here is how God will judge us on the Last Day. And hopefully, we will be in a place where God will say to us, “Job well done, my good and faithful servant”. As we go through the season of Lent, people have to remember that this is what matters in the end. In the end, you will be at peace, and I can guaranty this. You will go at peace if you can forgive one another and you can ask for forgiveness. That is all that matters in this beautiful Gospel reading. Let us reflect on that. Amen.