HOMILY
June 19, 2016
“If you would lose your life for my sake, you will save it.” This last line from today’s gospel
leads me to a true story from July 1980.
A Navy destroyer was on in the South China Sea on the
way from Singapore to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Everyone on board was looking forward to
arriving in the Philippines as soon as possible. The weather was deteriorating, with a typhoon
heading their way from the east.
Suddenly the lookout spotted an object adrift about 10 miles to the east. It was a small boat
carrying many people. The captain announced that they were going to head toward the boat for a
possible rescue. Almost the whole crew was complaining about assisting the boat people. A big,
burly engineman angrily said, “We ought to leave them out there to die.”
They got as close to the sinking 25-foot junk boat as they could and saw that there were about 50
very, very weak men, women and children. On hearing that news the destroyer crew gathered
whatever dry clothes anyone could spare and got necessary medical supplies prepared.
On getting alongside the sinking boat they heard the strange cries of infants and saw the women
holding them close and caring for the sick. The faces of all showed great fatigue. The boat
people were sunbaked and bony. When the crew had gotten them all onboard the ship they put
them either in sick bay or in the engineers’ sleeping quarters.
Gradually there was a change in attitude of the crew. Everyone was happy. The crew realized
that the Vietnamese boat people were humans just like they were. The next day everyone sang
and laughed. That evening there was that big, burly engineer holding in his arms a bright-eyed
baby girl, carefully wrapped in one of his faded work shirts. She looked very secure as he fed
her a bottle of lifesaving milk. From: Readers Digest, 06/2016
Did you follow the transformation of those Navy crew men? Did you notice how they gradually
become like Christ, who carried his cross to the end and beyond?
How can we, and do we, follow in Christ’s footsteps? It’s one thing to step up and help in an
emergency, forgetting about our personal desires. What about developing the attitude and the
courage every day to love ourselves and others enough to become our best selves?
While on vacation I began to be honest enough with myself to realize that sometimes I don’t love
myself enough to make a change. Sometimes I don’t even love you and others enough to take
that next step. However, when I think of us together as part of all life moving toward what is the
best for all, I don’t want to be holding back on my part of bringing love to all. In what practical
areas can you apply this to your life? (Silence)
Maria Thornton McClain, RCWP
June 19, 2016
“If you would lose your life for my sake, you will save it.” This last line from today’s gospel
leads me to a true story from July 1980.
A Navy destroyer was on in the South China Sea on the
way from Singapore to Subic Bay in the Philippines. Everyone on board was looking forward to
arriving in the Philippines as soon as possible. The weather was deteriorating, with a typhoon
heading their way from the east.
Suddenly the lookout spotted an object adrift about 10 miles to the east. It was a small boat
carrying many people. The captain announced that they were going to head toward the boat for a
possible rescue. Almost the whole crew was complaining about assisting the boat people. A big,
burly engineman angrily said, “We ought to leave them out there to die.”
They got as close to the sinking 25-foot junk boat as they could and saw that there were about 50
very, very weak men, women and children. On hearing that news the destroyer crew gathered
whatever dry clothes anyone could spare and got necessary medical supplies prepared.
On getting alongside the sinking boat they heard the strange cries of infants and saw the women
holding them close and caring for the sick. The faces of all showed great fatigue. The boat
people were sunbaked and bony. When the crew had gotten them all onboard the ship they put
them either in sick bay or in the engineers’ sleeping quarters.
Gradually there was a change in attitude of the crew. Everyone was happy. The crew realized
that the Vietnamese boat people were humans just like they were. The next day everyone sang
and laughed. That evening there was that big, burly engineer holding in his arms a bright-eyed
baby girl, carefully wrapped in one of his faded work shirts. She looked very secure as he fed
her a bottle of lifesaving milk. From: Readers Digest, 06/2016
Did you follow the transformation of those Navy crew men? Did you notice how they gradually
become like Christ, who carried his cross to the end and beyond?
How can we, and do we, follow in Christ’s footsteps? It’s one thing to step up and help in an
emergency, forgetting about our personal desires. What about developing the attitude and the
courage every day to love ourselves and others enough to become our best selves?
While on vacation I began to be honest enough with myself to realize that sometimes I don’t love
myself enough to make a change. Sometimes I don’t even love you and others enough to take
that next step. However, when I think of us together as part of all life moving toward what is the
best for all, I don’t want to be holding back on my part of bringing love to all. In what practical
areas can you apply this to your life? (Silence)
- I’ll start first. Exercise is my problem. I have lots of excuses for not doing it regularly.
Maria Thornton McClain, RCWP
RSS Feed
