Please read this passage before reading the homily.
My sisters and brothers,
Christ is God. Christ, however, did not consider being God something to be held onto. On the contrary he emptied himself, taking on the condition of a slave.
Last Sunday, April 3, the people of Xenia celebrated the 48th anniversary of the 1974 tornado that destroyed much of the town and the parish church.
One time, after the tornado a worker was using a bulldozer to clean up the debris at the church. I noticed the tabernacle on a heap of rubbish, and I wanted to rescue it. The worker carefully moved the rubbish until I could go in safely to remove the tabernacle. The power of the bulldozer showed itself more in the small action of carving a path than in much bigger projects.
It is the same with God. God’s almighty power is shown in small things. God does not consider being God something to be held onto. Rather God empties himself and takes on the condition of a slave.
Christ, our God, did not exalt himself over everything else, but he accepted death. Christ is his life and death emptied himself of himself. Christ in his life and death had the same weakness that we have.
The Church, which is the body of Christ on the earth, has the power of Christ, who is risen from the dead. The Church, however, does not consider being in the form of Christ something to be held onto. On the contrary, the Church, like Christ is his life among us, lives with the weakness of our human condition. Like Christ, the Church is in our midst not to be served, but to serve the rest. The power of the Church lies in the humility of a bulldozer in its weakness.
We, likewise, who are baptized into the power of Christ, live in the weakness of our human condition.
With Christ in his life and death, we have to consider our position as Christians not something to be held onto, but on the contrary, we have to empty ourselves and take on the condition of a slave for the glory of God the Father and the salvation of the rest.