Homily: Feb. 14, 2021: 1 Corinthians 10:31-11:1

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(Please read the passage cited above first.)

My sisters and brothers,

St Paul wrote, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”  This is hard to do.

When I was very young, when my parents had to go out, they would tell us not to fight.  However, we could interesting ways of hitting each other without fighting.  My parents were much wiser when my two youngest sisters came along.  So when they had to go out, they would tell my sisters to share their things.  It is much harder to share one’s things than not to fight.  It is much harder to do the positive thing than not to do the negative thing.

St Paul, like my wiser parents, told us that we have to do everything for the glory of God.  Why?  This Wednesday is the start of the season of Lent.  It is the time to do penance for our sins.  We always have the duty of repenting, but Lent is a special and important time for repentance.

Many of you will give up candy or a food you especially like.  Many of you will undertake some especially good deed or penance for Lent.

Many times, when we abstain from something we especially like or do some new penitential act, our families, our friends, our neighbors and our co-workers suffer.  This is because our bodies are looking for the gratification we used to get from what we have given up or what new thing we are doing, and we take it out on others.  We are proud of our success, but our families, our friends, our neighbors and our co-workers are hurting.

It is a psychological thing when our bodies suffer and our spirit is empty, that we take it out on others.  When we make our bodies do penance, we become psychologically hungry and we end up making others are suffering.  It is an occupational hazard for Lent.

Our penance, however, must be for the glory of God, not for our own glory.  If our penance causes others to suffer, then we have to change our penance and choose something else which will give glory to God and joy to our families, our friends, our neighbors and our co-workers.

St Paul wrote, (This Lent), “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.”  This is hard to do, but it is something that we can do.