Fr Ed Homily 12-11-20

“Children in the marketplace” in first century Jewish culture would have been obstinate and stubborn children who would not listen to adults. Whatever they could get away with or refuse to do, they would. Today, I would compare children like that to those whose parents tell them repeatedly to eat your vegetables. You cannot leave the dinner table until your vegetables are gone. Or maybe they say eat three spoonfuls and then you go only because the parent wants to clean up and they do not want to wait any longer. I guess it is something of a compromise.

Even as adults we are stubborn. Bishop Powers always said he gives up broccoli for Lent because he never eats broccoli. What I have learned over the years is that you can make any vegetable taste one hundred percent better by adding fried bacon and showering the vegetable and bacon with parmesan cheese.

The last line of this gospel is like my learning experience. Over the years we should all grow in wisdom. Instead of fighting against everything we do not agree with can we not find a way to work with it to make a change? Being obstinate and stubborn has never worked nor will it ever. If we think that way it will only create division and separation. We are not made that way. Wisdom tells me to add bacon and cheese to everything. Meaning, let us find what is common between us, what do we agree with? Now let us start working from that common ground. Now that last line of the gospel, “Wisdom is vindicated by her works,” really makes sense.

May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen