how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.—¨

Frankly, I struggled with this homily. So much in today’s first reading is negative. Everyone is hating Jeremiah. He doesn’t have a good word for anyone in Israel. All those around him want to either turn him of kill him. It’s an ode to ends justify the means. Please, let’s do anything we can do to stop him, to quiet him, to shut him down. Jeremiah doesn’t have a friend left in the world; all he has is God.

All those who were my friends
are on the watch for any misstep of mine.—¨
‘Perhaps he will be trapped; then we can prevail,—¨
and take our vengeance on him.’—¨

The psalmist too, he is outcast, apart from his people, insulted and rejected, even by his children, because he is faithful to God.

For your sake I bear insult,
and shame covers my face.
I have become an outcast to my brothers,—¨
a stranger to my children

With words like those I could launch into a preachy homily all about how faithfulness to God, in the face of every bad thing, is more important than home, family, friends, and reputation. I could tell you that God demands that we sacrifice everything and come to Him empty so He can fill us with every good thing.

I could do that, but I want to tell you about an amazing thing. In the face of all the bad Jeremiah and the psalmist faced they erupted into praise. Jeremiah says:—¨

Sing to the LORD,
praise the LORD,—¨
for he has rescued the life of the poor

The psalmist exclaims:

—See, you lowly ones, and be glad;
you who seek God, may your hearts revive!—¨
…—¨
Let the heavens and the earth praise him,—¨
the seas and whatever moves in them!”—¨

Brothers and sisters,

Jeremiah and the psalmist knew that God is the God of constant hope. He is the God of fulfillment. He is God who keeps His promises and cares for us.

I began by quoting from St. Paul:

how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ
overflow for the many.—¨

Praise be God because we have the grace of God. Our Holy Church and this parish are encompassed with God’s total love and commitment. His Son, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, dwells with us. His Spirit enlightens, motivates, and strengthens us. He has drawn us together, a people of many opinions, many life stories, and many backgrounds in a testament to His wisdom. We are here for a reason. We are here because we are saved by faith in Jesus Christ, and because we wish to take the fruit of that faith and turn it into the good works, into caring and loving relationships with each other, all of which will bring people to Christ.

Jesus gave us complete assurance when He said:

—Fear no one.
Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed,—¨
nor secret that will not be known.—¨
What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light;—¨
what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.—

I also began by saying that I struggled with this homily. It was a struggle because it is often difficult to see the hope God offers. It is difficult until God’s grace opens our eyes to Jesus’ assurance.

It is assurance and a call to hope. What we have — faith — cannot be destroyed. Certainly, like Jeremiah and the psalmist, we will face difficulty. We will feel abandonment, loneliness, the anger of others, disparagement. Then something miraculous will occur. We will erupt into praise because we know Jesus’ promise to us. We know that He will acknowledge [us] before [His] heavenly Father.

St. Paul told the Romans that the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflows for the many. He told them that because it is true – and it is true today. We have God’s grace, the very same grace Paul spoke about, and we will never be emptied or apart from God because of it. We will never see things in the same way, or speak in the same way again – because of faith, because of grace, because of the constant hope of God Who folds us into His arms, His care, and His protection. Let us praise Him. Alleluia! Amen.