(Twenty-sixth Sunday of the Year (A):
This homily was given on October 1, 2017 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R.I.,
by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Matthew 21:
28-32.)
[For the audio version of this homily, click here: Twenty-sixth Sunday 2017]
Talk
is cheap.
Many of us (probably most of us) have
heard that saying before. I don’t know
its origin, but it wouldn’t surprise me to learn that it was first used many
years ago after someone read the gospel passage we just heard—this text from
Matthew 21.
Because this is certainly one of the
messages we get from the parable Jesus tells us here about the man with two
sons. When the man told his first son to
go and work in his vineyard, the boy responded negatively. He said, “Forget it, Daddy-O, I’ve got better
things to do with my time.”
But afterward he had second thoughts,
and went.
Then the man asked his other son, who
said, “Right away, Pops, anything for you.”
But he never went.
His talk was cheap—very cheap. In fact, his word was basically worth
nothing.
And you can’t get any “cheaper” than
that.
Which brings me to the controversy
that’s going on right now in the National Football League, concerning players
who are kneeling or sitting for the National Anthem at the beginning of games—ostensibly
to protest the oppression that some African-Americans feel in this country from
whites, and the mistreatment of some blacks by certain members of the law
enforcement community.
Now I’m not sure where you stand on
this issue. There’s no official
“Catholic position” on it; it’s one of those matters that good Catholics are
free to disagree on.
Personally, I think it’s
disrespectful. But that’s just my
opinion. I’m always careful in my homily
to distinguish between official Church teaching and my own personal views. Personally, I think there are better ways to
address this problem. You might
disagree, and that’s certainly your prerogative.
But, regardless of what side of the
issue each of us falls on, there’s one question we should ALL have for these
professional football players:
What
are you DOING about it? What are you
doing, PERSONALLY, to improve race relations in this country? What are you doing to make the relationship
between black young people and the police better in the city where you are
blessed to play professional football?
You see, these players—by taking a knee
or sitting down or not coming out on the field for the National Anthem—are actually
speaking. They’re speaking, they’re making a
statement—a clear and definite statement of protest—with their bodies.
But, as we learn from this gospel
parable, TALK IS CHEAP—even when it’s that type of talk!
It means nothing, unless it’s followed
by action.
And the thing is, these players are in
a great position to take action and make a positive impact in the area of race
relations, since their popularity usually crosses racial and ethnic lines. For example, Patriot fans don’t like Tom
Brady and Rob Gronkowski because they’re white; they don’t like Dont’a
Hightower and Devin McCourty because they’re black.
They like those guys because they’re
New England Patriots!
It doesn’t matter what the color of
their skin is!
(Not to most people, anyway.)
These great athletes can make a
difference—a very positive difference—if
they choose to act in constructive ways off the football field and in their
local communities.
Maybe Angela Tafone from our parish could
help them. Maybe Angela could meet with
every team in the National Football League in the near future and explain to
them the importance of action: the
importance doing what you’re able to do to help other people in this life.
I thought of this after I received an
email from Angela earlier this week.
She’s now a freshman at Rivier University in Nashua, New Hampshire. Here’s what she wrote:
Hi,
Father.
College
is going well; you are in my daily prayers.
I joined the campus ministry club on campus. A couple of Saturdays ago, we did a service
day at the Ann Marie house, which is a home for families in poverty. I
got to play with the children, which was a great experience for me, being able
to help others and help those families.
Afterwards, I felt rewarded that I had done the right thing, by putting
a smile on the kids’ faces and being a good Christian—especially this one girl I
was playing with. She was happy even
though she doesn't have a home.
Afterwards, I felt grateful that I helped these families by just making
them happy and that we were there to help. I wanted to share my experience with
you. Figured you would like to hear
this. I'll be back in Westerly for
Columbus Day weekend.
When it comes to Christian charity, young
Angela Tafone is avoiding “cheap talk.”
In other words, she’s putting the words she speaks with her mouth about
loving her neighbor as herself into action.
Consequently she’s making a positive difference in the lives of people
in need in Nashua, New Hampshire.
God bless her!
May the Lord give us the grace to do
that for the people he puts in our lives, and may he give those protesting NFL
players the knowledge and desire they need to act in ways that will bring
blacks and whites together in this country, and not tear them apart.