Sunday Homily, January 27, 3rd in Ordinary Time
Readings: Isaiah 8, 23-9, 3; Psalm 27; 1 Corinthians 1, 10-17; Matthew 4, 12-23.
Isaiah: This great book continues for one more beautiful week. Today we are presented with another vision of a people walking in light with joy and rejoicing. Just a reminder: the visions in the book come from ca. 800 years B.C.
To what are You Called?
I would like to talk this morning about The Call. Has anyone heard about a guy named Franz Jagerstatter? This man was beatified last October in the cathedral in Linz, Austria. He was Austrian, born in 1907 to poor farming parents. He toyed with the idea of joining a monastery when he was 27, but decided his mother needed him to stay and help her with the farm.
At 29 he married Franziska and later said he could never have imagined that being married would be so wonderful. The year was 1936. Two years later you know what happened? What happened in Austria? Nazi Germany unified as it were Austria, and it became basically a state in Germany. Coincidentally, Adolf Hitler was born in a small Austrian town neighboring the small town Franz was born in.
With the Nazi take-over of Austria the arrest and exportation of the Jews began immediately. The majority of the Catholic Church gave full and complete support to the Nazi take over and unification. The diocese of Linz was an exception, and it was near Linz that Franz & his family lived and listened to the debate. He was torn. Some priests even encouraged Franz to get along, don’t endanger his family and keep his head down.
While Franz was struggling with his conscience, Germany spectacularly continued its unification plans, taking over Poland in ’39, France, and the Netherlands. And arresting Jews. In February,1943, just two years before the end of the war in May,1945, Franz got his orders to report for military service. March 2 he reported to the military base and refused to serve. He was arrested and spent the next five months in prison in Linz. In July he was found guilty of impeding the war effort and condemned to death. August 9, 1943, 4:00 P.M., he was beheaded. He was 36 years old.
Franz Jagerstratter heard The Call, Folks. I am humbled by his example.
Jesus is walking along the lake. He sees these rough fishermen and calls them to come along. They do. We get the same call. I am tempted to think the call is for that guy, for Franz, or someone else. Not me. Wrong. We each get The Call.
To what are you called?
AUDIO: http://mysite.verizon.net/reso7rjy/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/2008-01-27.mp3