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Father Shelton's Homily |
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Of water and fire, fire seems the stronger, converting its fuel into a raging exhibition of power. A campfire must be watched; a bucket of water may be left unattended. But the humility of the water reveals its true power when poured out upon the pompous flame, for "water quenches a flaming fire". Exposing ourselves long and often to the fires of Satan's hell, our sinful souls dry up and harden under his rebellious pride. We become deformed under his heat, with husbands yelling at their dear wives, wives raging against their husbands with the hateful silence of brimstone, children protesting against parental rule, and in general civilization ceasing to be civilized while becoming loud, demanding and unsettled from long exposure to the raging fires of Hell. Our lesson today from Sirach teaches us to avert our eyes from the flames of hell, imitating not Lucifer’s burning arrogance but, rather, the humble power of water. It is this flowing power of humility that allows peoples long oppressed to convert cruel nations with dreams of justice, for example, giving Americans the 28th of August, 1963. Christ takes the humility of Sirach a giant step further, pouring his Precious Blood onto sin and Satan, hatred and arrogance, judgment and condemnation. As the priests of the Old Covenant sprinkled the blood of little lambs onto the nation of Israel, priests of the New Covenant must sprinkle the Lamb of God onto the souls of Catholics, "the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel".May your families become a humble flood of Christ's Blood, cooling and calming Blount County.
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