No Good Dwells in Me

Homily for Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time

The opening line of the reading from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans strikes us pretty pretty harsh: “I know that good is not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh.” We find it pretty hard to accept saying no good dwells in us. We tend rather to say that much good dwells in all of us, and it just has to be encouraged or brought forth.

St. Paul’s use of the word “flesh,” also causes problems. “Flesh” in this context means our non-spiritual self or worldly self. We need to avoid the suggestion that somehow the flesh, the bodily part of us, is the big problem. Oftentimes, St. Paul’s use of the word “flesh” refers to anything that draws us away from God, while the word “spirit” refers to anything that draws us toward God. The good that dwells within us dwells in our spiritual selves, the selves that recognize God’s right to guide our lives and actions through the commandments.

Most of us can recognize ourselves in the description of the spiritual interior contest between selfishness or selflessness. The answer to that struggle is not in laws or knowledge, but in the power of the risen Christ in us through baptism and the Eucharist.

The Gospel text for today gives us another perspective on that spiritual interior contest. Jesus uses universally obvious, natural signs to stir the crowd to action. A cloud rising in the west means rain. Wind blowing from the south means heat. His point is that we should use the same observational skills and common sense to see the signs of the times around us. This can be difficult today. From the headlines we read to the concerns of our families and friends, the world is full of heavy needs. Sometimes the signs are confusing. Sometimes they are overwhelming, and sometimes we know what they mean, but we are hesitant or afraid to act in response. Both St. Paul and Jesus require us to respond in faith, faith in the Gospel and faith in our ability to respond to natural observations.

It is easy to be overwhelmed by the many voices and events in our everyday lives. This is why it is necessary for us to take the time to hear God’s word as Jesus calls us to do. Jesus desires for us to act in response to our faith in ordinary ways. There is no need for us to try to be heroic. All we need to do is respond to the universal call to holiness. We are all one in the Body of Christ. May the grace of the sacrament we are about to receive help us to have clear vision and open hearts to read the signs of the times as faithful disciples of Jesus.