God's intolerable compliment (Sunday homily)

The great writer, C.S. Lewis, had an idea he explored many times: 
that God has paid us, quote, “an intolerable compliment.”

God made us to be something great and glorious, 
and as much as we wish he’d just leave us alone, 
that is—as Lewis said—to ask God to love us not more, but less. 

That’s what Saint Paul is saying in the second reading. 
God has a high destiny for us. 

Have you ever had someone say, wow, your Catholic Faith demands a lot of you? 
Tell them this is why.

Why does God expect us at Mass every Sunday and Holy Day? 

Why does God expect us to be chaste—waiting till marriage, 
being faithful to the same spouse for life, 
and accepting the sacrifices entailed by not using contraception? 

Why does God care what we look at on the Internet, 
or whether we pray, or how we run our business, 
or about any other of the choices we make? 

Because of the high destiny to which we’re heading! 

Now, someone might say, I don’t want that! 
I’d rather just be a nobody. 

Well, I have shocking news for you. That's not an option.
There are only two choices in eternity. 
Being a saint, sharing God’s life…and hell. 

Purgatory is real—but it’s a stopover on the way to heaven, 
where we get our final wash-and-wax before heading for the big-time.
And you won't get to purgatory at all--if you don't aim for heaven.

Put it another way: there are no cheap seats in heaven. 
And no bystanders to Christ’s work on earth. 

When I’m talking with people, and someone will criticize the Archbishop, 
I think it’s my duty to stick up for him. 
And folks will say, “oh you’re just a company man.” 
It’s true—I am a company man! 

But when it comes to our Catholic Faith, we’re all company men and women. 
The job of defending and presenting the Catholic Faith—
with enthusiasm and joy—isn’t just my job. It’s all out jobs! 
What's more, the high destiny God has for you is for everyone. 
God gave us the invaluable gift of life in Christ; 
God help us if we don’t share it—if we don’t bring others to the Catholic Faith! 

In the Gospel, our Lord sent the Apostles to cast out demons. 
If you look in the Old Testament, you’ll see the prophets did amazing things, 
but none of them ever did that. 
It’s a sign that being a Christian means sharing God’s life in a new way. 

Christ sends you to cast out evil; 
to help change our society so that human life is protected, 
the poor aren’t trampled down, and human dignity is respected. 

As this Mass brings us to Calvary, we might ask Christ for the strength and joy 
to embrace the destiny he has for us.