Homily: Monday - 8th Week of Ordinary Time 2016 - Daily Conversion

St. Bernard of Clairvaux was made abbot of his trappist monastery at a very young age—for even at a young age he had acquired tremendous wisdom and holiness. He was speaking to his community one day, and he made a remark that is kind of shocking.  He said, “There are more people converted from mortal sin to grace, than there are Christians converted from good to better.”  There are many Christians who fail to allow God to convert them beyond their initial conversion.

This challenging statement coincides nicely with this morning’s Gospel. A rich young man approached Jesus seeking eternal life. Jesus says not only must we avoid breaking God’s commandments, but he must also “sell what you have, and give to the poor.” In other words, the way of the Gospel is not just about avoiding evil.  Rather, the way of the Gospel entails complete detachment from material possessions, of always seeking to give more, more of one’s talent, more of one’s time, more of one’s treasure for the building up of the kingdom.

“Many people are converted from mortal sin, but few are converted from good to better.” During this season of Ordinary Time, we are meant to examine the ordinary circumstances of our lives, and seek to give more to Christ, that we might be converted more deeply to him.

Yes, we are to seek conversion from vice to virtue: from deceit and lying, to honesty and truth; from gluttony to temperance, from vanity and pride to humility, from lust to love, from avarice to generosity, from rage to patience, from laziness to zeal, and from moral ugliness to moral beauty.

But also, we are to seek conversion from good to better—not just surface conversion, but total conversion. The saints are our great examples of those who have cooperated with God, allowed God to transform them from good to better. Giving myself completely to God, detaching from material comforts sounds humanely impossible. But our Lord reassures us this morning, “all things are possible with God.” Heroic virtue is possible through perseverance in the Christian life—prayer, fasting, charity, works of mercy.

May God’s Spirit enlighten each of us, showing us what we must give up—attitudes, behaviors, and material goods—in order to give ourselves more deeply to Christ for the glory of God and salvation of souls.