Homily: Friday of the 2nd Week in Ordinary Time - You cannot give what you do not have.

Very early on in our priestly formation, there is an old latin saying which every seminarian commits to heart: “non dat quod non habet”, non dat quod non habet, you cannot give, what you do not have.

This is true in everyday life: I cannot give you 50 dollars, if I do not have 50 dollars first to give. 

But this is also true in the supernatural life.  As Christians, we cannot spread the Gospel, if we have not first received it. 

We see this maxim at work in the Gospel today.  Before Jesus sends out His twelve new Apostles into the world, St. Mark tells us he first called them “to be with him.”  The Apostles’ task, first and foremost, is to have a close personal relationship with Jesus—“to be with him”.  Without intimacy with him, there will be no effectiveness in their mission. 

Likewise, in the Gospel of John, Jesus says, “Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.”

The sign of a well-founded, mature faith is the natural way we communicate it to others, and that only comes from being familiar with the Lord as we are with a friend, a spouse, a family member.  We will never be successful in our Christian mission unless we spend time with the Lord. 

When Pope Benedict called for a Year of Faith a few years back, he encouraged a two-pronged approach for deepening our faith.  He called Catholics to study their faith—to form small groups to read the documents of Vatican II, to read the catechism, to engage in Scripture study.  If we don’t know the doctrine of the faith it is impossible to teach to others.

But also, he urged us to seek the encounter with the Lord Jesus in prayer.  For true faith is not merely the result of academic study, it comes from personal encounter.

Unfortunately, many fallen away Catholics suffer from poor catechesis and lack of prayer.  So we need to practice them all the more, so when the Lord sends us out into the lives of unbelievers, we may explain the faith clearly and lead them in prayer.

You cannot give what you do not have.  May we therefore seek that deepening of faith, of understanding and personal encounter with the Lord, that we may bring others to Him for the glory of God and salvation of souls.