Ordinary Time, 27th Sunday (B) I have often preached on marriage and divorce in the past (see Marriage is for Children | #546 and This is Why So Many Marriages Fail | #846). Today, I want to look at the dynamic inside our souls. And to illustrate this I'm going to use two famous works of art.

The first is the Creation of Adam from the Sistine Chapel. We see Adam fresh and new like a baby. God is straining to have a relationship with Adam, but Adam isn't convinced he really wants a relationship with God. Ultimately, he will choose creation over the Creator.

Adam's choice leads to our second image, the Calling of Saint Matthew by Caravaggio. Man's soul has become darkened and crowded with friends, money, fine clothes and pleasures. But God's light is still shining and God, now in the person of Jesus Christ, still wants a relationship with man.

This is an analogy to the inside of man's soul. We need to be willing to accept our poverty, our vulnerability and weakness. In a word, we need to be willing to be children. We often think that the finger of God is accusing us of sin. But really God is pointing because he's calling you into a relationship with him. On this Respect Life Sunday, I'll finish my homily with a reflecting by Anita on how she experienced God's love for her.

Going Deeper: Have you experienced God's merciful love calling you out of darkness and into his light? How did you respond to that call?

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