Homily, 8-2-21
Monday of the 18th Week in Ordinary Time
I have struggled with high cholesterol all my adult life. It was probably the root cause of my triple by-pass heart surgery and my stroke which both occurred a couple of years ago. The two incidents finally convinced me to take statins as my doctor had repeatedly recommended. For the longest time, I resisted medication and tried to handle it with diet and exercise.
And I had heard that eating oatmeal would lower bad cholesterol. So one year I had oatmeal for breakfast every day for three months leading up to my annual physical. I hoped to lower my cholesterol enough to avoid another lecture from my doctor. After three months, the thought of oatmeal became very repulsive, and I started to grumble and complain. About that time, I had to prepare a homily and the readings dealt with the Israelites eating nothing but manna in the desert. And I felt a little ashamed for complaining for such a little sacrifice.
God freed the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. He led them on a journey to the Promised Land. And along that journey He gave them everything they needed, but not always everything they wanted. He was like a good parent taking care of His children.
Through the merits of Jesus