Father Chris -Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time- Homily

​"Wisdom Among Us"

Christ’s ‘Miracle of Feeding the Thousands’ was so important to the people of his time that this is his only miracle included in all four gospels. The people would have recognized Jesus as the new Moses who has come to release his people from bondage, feeding them with new ‘mana’ from heaven, not just real ‘bread’, but the ‘bread of freedom’ as their new King, releasing them from Rome’s bondage.

But this miracle confirms two important things about the nature of Christ’s mission: 1.) that he and the Father take care of the physical body first, beginning with food. [As in the 7 Corporal Works of Mercy – feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, shelter the homeless, visit the sick, the imprisoned, bury the dead.]
2.) then ‘spiritual’ food comes in the form of grace, not earthly honours. [As in the 7 Spiritual Works of Mercy – teach the gospel, counsel the doubtful, educate the sinner, bear wrongs patiently, forgive offenses willingly, comfort the afflicted, and pray for the living and the dead.]

In essence, Jesus nourishes us physically first, and then spiritually, so that we may do the same for others.

Today, in our very first Annual Celebration of Grandparents and the Elderly in our communities, we pay them special homage, love, and gratitude, especially as we recognize how much they have fed us the ‘bread of life’, and continue to do so!


Writer, Catherine Pulsifer, says in her book, How Old Are You, that, “Sometimes, people use age as a convenient excuse. “I'm too old to start something new” or “I couldn't learn that at my age.” However, other people go on to achieve their greatest accomplishments in life during their later years [often sharing them with others].”

George Bernard Shaw did not even begin writing plays until he was about 45 years old, completing over 60 works before he died in 1950 at 94 years of age.

Julia Child’s gifts as an iconic cook were not recognized until she published her first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in 1961 while in her mid-50s.
Even after her death in 2004 at 91years old, she was still cooking and travelling.

Harland Sanders whom we know as ‘Colonel Sanders’ was the founder of KFC the Kentucky Fried Chicken company which he franchised in 1952 at the age of 62. He would sell it for several million dollars only a few years later.

George Burns played ‘God’ in both the hugely popular film, Oh, God! and its sequel with John Denver in 1977 at 81 years of age. He continued to perform and make appearances until he died in 1996 at 100 years of age. His famous peer from Gone With The Wind, Olivia de Havilland, was still travelling and doing interviews before her death at 104 years of age in 2020, the year of the pandemic.

Saint Teresa of Calcutta may have begun her challenging ministry in her early youth, but she just as vibrant, zealous, involved, and committed to her work when she died in 1997 at 87 years of age.

But these are just the ‘success’ stories, right? What do the elderly among us say?

“You're not as young as you were, but you'll never be as old as you're going to be.”

“I believe we keep ourselves young by surrounding ourselves with things that make us feel young, especially our families, and especially young people themselves.”

“We may lose a lot of our childhood wonder as we go through adulthood, but as we age we also have a chance to relive that wonder all over again.”

“We should all count by the changes and events within us, not by our years.”

“Age may wrinkle the face, but lack of enthusiasm wrinkles the soul.” – Danish.

“I will never be an old man. To me, old age is always 15 years older me.”

“You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream.” – Les Brown

“Retirement is a joy if you can figure out how to spend time without spending.”

“The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes.” – Frank Lloyd Wright

“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” – Pearl S. Buck

“It’s not the years in life that count, but the life in your years.” – Abraham Lincoln

Finally, “Nobody can do for children what grandparents can do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children.” – Alex Haley.

In fact, each of our lives has a story within it, with more wonderful, maybe even cliff-hanging chapters ahead, especially as we age. We must visit and accompany our grandparents and elderly, listen to their stories, because they help us understand our own, who we are, where we are headed, while nourishing ourselves with their wisdom who have lived and learned and loved. Invest in them!

In her late 80s, my mother was feeling like she didn’t belong to the world anymore, a sentiment my grandmother expressed when she was 96. “Of what value am I to anyone stuck here sitting in this chair.” Though her bible was great company, she had lots of questions about the grim parts of the OT. So, I got her a bible with a commentary and a concordance. This opened up a whole new world for her. She suddenly began sharing all the interesting, fascinating details she was discovering with the whole family, especially her grand children. Suddenly, she was engaged again with the world and the people she loved. (In fact, Sunday is her birthday.)

In honour of my mother and all grandparents and elderly, I close with a ‘Blessing for the Aged’ by John O’Donohue from, To Bless The Space Between Us:

May the light of your soul mind you.
May all your worry and anxiousness about your age be transfigured.
May you be given wisdom for the eyes of your soul to see this as a time of gracious harvesting.
May you have the passion to heal what has hurt you, and allow it to come closer and become one with you.
May you have great dignity, sense how free you are; above all, may you be given the wonderful gift of meeting the eternal light which is within you.
May you be blessed, and may you find a wonderful love in your self for your self.


– Rev Fr Christopher Tracey, Saint Joseph Parish, Saugeen Shores, Ontario