The following homily was given to Boy Scouts gathered for Mass in the Chapel of the Twelve Apostles on the H. Roe Bartle Scout Reservation in Osceola, Missouri.
Do you know what story you are in? Did you even realize you are part of a big story? We can tend to get so focused on the little things of every day life, that we lose sight of the big picture. We can have trouble finding meaning and making sense of things unless we see how it all fits together. We have to know the whole story.
Today’s readings serve to remind us of the big story that God is writing with the history of creation. In the first reading, we go all the way back to the Book of Genesis and the creation of our first parents, Adam and Eve. We see that everything is happy in the beginning, but then Satan enters the garden. This is a key part of our story. Right from the beginning, we see that we have an enemy. This enemy is out to destroy our happiness and keep us from God.
Do you live your life mindful of this part of the story, that we have an enemy? Sometimes it can seem that we just go about our days trying to be “basically good” and believing that probably by default we will just end up in heaven. Satan would love for us to continue through life unaware of his workings, watching us compromise at every turn and never really fight or even realize we are in a fight.
Everything of value is worth fighting for. We don’t expect the greatest rewards to just be handed to us. If they were, they wouldn’t be very meaningful. Today’s homily is a bit of a call to arms. We’ve got to realize what story we’re in and where we’re called to fight but are instead surrendering. Men especially are called to this heroic engagement, fighting to protect women and our families. It’s time to wake up and get in the fight. Life is not a peaceful falling into heaven. Life is tough. Life is a battlefield.