(Eighteenth Sunday of the Year (C): This homily was given on August 2, 1998 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly R.I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Colossians 3: 1-11.)

"What are you doing about your weeds?"

This past Monday, I was talking to a group of teenagers at Westerly town beach, and one of them said to me, "Fr. Ray, I'd like to go to Confession sometime soon." I replied, "Great, you can go right now." He said, "Here? At the beach?" I said, "Sure, why not? I've heard them at Gold's Gym before, so why not at the beach? Let's go." So we went off to a quiet area up near the dunes, we sat down on a rock, and I proceeded to hear his confession. When it was over I stood up--thinking that was the end of it--when all of a sudden a teenage girl came running over. She said, "Wait, Fr. Ray, don't go yet. I want you to hear my confession too." Well, to make a long story short--I finished up about an HOUR later, after hearing the confessions of at least a half dozen teens. A spiritually profitable day at the beach to say the least--plus the weather was gorgeous, which made it doubly great!

I give these teenagers credit this morning for a couple of reasons. First of all, I commend them for thinking of their souls in that setting. I dare say: relatively few people think of the condition of their souls when they're at the beach! In fact, there are probably some who only think of their spiritual lives when they're in church on Sunday or Saturday night--and in certain cases maybe not even then! As we all know: a person can physically be sitting in a pew and mentally be a million miles away. That's not the way it's supposed to be! St. Paul tells us in today's second reading from Colossians 3: "Since you have been raised up with Christ, set your heart on what pertains to higher realms where Christ is seated at God's right hand. Be intent on things above rather than on things of earth." In other words: Be focused--always! Whether you're at the beach, or at work or at home or at school or anyplace else! Remember ld heartily approve! Notice what Paul says in the very next verses of this text. He writes, "Put to death whatever in your nature is rooted in earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desires, and that lust which is idolatry." Put these things to death! That is to say--KILL THEM! Execute them! Annihilate them! Very strong language, to say the least! Paul knew that sin is not to be fooled around with. He knew that if we don't actively seek to kill it within ourselves, then it will eventually kill us (spiritually speaking). And this can happen even with regard to our lesser, venial sins, because these weaken us and dispose us to more serious sins. You could say that our venial sins are just like weeds. If you don't kill a weed when it first appears in your lawn, what happens? Pretty soon you have another weed, and then another, and another--until you have a whole yard full of them. And eventually some of those little weeds can get pretty big. (Now if you don't believe me on this, I invite you to take a quick look at the lawn around the church at the end of Mass. There's plenty of proof for what I'm saying out there!)