Homily for the Twenty-Seventh Sunday of Ordinary Time (Year C) October 5, 2025

October 5, 2025 0 By BLACKCATHOLIC

The following transcript of the homily is in the original formatting that was used for the sake of live delivery with all cues, emphasis, and notes included.

Transcript:
“For the vision still has its time.” Words from the Book of the Prophet Habakkuk

In the Name of the Father + the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

“How long?”

– At one point or another in life it is the cry of every soul who has spent 5 minutes on this Earth.

From the trivial in the material: “How long” will this light on Stop 30 stay red coming out of church?

To the serious in the spiritual: “How long” will my prayers go unanswered?

“How long” is always close to our lips.

And, as our first reading from the Book of Habakkuk shows, the truth of this literally goes back to biblical times.

So, “How long?” – the prophet Habakkuk asks the Lord

– How long will violence reign in Israel?

– How long will we be in ruin?

– How long will misery go without mercy?

– How long will “Israel” be just another name for “that which is destroyed”?

The prophet is long in asking because the Lord seems long in answering.

He shouts, “You [Lord] do not listen” because it seems like God is deaf to his cry.

He yells, “You do not intervene” because it seems like God does not act.

But what does Habakkuk see that has him in such dire straits?

And what has him angry at God because the Lord is making him wait?

In some respects it is the same old story coming out of Israel:

– The Torah of God’s Law is be being neglected.

– Evil and corruption are being tolerated by the leaders.

– And idolatry is running rampant.

But in other respects there is a new story that is slowly becoming viral:

The Babylonians are rising and threatening – and they are even worse criminals than the Israelites – AND LOOK: they are just over the horizon.

And all of this is causing the violence, ruin, misery, and destruction the prophet is seeing.

In the face of the prophet’s complaints, God DOES see what is going on.

And later in the book God actually summarizes for Habakkuk the evils in the land with five laments of His own:

1 – There are unjust economic practices that are oppressing the poor.

2 – Crooked wealth stolen as ill-gotten gain fill many-a-pocket.

3 – The city as been built up bloodshed.

4 – Bad leadership fueled by alcohol reigns over the people.

5 – Idolatry stains the people’s worship as creatures replace the Creator.

Even though all of this is resulting in material consequences, Habakkuk’s struggle in this reading and throughout his book is primarily spiritual in nature as we can gleam from his ultimate complaints that:

– God does not hear his cry,

– And God does not act on his cry.

And in this respect, ol’ Habby’s spiritual struggle is not too far from the spiritual struggle of the Believer in the face of problems in the spiritual life.

Because when it comes to our lives of prayer and supplication,

We, too, cry out “violence!”

We, too, cry out “ruin!”

We, too, cry out “misery!”

We, too, lament about the destruction that overwhelms the pilgrim people on our way to Kingdom Come.

And God’s apparent lack of hearing disturbs us.

And God’s apparent lack of action robs us of our peace.

For, in the spiritual life:

“Violence” is wrought upon our souls by the unholy trinity of the world, the flesh, and the devil:

While temptations shoot arrows at our armor and grave sins sink their swords into our side as our spiritual life flows out upon the battlefield.

“Misery” is felt as we languish in spiritual dryness and boredom in prayer

While we struggle with the same sin over and over and again and again with no apparent growth in holiness.

And don’t think I skipped over the “Ruin” for long as it joins forces with the “Destruction” of our souls:

With repeated mortal sin that has us rejecting the friendship of the Lord in favor with the company of the devil or the self.

Then we seem to experience:

– Great silence from a God who doesn’t appear to talk back much.

– And great absence from a Lord who doesn’t appear to take our struggle and pain away from us.

What does a prophet do?

What does a parishioner do?

More importantly, what does God do?

All the same thing: WE STILL SHOW UP.

We still show up on our knees.

We still show up in front of the monstrance.

With our cries; With our laments.

And He will still show up on the altar.

He will still show up in our hearts.

With His promise. With His vision.

And the God who did not seem apparent – APPEARS.

And the Lord who did not seem to act – GETS ACTIVE.

Because, “Then the LORD answered me and said:”

– Get a tablet – and I ain’t talking iPads– and GET TO WRITIN’.

– I got a vision for you, so be ready to read it when you’re done.

– And be patient “For the vision still has its time.”

– The vision will press on to fulfillment.

– For, the vision will surely come.

– And the vision will not be late in life, but faith in the Power behind the vision shall GIVE YOU LIFE.

For the vision still has its time!

And what God promises the prophet He promises to the Believer.

– So get a tablet, y’all, – and not the one from Apple – but the one from inside your chests – and GET TO WRITIN’.

– God’s got a vision for you, so be ready to read it.

But you in this life you will never be done reading it.

– And for whatever you are going through, be patient “For the vision still has its time.”

– The vision will press on to fulfillment.

– And, the vision will surely come.

– For, faith in the Power behind it shall GIVE YOU LIFE.

And both for the prophet later on in Habakkuk and for the Believer reading right now – the vision is this:

God shall march to the land.

God shall come to Israel.

With a mighty storm He shall QUIET THE DEVIL.

And with an earthquake He shall break open the earth to swallow up our sins.

And by His Anointed One he shall save His anointed ones.

He shall vindicate the poor from oppression of the wicked.

He shall vindicate the Believer from the violence of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

He shall do away with ill-gotten gain in the rich.

He shall pour out His lasting spiritual riches upon the momentary misery of the dryness in prayers.

He shall trample the cities built up by bloodshed with His horses and chariots.

He shall trample over the forces of mortal sin that bring destruction to our souls, and gain us a final victory over the vices that keep us in trouble.

He shall crush “the leader of the land of wickedness.”