Praise be Jesus and Mary.
Today's first reading from the letter to the Hebrews gives us really awesome encouragement
as we are striving to grow in the spiritual life and as we are striving to reach our goal,
our heavenly homeland. It begins by saying, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.
In today's day and age, there are many who complain about the scandals and corruption
that they see in the church and that they read in the news, and okay, fair enough.
But the response to that is, well, we also have the saints, right?
This great cloud of witnesses.
This is the great cloud of witnesses who actually lived the gospel.
They were a living embodiment of the word of God.
They put it into practice.
And so this is the great cloud of witnesses like St. Joseph of Leonessa,
who we celebrate today, who have gone before us, who have done it.
They have run the race. They are our examples.
This is why we celebrate them liturgically, because the church wants to present the saints.
As our examples, they did it, and we can do it too.
Let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us.
So that's a good image there of sin, right?
We're running this race. We're heading towards heaven.
And sin clings to us, and it's a burden. It slows us down.
It's an impediment.
And the encouragement there is,
rid yourself.
Rid yourself of it.
Shake it off so that you can run faster and easier towards the goal.
While keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith.
So we are surrounded by the cloud of witnesses.
They are cheering us on.
That is, they are praying for us, interceding for us.
We have their example.
Jesus is there in heaven.
He is preparing a place for us.
We keep our eyes fixed on him, who is the leader and perfecter of the faith.
Because Jesus, first and foremost, is the example we are to follow.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him, Jesus endured the cross.
He has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
And so our Lord carried the cross, endured suffering,
and opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
Because we have his example.
We have his will, that we be there in heaven with him.
And then finally, the reading says,
in your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.
That's kind of a little bit of a rebuke.
In other words, you really have to give up.
You really don't have anything to complain about.
Because you haven't yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.
But you should be willing to shed your blood.
Rather than commit sin.
So if you haven't shed your blood, stop complaining.
And keep running.
And be willing to shed your blood.
Out of love for God.
And out of the great prize of heaven that awaits us.
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.