Do Not Be Afraid! (12th Sunday, Year A)

To listen to this homily, click here.

  Our readings this morning center around the tension that exists between fear and faith, insecurity and trust, persecution and vindication. From an early age, most of us have been taught that God always wins, he never gives us more than we can handle and yet, don’t we sometimes find ourselves in situations that seem terrifying, overwhelming, and just too much. In my own limited experience, it is difficult to hold onto both realities at the same time; very often in times of fear and suffering, there is that nagging doubt: “where is God?” “Maybe I was wrong to trust in Him.” It is only later, when we make it through the crucible that we see God’s triumph and protection. As Christians, one of the great gifts we have to offer is what we hear Jesus say several times to his apostles in the gospel, “Do not be afraid!” That message can be transformative and healing but it is not so simple as just telling someone, “Don’t worry, be happy!”

As I was praying with these readings, a memory came to me about the first time I remember being overwhelmed with fear, absolutely certain that my life was over. I suppose I was 5 or 6 and I was riding my bike on the side of our house in Hazelwood. One of my delinquent siblings had left a broom laying across the path and it was really causing trouble as I went back and forth. In frustration, I hopped off my bike and gave the broom a rage-inspired heave-ho…right through our neighbor’s basement window. I was horrified because these were the scary neighbors and as luck would have it, I soon heard sirens in the distance. In my mind, I was going to jail, my freedom was gone, and I was going to be another statistic of a young life squandered by crime. I ran inside and hid behind the couch, holding our pet rabbit for what I was sure was the last time. I waited for the cops to arrive, and waited, and waited. After what seemed forever, I worked up the courage to tell mom what I had done and was shocked by how amused and unconcerned she seemed to be. Was I being raised by a criminal who delighted in the destruction of property?! After my frantic recounting of the events and a lengthy pouring out of my fears, mom simply said, “it will be fine; let’s go talk to them.” When the neighbors opened the door and heard the story, they just sort of laughed and said it was no big deal. My mom assured them that we would pay for the piece of glass and that was it! I remember feeling so relieved and joyful after it was done and truly marveling that I had been delivered from the fate my imagination had pronounced!

So many times in our lives, we go through this process of fear and doom. We mess up, we miss out, or someone hurts us and some part of us thinks our situation is hopeless and cannot be fixed. It seems funny when it’s kid-stuff but it isn’t funny for the person going through it. As we move through life, we long for the simple times when the biggest mistake or worry was a bad grade or a broken piece of glass. For those who have been through the trials and tribulations of life, a perspective is gained that realizes our fears are usually much worse than reality, nothing is hopeless; God prevails. We emerge from these valleys wiser, stronger, more courageous and resilient than ever. We also learn what is actually important and what doesn’t really matter. Every parent has consoled a child who did poorly on a test or homework assignment and thinks their life is ruined. Every parent has comforted their teen lamenting their first breakup, wondering if they will ever love again. Each one of us looks back on moments of our lives where we were afraid, desperate, or down, knowing now that it wasn’t the end of the world. Do we take time to draw these same lessons about our spiritual lives and the the fears that face our soul?

Jesus has just given the apostles the authority to heal, preach, and cast out demons. He tells them to make haste and go to the Chosen people with his Good News. They are pumped. Then he warns them, you will be rejected, persecuted, and run out. But do not be afraid; they cannot hurt your spirit if you stay true to me. In other words, ‘I care for you; God cares for you. No matter what, don’t worry about what they say or think about you. Don’t worry about what they threaten or do. But make sure and acknowledge me before them and I will acknowledge you before the Father. If you deny me before them, I will deny you before the Father.’

Think about this line, especially in light of the many fears you and I often act out of. Notice how Jesus doesn’t say we have to win every argument or look like the smartest person in the room; he just asks us to acknowledge him before others. Are there times when we fear rejection from society, from co-workers, friends, or even our family…and so we deny Jesus and the truths of his gospel? Are there times we want people to like us so we keep our mouths shut about Gospel teaching, especially as it relates to marriage, human dignity, and sexuality? Does our fear of being cancelled, labelled, or cast out from the in-crowd drive us to deny Jesus with our silence when we hear Catholic values and beliefs being mocked or misrepresented? Do we sometimes value the idea that we don’t want to rock the boat, that we just want to be normal and blend in, and so we choose not to share how faith guides our choices and beliefs? I often hear that there is a silent majority when it comes to Christian values in our society. But Jesus places no value on a silent majority nor on followers who remain quiet in the face of fear or hardship. To him, silence is not golden, silence is denial and a lack of trust that he will be with us through it all.

To wrap up, I look back at so many things that I thought were absolutely most important and at mistakes I thought were insurmountable. None of them matter anymore and most have been completely forgotten. I believe at the end of our lives, we will look back at most of the fears, insecurities, and spiritual hesitations that seem so important now and we will realize, next to God’s love and power, they mean nothing, they have no power. Let’s make sure we don’t have this “Eureka moment” too late! Let’s resolve to acknowledge Jesus and his teaching on the tough issues of our times so that he will acknowledge us before his heavenly Father. We see the ways he kept his promise to the apostles and he will keep his promise to us too!

 

Divine Donor (Corpus Christi, 2023)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

About 7 years ago, a 21 y/o man named Donovan died in an accident. 

He was an organ donor and several people were given a new lease on life when they received his organs.

One recipient was a man in his early 60’s named John who had been dealing with heart failure until he received Donovan’s strong and healthy heart after the tragic accident. 

Apparently there are protocols that allow you to thank the donor’s family in writing but you cannot identify yourself. So John thanked Donovan’s family after he had recovered from the transplant. The family responded with a letter of their own along with two pictures  of their son and brother so John would put a face with a name.

Move forward about 4 years; Each season, the cardinals hold a Transplant awareness day at the ballpark, hosted by the major research hospitals we are blessed to have in our city. During the registration before the game, wouldn’t you know it?! John and his family saw a group of people wearing bright green shirts and on the front was the same picture of the young man he had received in the mail a few years ago.

 A joyful and tearful introduction was made, you might say it was a sort of reunion as well as John thanked Donovan’s family for the gift of life he enjoyed from their beloved’s heart. Perhaps most powerfully, Donovan’s family, one by one, put their head on John’s chest to listen to his heart, which had once beat in the chest of their son and brother.

From this happy meeting strangers became family and joy sprung out of tragedy!

It’s hard for me to think of a better natural example of the Eucharist on this feast of Corpus Christi, where we remember how blessed we are to receive the Body and Blood of Jesus.

Because of sin, the human race was enduring a complete failure  within our bodies and souls. Without a new heart, we were destined to life of pain, misery, and condemnation. 

But God who is so good never gave up on us. Time and time again he sent heavenly healers in the law and the prophets to address our spiritual condition. 

Finally, in the fulness of time, he sent his Son to set us free from the heart condition of sin and death that threatened to destroy us. Jesus not only gave us his heart, he gives us his entire self whenever we receive the Body and Blood in the Eucharist. Because he is God, this gift doesn’t change Him into us, it changes us into him if we surrender our own will and give into his.

How grateful we should be to God for this amazing and undeserved Gift! How incredible that God cared enough about you and me to allow his Son to suffer in such ways to bring us back to life! No wonder the Father loves us so as he hears the heart of his Son beating within us!

But that gift comes with a responsibility on our part. Because it cost Jesus so dearly, we must never take the Eucharist for granted or forget the sacrifice it involved. To do so would be to dishonor the donor.

Imagine how hurtful it would be to Donovan’s family if, after his transplant, John lived an unhealthy lifestyle, ate horrible food, and never made an effort to think of or thank the one who gave him so much. Technically, it would be his right to make these sort of choices but it would NOT be the right thing to do.

The same is true with you and me and the Eucharist. We have been given an incredible gift. Let’s not forget it. At this point in time, around 70% of Catholics do not believe that the Eucharist is actually Jesus. Perhaps even more just don’t really think about it or find other things to do week in and week out rather than letting God love them as he gives us his entire self. Let’s not take Jesus for granted! Let’s make sure and show him the honor and gratitude he deserves every time we receive holy communion by being fully present and prepared. Let’s live a spiritually healthy life and honor the new heart we have received in Christ by avoiding sin, worshipping God and serving our neighbor. May God hear his Son’s heart beating strongly within us by the holy and healthy way we live. O sacrament most holy, O sacrament divine, all praise and all thanksgiving be every moment thine! 

Choose Community Over Confinement (Trinity Sunday 2023)

 To listen to this homily, click here.

One of my go-to breakfast foods is a bowl of oatmeal. Like many people, when I’m eating, I like to read something during my meal. If the paper is not available, then the cereal box or the oatmeal carton will suffice. Staring at the Quaker Oats guy staring at me as I eat, I start to wonder, is he smiling or frowning? What did he do for fun? Why did he get into the oatmeal business and other important considerations. I did hear an interesting Quaker story recently; as you may know, they were pacifists. In other words, they did everything they could to avoid violence and war. As they settled here in America, it bothered them that most serious crimes were punished either by severe lashing which disfigured the criminal or by hanging which gave offenders a permanent pain in the neck. The Quakers wanted to find a better way so they came up with the idea of solitary confinement in the hopes of offering the criminal a more humane method to pay his debt to society and be reformed. The logic was that solitary confinement would remove the person from bad influences, give them a contemplative environment to repair their relationship with God, and provide a sort of monastic moment to think about what they had done. On paper, it seemed like a great plan; in practice it was a disaster. Criminals who were subjected to this new form of justice often went insane and were profoundly broken, spiritually, mentally, and emotionally. Even the well-intentioned Quakers, who hoped this could be a non-violent alternative, abandoned the practice after just a couple years. What they forgot, in their effort to propose something new, was a fundamental truth about human beings, something scripture teaches from the very beginning: Man was made in God’s image, and it is not good for the man to be alone. We need each other and are meant to be in community. Once we are isolated and cut off, it doesn’t take long for a person to deteriorate in every way. One of the most damaging parts of the Covid-19 pandemic was the separation of lockdowns and quarantines. Regardless of how you feel about how things were handled, we don’t want to forget how profoundly the isolation affected people of every age group. Even now, years later, the effects are still manifesting themselves. You and I were made for communion; it is not healthy or good for us to be in solitary confinement!

This first Sunday after the Easter season is called Trinity Sunday and we are invited to reflect on the central mystery of our faith, the mystery of Who God is. So often, we talk about what God does, which is fine, but since we are made in the image of God, knowing who he is teaches us important truths about ourselves.

The mystery of the Trinity teaches that within God, there is a perfect, loving community of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This divine love doesn’t just stay within the Trinity. The love of the Trinity is what brings about the creation of the world. And in the fullness of time, this same love moved God to send his only begotten Son into the world, to save it from sin and death. Once again, love compels Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to protect and guide the Church until he returns at the end of time. We are never left alone at any point in human history; God is always nearby to heal, help, and save. These examples are just a sampling of the great mystery of the Trinity which teaches us about God who is all-loving and lives in perfect relationship as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. 

This mystery is not meant to be something that remains in our head. The Trinity is meant to transform our lives, our families, and our world. As baptized Catholics, the life of the Trinity actually dwells in our souls through grace. 

We might ask ourselves the following questions: does my life reflect the life of the Trinity? Is the perfect relationship of love that exists between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit reflected in the way we live our lives? Within our own hearts, do we acknowledge and truly believe that we are made in God’s image and likeness? Do we embody this truth in the way we act, in the words we speak, in the entertainment we enjoy, in the clothes we wear, and the company we keep? Do people look at us and see an image of God’s love and joy? Or do they see things like self-hate, anger, revenge, lust, greed, or jealousy?

How about our families? It is in the home that the mystery of the Trinity is most powerfully reflected. Do our families imitate the loving relationship seen in our God? Are we able to make sacrifices for our family in all things? Are we making sure we love the people entrusted to our care? The love of God holds nothing back; he sacrifices everything for those he loves. We are called to love others in the very same way. So what does this mean in our everyday lives?

Children: love your parents and your brothers and sisters. Be kind and respectful to everyone around you. Make it a habit to take care of others and think of them first. You can do this in simple little ways like cleaning off the table after dinner, unloading the dishwasher, sharing your time and toys, cleaning your room, and so on. Even these little acts of kindness are an opportunity to spread the love of God and help others so they don’t feel alone. 

Husbands and wives: love one another with a love that knows no limits. Remind yourselves of the commitment you made to each other on your wedding day. Be patient with each other’s faults and failings. Be willing to listen when your spouse wants to talk about a bad day. Make it a habit to think of the other person first; by doing little acts of kindness every day, you will reflect the love of our triune God and ensure that your spouse isn’t imprisoned by the loneliness of being ignored or unappreciated.

The greatest threat to meaningful community, the thing that attacks our communion with God, ourselves, and others is sin. Every time we choose evil and selfishness rather than goodness and virtue, we slowly cut ourselves off from the things and people that keep us healthy and flourishing. Despite what the world and the devil tell us, we cannot find purpose and fulfillment by indulging the things that lead us away from God. In the end, we will place ourselves in a sort of spiritual solitary confinement that hurts our souls, minds, hearts, and bodies.

 How blessed we are to be cared for by a God who is love! A God who never stops looking for us and inviting into communion with Him and with others! A God who heals, helps, and breaks us out of the prisons we build for ourselves! Let us be reminded now and every time we make the sign of the cross that we are called to be a people of the trinity, a people who live love and right relationship with ourselves, with our families, and with those we encounter each and every day. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.