Sunday Homily – September 30, 2012

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26th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Numbers 11:25-29
James 5:1-6
Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
September 30, 2012

John comes to Jesus concerned that a person is driving out demons in Jesus’ name because, apparently, he is not part of the same group as John.  

Jesus’ reply is to say that the person could only do this if he was a follower of him.

Our first reading is a parallel of this.  Our Lord takes some of the same spirit that Moses had and distributes it among the seventy elders.  But two were not present.  They are found to be prophesying anyway.

People are shocked.  Joshua thinks Moses should stop them.  Moses says no!  Moses tells them it would be great if all could do this.

After Jesus came, everyone who follows him does receive the Holy Spirit.  With the Holy Spirit we all receive in some portion the gifts of knowledge, wisdom, understanding, right judgment, courage, piety, and fear of the Lord.  

We each receive different gifts to use in different ways.  In our readings today, the people couldn’t understand how others were doing these things because they couldn’t.

Or maybe as Moses suggests, they were jealous about it.

Are you jealous for the gifts you see other people have?

Might it be better to be thankful for the gifts they have and the gifts we have.  We aren’t all meant to have all the gifts.  We have different gifts and are called to work together, pooling our gifts to make our world be what God calls it to be.

For instance, I know I don’t have the gift of music.  I auditioned for the school choir in fifth grade and was rejected.  I took lessons for the organ, trombone, guitar, and drum.  It became evident that I was not gifted in any of them.  I wish I could sing well but I don’t.  That doesn’t stop me from singing.  I always try to sing along but I know there are people who are good at singing and playing instruments for us.

And I’m good at things they aren’t.  I’m standing here preaching before you.  I bet most of the choir won’t what to be in my shoes.  That’s ok.  They don’t have to.  

We each have different gifts.  We should be thankful for the gifts that we do have and also be thankful that we have others around us with the gifts that we don’t have.  Then, we work together as One Body in Christ.

It can be like the question is the cup half-full or half-empty.  Do we spend all our time thinking about what we do have or what we don’t have?

It might be easy to thankful for the person who does the job we don’t want to do but we can also be thankful for the people who do we would like to be able to but can’t.

So where do we get these gifts anyway?  We receive them from God for the Holy Spirit.  

We receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and are sealed with it at Confirmation.  For most of us who were baptized as babies, we don’t remember our baptism.  At our baptisms, our parents promised to raise us up to keep God’s commandments and they made our baptismal promises for us.

We are confirmed when we are a little older.  At Confirmation, we renew our baptismal promises for ourselves.

As such, Confirmation has been called a sacrament of maturity.  But some people have interpreted this to mean that Confirmation makes us an adult in the Church.

Confirmation does not make us an adult.  People as young as seven can be confirmed.  When we say that Confirmation is a sacrament of maturity, what we mean is that the person has become aware for themselves about the presence of God in their live.

With that in mind we have six people preparing for Confirmation in our parish.  They will be confirmed at St. Catherine’s on October 23rd.  This weekend they are making their enrollment to declare their commitment to preparing themselves for the sacrament and their parents commit themselves to help.  Then, we are asked as members of our community to support them with our prayers and words.

 

CMA Homily

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25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Wisdom 2:12, 17-20
James 3:16-4:3
Mark 9:30-37
September 23, 2012

The disciples of Jesus are discussing which of them is the greatest, not a good thing.  It’s pride and that would be a sin.  

Worse yet, they’re doing right after Jesus has been telling them about how he will be arrested and crucified but they haven’t understood.  They are concerned about themselves.  Jesus is concerned about everyone else.

We need to look beyond ourselves.  We need to look beyond the boundaries of our parish.  We need to remember that we are part of one Body of Christ.

With that in mind, it is time to begin our annual diocesan Catholic Ministries Appeal.  This is nothing new.  It’s been going on for thirty years but it’s important.  It isn’t just a matter of sending the diocese some money.  

It’s about who we are as Christians, one Body in Christ, called to proclaim the Gospel message and share God’s love.

We are called to be good stewards of our time, talent, and treasure.  The way we give of our time and talent is focused here in our county.  We give of our treasure right here too.

But we can also contribute beyond our parish.  There are many organizations that ask for contributions.  Why give to the diocese?

Some people might want to ask what does the diocese for us?

Well, first the diocese sent me here.  I hope you think that is something good!  They paid for my seminary education.  I think that is something great.  Locally, the CMA helps support our Catholic Charities office.  It provides some support to campus ministry at Cornell and Ithaca and Catholic Schools.  They provide administrative support which is especially helpful right now with both our Finance Director (Mark Jasinski) and me being new.

But we must also remember it isn’t about what we get out of the CMA.  The point is to help others.  The point is to make a difference.  That’s our theme this year – Making a Difference Every Day!

Here the video was shown in church – http://www.dor.org/index.cfm/stewardship/annual-appeal/

I’m sure you noticed the video ended with words by Bishop Clark whose retirement just became official.  While he is no longer our bishop, the diocese continues to minister and so the CMA continues.

Now, I would like to take a moment about what it will take for us to meet our CMA goal.  Last year, 343 households contributed $44,544 towards a goal just over $50,000.  This year’s goal is up for inflation and because we are doing better than some other parishes in attendance.  Our goal for this year is $52,225.

So we need to raise about $7,600 more than last year.  That might sound like a lot but I believe we can do it.  In the two previous parishes where I have worked on the CMA, we increased the contributions to the CMA by a third in one year.  That’s 33% and we only need 17%.

How do we do this?  The obvious answer is that we need to contribute more money.  I emphasis we because I will be making my own personal contribution soon.

Of course, I ask that people who contributed last year, pray about how much to contribute this year, hopefully increasing the amount.  But I know not everyone would be able to increase 17%.  Some won’t be able to increase at all.  Some might not be able to contribute at all.  I just ask that you do what you are called to in pray.

But there is another way to increase our contributions.  I said before that 343 households contributed last year.  That’s a participation rate of around 25%.  The diocesan average is 32%.  That would mean 73 more donors.  That’s a lot to ask.  But if you didn’t contribute last year, pray about it.  Please pray about it.  Every little bit helps.

Lastly, I want to be upfront.  In the coming months, the diocese will be asking for contributions towards our priest retirement fund and for the education of seminarians.  We will also be asking at some point for contributions towards some building repairs here in our parish.

For now, focus on the CMA.  Remember, if you are thinking of saving your money for later, if we don’t meet our CMA goal, the parish must make up the difference.  So pray about it and contribute according to your means.

Changing Bishops

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If you live in the Diocese of Rochester in New York State, you probably have heard that Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation for retirement of Bishop Matthew Clark and named Bishop Robert J. Cunningham of the Diocese of Syracuse as our Apostolic Administrator (click here to read more).

As Apostolic Administrator, Bishop Cunningham is not the bishop of Rochester but he is in charge of it and will remain so until our new bishop is named.  He also continues to be the Bishop of Syracuse.  So, he is running two dioceses and so we certainly offer prayers for guidance and strength for him.

There has been speculation by people for a while on who will be the next Bishop of Rochester (Bishop Clark turned 75 in July and thus required to submit his resignation for retirement).  I will not enter into any speculation here because I have no idea who the next bishop will be.  I don’t see any benefit in speculating.  Instead, I simply pray that all involved in the selection process be guided by the Holy Spirit so that the new bishop be the person God has called to be the bishop.  That is all I ask for in this matter.

I can tell you a little about the selection process.  Every few years and whenever a new list is needed, the bishops in a province are asked to submit names for consideration as bishop.  (A province is a geographic region lead by an Archbishop.  Our province happens to be the entire State of New York and is led by Cardinal Dolan.)

To be named bishop, the person must be already ordained a priest in the Roman Catholic Church.  Each bishop can ask priests, deacons, religious, or general parishioners to suggest priests to be considered but the process is entirely confidential.  Then each bishop complies a list of those he wishes to nominate and shares it with the other bishops in the province.  Then, the bishops of the province assemble one list of names that is sent to the Apostolic Nuncio in Washington, DC who is the Pope’s official representative in the United States.  The Nuncio then researches the nominated priests and sends all the information to Rome for a decision.  Ultimately, it is the Pope’s decision.

Currently, the average time for a new bishop to be named after a bishop submits his resignation is eight to fourteen months but there is not set amount of time.  The appointment could come soon or it could be a while.

Until the appointment is made, I am praying for all involved in the process and invite you to do the same.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

The Election

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If you watch the news at all, you are well aware that it is a presidential election year.  There will also be various other elections depending on where you live.  The issues remain the same ranging from abortion and euthanasia to war and the economy and religious liberty.

Some say that religion should stay out of politics.  There’s a problem with that because our faith should be a major part of our values.  Our values should be a major part in each of our decisions on who we vote for.  If you don’t vote based on your values, then what are you voting based on?

As a Church, we do not tell people who to vote for.  Each person must decide for themselves who to vote for.  However, as a Church, we do speak about the issues that are important to us.  We also speak about the importance of voting.  Yes, the Church encourages people to vote.  The government exists to serve the people.  Voting is one way in which we do our part to make sure our values are represented in the government.

I have written here before on these issues and there is material available on the USCCB website.  Here are some links to these materials:

To find out what elections are occurring in your area this year, I suggest you use your favorite search engine with the phrase “Board of Elections” and the name of your county/town in front of it.

It’s important.  Take the time to research the candidates and make prayer part of your election decision.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Whose Responsible For the Religious Education of Our Children?

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Here I share my homily from Sunday about how we learn about our faith.

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Isaiah 50:4-9a
James 2:14-18
Mark 8:27-35
September 16, 2012

Jesus asks his disciples “Who do people say that I am?”  Before this point, he has been doing miracles and preaching to people.  So, he asks this question to talk about where the people are at in understanding who he really is.

The answers are “John the Baptist, other Elijah, still others on the prophets.”  These answers indicate that the people are recognizing that Jesus has a great role to play but they haven’t fully grasped this. 

Then Jesus asks the disciples themselves “But who do you say that I am?”

The disciples have been accompanying Jesus, seeing his miracles, and hearing his preaching.  By this point, the Twelve Apostles had already been sent out on a mission preaching and healing.  So, they should understand all the more who Jesus is.

And they do.  Peter replies “You are the Christ.”  He understands Jesus is the Messiah.

Sounds great.  Peter has advanced in his learning.  Hopefully, we could all give the same answer.  We know Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ.  We have been taught this much.

Then we are told that Jesus began to teach them.  The content of his teaching here is his upcoming Passion.  While Peter has called Jesus the Christ, he can’t understand how the Messiah would be arrested and killed.  Let alone rise after three days.

It would seem totally unfavorably to Peter.

Of course, as Christians living after these events we know this to be true because it is what we have been taught.  But we might ask do we really understand what it means for us.  Do we put it into action in the way we live our lives?

Today is Catechetical Sunday.  The Catholic Church celebrates this day each September as we began a new school year.  The word “catechesis” is not a word we use in everyday English.  In simple terms, it is the religious education we provide.  

As such, we celebrate Catechetical Sunday to show the importance of our efforts to provide “religious education” and to honor those who do this, our school teachers, aides, and principal along with our parish youth and family ministers.  

But ‘catechesis’ is not simply education.  Pope Paul VI said the goal of catechesis is “to bring the power of gospel into the very heart of culture and cultures.”

So, catechesis includes also our RCIA program and it includes what I am doing right now, the homily where I seek to take the scriptures and help you see how they fit into our lives today.

So, the measure of good catechesis can be how well we live our faith?  Do we see our faith as relevant to our lives?  As James writes, we demonstrate our faith through our works.

Sometimes when we don’t live out our faith well, it is because we haven’t been taught well by others.  Sometimes, it is because we don’t make the effort ourselves to learn about our faith.  

The goal of catechesis is always a deeper relationship with Jesus.  Even as adults, we must still work on deepening our relationship with Jesus, applying our faith to what is going on in our lives.  Again, that is a central purpose of the homily.

But catechesis doesn’t begin as adults.  It doesn’t begin as teenagers.  It doesn’t begin in first grade religion classes.  As adults we learn best by application.  As children we learn lists of rules.  We learn in different ways at different times but often we learn the best when we learn by example.  

From the day a child is born, parents teach what their faith means to their children by example.  If the parents pray regularly with their child, the child will develop a sense that prayer is important.  If the parents bring the child to church each week, the child will learn that church is important.  

Near the beginning of our Rite of Baptism for Children, the parents are told it is their responsibility to train their child in the practice of the faith, their duty to bring them up to keep God’s Commandments.

It is the parents’ responsibility but you don’t have to do it alone.  Set the example in the way you live your lives but then fulfill your responsibility for their religious education by bringing them to our Catholic school or Family Based Religious education.  You don’t have to do it alone.

According to Canon Law, one of my primary responsibilities is to see to the religious formation of all parishioners.  You don’t have to do it all.  If you bring your child to us, we can play a vital role in their catechesis.  

Parents and the Church share a common goal, to help our children become all that God calls them to be.  Let us be partners working together for this.

Celebrating the Good Things in Life

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I have written here in recent months about how many funerals I do.  I see funerals as an opportunity to minister to the funeral, to let them know that we care and that God cares.  Being new in the parish, it is an opportunity for me to get to know the families a little and for them to see me.  It can also be a change to make those who don’t come to church feel welcomed so they might return.  However, regardless of these opportunities, funerals are generally a sad occasion because a loved one has died.

This week brought some opportunities to be part of happier moments in life.  Last Saturday, I met with four couples preparing for the baptism of their child for the required baptismal preparation session.  On Tuesday, I met individually with one of these couples who are among our newest parishioners who will have their child baptized sometime after their birth in November.  On Thursday, I met with a couple preparing for their wedding later this month.  Tomorrow (Sunday) at both the 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Mass, we will celebrate baptisms. 

These are the happier moments of life.  I am pleased that these people choose to make God part of their children’s life.  I am also pleased that the couple preparing for their wedding choose to do it in the Church, that God’s blessing be with them as they begin their married life together.

God wants to be part of every moment of our live, whether it be at birth with Baptism, the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we have sinned and seek his forgiveness, when we are ill and seek the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, when we marry in the Sacrament of Marriage, or in the everyday when we pray and celebrate the Eucharist, receiving the Body and Blood of Jesus.

God is with us always.  Let us be especially aware of his presence in the Sacraments which are his gift to us.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Why Do Catholic Parishes Have Catholic Schools?

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Last night we celebrated Mass for the beginning of the new school year followed by a dish-to-pass supper.  As the new pastor, it was my privilege to preside and preach at this Eucharist.  I would like to share my thoughts from the homily with you.  I hope these words speak to you of why any Catholic parish would have a parish school. 

We gather today to mark a new beginning, specifically the beginning of a new school year.  There are students here that are new, most especially the entire Pre-K3 group but they are not the only ones who are new.  For these students, everything about Immaculate is new.  

For the rest of the students who have been here before, most things might be the same but there are changes.  In addition to the new students there are new teachers & aides.  The returning students are in different classrooms and might have different schedules.

We also have new faces in the business office.  Lastly, we have a new pastor, namely me!

So, I’m sure that everyone here is experiencing something new.  For people like me who don’t like change, new things can be something of a challenge.

But I also think it can be a source of new hope.  Being an optimist, I like to see the changes as an opportunity for new hope, hope that Immaculate will become a better school because of these changes.

So, as we begin this new school year, we should think about what it means to be a Catholic School.  We send our children to school to learn math, science, writing, and history (among other subjects).  This is knowledge and is taught in any school. 

As a Catholic School, we do not limit ourselves to this academic subjects in the classroom.  We work to develop not just the information in our children’s brains but to develop them as whole “persons”, mind, body, and spirit. 

So we also teach faith and values.  What does it mean to be a good person.  We teach our students to help each other.  God calls us to care for each other.  I saw that in our school opening day.  When time came for Morning Prayer, I saw the older students go “the wrong way” to the gym.  I say the “wrong way” until I realized what they were doing.  They went to the younger students’ classroom and then walked with them to prayer, helping them.  When I came this morning for prayer, I saw them do the same thing.  Helping people is something we can do everyday.

At this point in the homily I asked the students who teaches us right and wrong, good and bad.  I thought they would say their parents and teachers but the first answer I got was Jesus.  Of course, ultimately this is the right answer.  Jesus teaches us through our teachers and parents but it is God who says what is right and wrong.

All of this is what makes us a Catholic school.  All of this is what we are about, making good people.  I believe we have something special here.  With hard work, I believe we can have the best school there is.

Hard work by who?
* Students – you need to do the work the teachers ask of you so you can learn and become better people.
* Teachers, Miss Oravec, Aides & other staff – I ask you to put forth the effort to treat our children as special and help them become great people* *Parents – parents are the primary educators, children learn best when their parents are involved.  Our school becomes better with your help
* Advisory Board
* And me!

Yes, I need to do some hard work.  I promise to do what I can to make this year a great year.  I ask that you do the same.

So, as we celebrate this Mass we pray for God’s blessing upon our school, our children, teachers, staff, principal, and parents to make this a great year.

Peace,

Fr. Jeff

Spiritual Hearing and Our Fears

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Here is my homily for this past week.  In the past I haven’t posted many of my homilies here because I think most people reading this blog probably heard the homily in church.  So, I would only post the homily here when there was a particular point I wanted to include on this blog.  Please let me know if you would like to see me regularly post my homilies here.

23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Isaiah 35:4-7a
James 2:1-5
Mark 7:31-37
September 9, 2012

Isaiah writes in a time when the northern kingdom has fallen to the enemies and the Israelites in the southern kingdom fear the same may happen to them.

Isaiah is given a message by God to assure the Israelites that God is with them, that they do not need to be afraid.  They have a hard time believing that.  

Fear is a powerful thing.  Fear can blind us from seeing what is really happening.  In fear, we may not hear everything.  We might only hear what confirms our fears.  In our fears, it can be very difficult to hear the assurances that God offers us.

Many of the Israelites lived in a common fear that their enemy would be victorious over them.  And that fear was a real fear had it not been for the assurances that God offered them.

Some fears are very justified and can be a common fear for a united people.  Some fears really aren’t that bad.  What is fearful for one person might seem easy for another.

What do you fear?

Some fear war (very understandable).  Some, especially now, live in fear of losing their job.  For some, disease like cancer is a very real fear.  For some, their greatest fear is being left alone.

One of the things that I used to see as a fear was “public speaking.”  Obviously, this became an issue when I began to feel a call to the priesthood.  Through prayer and reflection I came to realize that I wasn’t really afraid  of public speaking.  I didn’t doubt my ability to do it when needed.  As an introvert, I just didn’t want to do it.  Now, I have gotten used to it and I don’t even think about it much.

Another fear for me has been the fear of the unknown.  With that I tend not to like big changes.  But for the last 12 years my life has had a lot of change in it.  Quitting my job, moving around – you know in the last 12 years, I have not had the same mailing address for more than 3 years.

But I have come to realize that God has been with me in the midst of all the changes.  None of the changes caused me major problems.  Through all of it Jesus walked with me.

So I have learned to approach change differently.  Instead of worrying so much about the logistics of the change, I try to make my primary concern be to ask if the change is God’s Will.  If it is that I know God will help.

It’s not that I still don’t think about the details of the change.  We have to but I don’t let my fear of the change blind me.  I don’t let the fear cover my ears so that I can’t hear the Lord.

The people bring to Jesus a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment.  The deaf man could not hear what people were physically saying to him.  He couldn’t hear them tell him they love him.  He couldn’t hear them warn him about something.  Hearing is a difficult thing to lose.  It can be overcome with God’s help.  We can learn other ways to communicate but it is a challenge.

The man in the gospel had a physical hearing problem but we can also speak of a spiritually hearing loss.  I already mentioned how our fears can keep us from hearing God.

To heal the deaf man, Jesus does something very unusual.  He points his finger in the man’s ear and touches his tongue and declares “Ephphata!”

A very strange sight but at the words and actions of Jesus the man is healed.

One of the very last things that can be done at a baptism of a child is the Ephphata Rite.  The priest or deacon touches the child’s ears as he says “The Lord Jesus made the deaf hear and the dumb speak.  May he soon touch your ears to receive his word,” and then touching the lips “and your mouth to proclaim his faith, to the praise and glory of God the Father.”

We need to hear God’s Word but our fears can make that very difficult.  God’s Word offers assurances of his love and grace, of his presence among us.

Fears can keep us from God’s grace.  That’s why we must make a leap of faith to turn our fears over to the Lord.  When we open ourselves to God’s grace, he helps know when our fears are not real and when they are real, God gives us the grace to manage our fears.  It’s not that whatever causes our fears stops but we see it in new light, see it as God sees it.

Only when we strive to hand our fears over to God, can we hear him over the fears.  Then we follow him and proclaim what we have received in his Word to others with our lips.

Church Teaching, Social Justice and Labor Day

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This weekend I spoke from the readings about Church Teaching, particularly Catholic Social Teaching and Labor Day.  Here is my homily.  I hope it leads you to reflect on the Labor Day Holiday and how God is calling you to live.

22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-8
James 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
September 2, 2012

Some of the Pharisees and the scribes gather around Jesus.  As they do they note that his disciples do not following the proper rituals for the washing of the hands and purification of things.  So, they ask Jesus about it.

Jesus, in effect, criticizes them for their criticism.  He does not say that these rituals are not good practices.  Washing our hands before we eat is a good thing.  However, that they have put the focus in the wrong place.  They focus on these external actions when what we really need to focus on is what is going on inside us, what is going on in our hearts.

This reminds me of the saying ‘you can’t see the forest through the trees.’  These Pharisees and Scribes keep the ritual details but miss the fact that Jesus is the Messiah.  

Even with the details, we need to remember that the purpose of the details is what we are really concerned about – living our faith in God.

The problem of details is not new to Jesus’ time.  In Deuteronomy Moses says “In your observance of the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin upon you, you shall not add to what I command you or subtract from it.”

This is a place where some criticize the Catholic Church.  Some think that the Catholic Church has added a lot of teaching to what Jesus has instructed.  

The Catholic Church does have a lot of teaching.  In addition to the Bible (which we do believe is important – that’s why we read three readings and a psalm each Sunday), we have the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, and all kinds of Church Documents written over the 2,000 years that the Church has existed.

I spent four years in major seminary and two years preparing before that preparing and feel I just know the tip of the iceberg.  It is without a doubt that the Church has a lot to offer in its teaching.

But it is not the Church’s intention to add to the teaching of Jesus.  Jesus is the Son of God and taught what it means to be a disciple.

What the Church seeks to do is not add to Jesus’ teaching but rather to help us discern how to apply them to our world today.  Good, bad, or indifferent, the world is not the same as it was when Jesus walked among the people as a human being.

Jesus taught according to where the people were at that time.  Things like science and medicine have undergone tremendous change since then and so the Holy Spirit works through the Church to guide us.

One of the areas that some people see as new in the Church is the Social Teaching of the Church.  In the last 120 years, around a dozen Church documents have been issued on social teaching.

Before 1891, the church had never written an official document on social teaching.  The first document was Rerum Novarum.  So people say it is new.  But if you read your Bible, in Matthew 25 verses 31-46, Jesus tells us to feed the hungry and to care for the sick.  It is not new.

Then why didn’t the Church write on social issues before?  In the 19th century the world went through the Industrial Revolution which drastically changed the way business ownership and the workforce worked.  Tied to the Industrial Revolution was also urbanization which changed the way people lived and related to one another.

This created a need for the Church to speak out on the social issues.  One of the major areas covered in some of these social writings is the relation between labor and management/ownership.  

In 1931, Pope Pius XI’s encyclical “On Reconstructing the Social Order” spoke of the need for a just wage.  More recently, in 1981, Pope John Paul II, wrote “On Human Work” addressing the dignity of work, the worker, and the rights of labor.

On Monday we celebrate Labor Day.  We shouldn’t just see it as a day to take off from work but to reflect on what it means to work.  

There is a tendency by some to see work as something we do just to make money and then use that money to do what we really want.

But it is work that we can use the gifts we have been given and contribute to making the world a better place.  Then, we can truly see the value of work and appreciate what workers do for us.

Jesus calls us to love another and treat all with dignity.  That’s what church teaching helps us to understand.

For Further Reading

A List of Catholic Social Teaching Documents

Articles from my website on Catholic Social Teaching

 

Homilies on the Bread of Life Discourse #5 of 5

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21st Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year B
Joshua 24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Ephesians 5:21-32
John 6:60-69
August 26, 2012

During the past four weeks, we have heard that Jesus fed 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish.  He has spoken of himself both as “The Bread of Life” and “The Bread that came down from Heaven.”  He has told the people that if they eat of the bread of which he speaks, they will not die.  

The people (understandably) were having a hard time with this.  Then, last week, we heard Jesus tell the people that they must “eat his flesh” and “drink his blood.”  To this, we hear the disciples reply this week, “This saying is hard, who can accept it?”  

To eat his flesh and drink his blood is indeed a hard saying to accept.  In human terms, it seems awful.  

Perhaps, though, with their response of “this saying is hard” they were hoping that Jesus would explain what he really meant when he said these or that he “might soften the blow”.

He did not.  Instead he asked if they were shocked.  Then he adds what would they think if they were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he came from.

Of course, this is a reference to his coming Ascension and Resurrection and the ‘where he came from’ points to him saying that he is the bread that came down from heaven.  

So, in a way, he just makes even more difficult for them to understand and accept. 

How hard is it for us to accept this message?

Do we believe that Jesus feed 5,000 people with just five barley loaves and two fish?

Do we believe that Jesus is the Bread of Life?

Do we believe that Jesus is the bread that came down from Heaven?

To add more:

Do we believe that Jesus was willingly crucified for us so our sins could be forgiven?

Do we believe in the Resurrection?

It’s a lot to believe in right?  And none of it can be proven & explained in human terms.  History might document the feeding of 5,000 and that a man named Jesus was crucified but human history does not explain it but in faith we believe.

Do we question?  Is it wrong to question?  Is it a sin to doubt?

At the end of this, many of the disciples “returned to their former way of life” because they could not understand.  When they left, Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked them “Do you also want to leave?”

Simon Peter responds “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life?”

Peter does not say that they understand everything.  He does not say they find what Jesus said easy to believe.  He does not say their faith is perfect.  

But because they believe, Peter knows that they believe in Jesus, that he has the words of eternal life.  Where else would they possibly want to go?

In the first reading from the Book of Joshua, the people renew their commitment to the Lord, the same commitment they had already made through Moses at Mount Sinai.  But they had doubted and so renew their commitment through Joshua.  They will doubt and fail again.  That’s why Jesus came!

At the Annunciation, even Mary did not understand how she could be pregnant but when told it was by God’s power, she believed.

My understanding is not perfect.  I cannot explain everything that we profess in our faith.  But I can and do believe.

I might ask if you understand all that happens with Jesus but I will not.  But I do encourage you to ask yourselves do you believe in Jesus?      You’re here aren’t you?

May we all think like Peter and say “Master, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life?  We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy One of God.”