Homilies

 

Having been a pastor here for 15 years, I have seen people leave for any number of reasons and while that concerns me, it doesn’t surprise me. Some may leave even now because of the latest clergy scandal. Before they do, they may want to consider this advice from AB Fulton Sheen, “Judge the Catholic Church not by those who barely live the spirit, but by the example of those who live closest to it.”

As we heard, many disciples took issue with what Jesus said in last Sunday’s gospel, “Unless you eat the flesh of the son of man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.” That notion was so repulsive that they grumbled, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” In turn Jesus asked, “Does this shock you?” He then foretells his ascension, noting that despite all he has said and done, “There are some of you who do not believe.” Consequently, many of his disciples left. Jesus then asked the twelve, “Do you want to leave?” Peter answered, “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.”

Like Peter and the apostles, we often find ourselves at cross roads, pondering which fork in the road to take. Sometimes we look back on the choices we have made, be it the person we married, the career we pursued, the place we call home or the faith that we profess and wonder if we made the right choice. In moments like that, the words of Robert Frost come to mind. “Two roads diverged in a wood, and I, I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference.”

Forty years ago when I heard that a deaf priest was ordained in Maryland, I was prompted to reconsider the notion of becoming a priest. A decade earlier I was turned down because back then the Church didn’t ordain men with a profound hearing loss or any other severe limitation. In the years that followed, I had several close relationships in college and graduate school but they all ended before marriage was seriously considered. One evening when I was 29, my mother asked me if I was ever going to settle down and get married. Imagine her surprise when I replied that I was planning to enter the seminary.

More than once while in the seminary, I wondered about taking this “road less traveled by.” After all, most young adults get married, hoping they have found the person who will be their life long companion. I often wrestled with the question of celibacy and what the Church was asking of me. When I was ordained, Archbishop Hunthausen asked me, “Are you resolved to remain celibate for the sake of the kingdom and in lifelong service to God and mankind?” I replied, “I am.” Despite the many times the devil has tempted me since, by the grace of God, I have honored my promise to remain celibate and chaste.

I had little idea what was in store for me that day, just as few married couples have any notion of what was in store for them when they exchanged vows on their wedding day. I imagine that most priests and married couples would agree that traveling down the road they chose has made all the difference in their lives.

Every journey begins with that first step. When Joshua gathered the tribes of Israel, he challenged them, “If it does not please you to serve the Lord, decide today whom you will serve. As for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” That is a choice we make daily. Whom will we serve? Who is the god we serve?

For some, it is money, for others, it is power. In other words, ultimately the god they serve is themselves. Focused on their wants, they often care little about others. That attitude was so commonplace that Paul was prompted to speak his mind and share his thoughts on marriage. Some wives take offense to his opening remarks, tuning out the rest of this passage. Do they realize that Paul is telling both spouses to be subordinate to one another?

Approaching marriage by placing the needs of one’s spouse ahead of his or her own is fundamental to the vitality of any marriage. The husband or wife who dominates the other is abusing that person and likely got married with the mindset, “What’s in it for me?” rather than “How can I serve the love of my life, whom I chose to journey down this road with?”

Every couple should remind themselves often of the vows that they took, just as every priest and deacon needs to remind himself of the vows they took at their ordination so that, as today’s collect said, “amid the uncertainties of this world, our hearts may be fixed on that place where true gladness is found.” Sadly that is not everyone’s prayer.

Sexual abuse of a minor, rather it is done by someone who is ordained or not, is evidence that not every person has their heart fixed on where true gladness can be found. The scandal of some bishops, by not appropriately dealing with the misconduct of their clergy, thus failing to be subordinate to their flock, is a tragic testimony that they too aren’t really tasting and seeing the goodness of the Lord. It seems that both are focused on serving themselves, not God.

So who is the god we serve? I hope that your presence here suggests that the god whom you choose to serve is not yourself, but Jesus, the Holy one of God.

Jesus said to the crowds, “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.” As we heard, the Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” Many people have wondered that ever since. Jesus’ words make no sense to the casual bystander. They won’t for us either unless we thoughtfully chew on them.

How can he give us his flesh to eat? Some of you may be wondering that even now. Perhaps you see the bread and wine as only symbolizing the body and blood of Jesus like many Protestants do, but for us Catholics, they are not symbols. What was bread and wine before Mass began becomes the real presence, truly the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. He is what nourishes and sustains our faith. “Unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you.”

But that is still bread and wine you may be thinking. True, what you see at communion look and taste like bread and wine, just as they would back in the sacristy, but their substances through the intercession of the Holy Spirit have been changed.

If you are among those who see the bread and wine as only being symbols, I urge you to heed Paul’s advice and try to understand the will of the Lord. Recall what Jesus told his disciples at the Last Supper. You hear those words every time the Mass is celebrated. Jesus didn’t tell the apostles that the bread would symbolize his body or that the wine would symbolize his blood. Instead he told them to eat his body and drink his blood in remembrance of him.

But you protest, how can that happen? Think back to the opening lines of the book of Genesis. Out of nothing God created all that exists from the most remote stars to the flowers of the field, from the orcas in the sound to the eagles in the sky, from every unborn fetus to the countless bugs that surround us. Who are we to limit what God can do?

Like many Catholics I believe that bread and wine when consecrated at Mass become for us the person of Jesus Christ himself. Recognizing Jesus in the breaking of the bread, I have life because I choose to feed on him.

If we spent time praying and contemplating the gift our Lord is offering us in this sacrament, we would be awestruck, not complacent. Jesus is giving us himself, lock, stock and barrel. Not a thin host or a sip of wine, but himself. He is literally giving us everything he has to offer, his very body, blood, soul, and divinity. Not even the greatest theological scholar or the holiest of saints can fully understand this mystery we are blessed to celebrate, nor will we.

The first reading encourages us, “Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding.” What timely advice! Do not be foolishly misled by whatever public sentiment you have heard that seeks to destroy the beauty of our faith. The devil is doing its best to destroy our love for the Eucharist, with scandals that dishearten us. To abandon this awesome sacrament because of what a handful of awful priests and bishops have wrongfully done in the past is to foolishly surrender our chance to live eternally.

In the second reading, St. Paul cautions, ”Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity because the days are evil.” Yes, the days are evil. They have always been evil for the devil is constantly working at ways to distance us from Jesus Christ. Once again, we have been broadsided by the criminal misconduct of priests who failed to honor their obligation to live celibate lives and harmed many people in doing so.

Not only am I angry, sad and ashamed by their deplorable conduct, I ache for the many who have abandoned this sacrament as a consequence of what was done to them or to their loved ones. The devil has succeeded in driving a wedge between them and the Eucharist.

“Taste and see the goodness of the Lord,” we sang moments ago. However you feel about the sins of others, do not let their errant ways provoke you to boycott this meal. Instead, be mindful that this sacrament, when partaken in a state free of grave sin, provides us with the grace we need to resist the devil and his temptations in our lives.

Alas, many fellow Catholics have quit attending Mass for any number of reasons, and more might do so because of this scandal yet I wonder what Holy Communion meant for them before they did. What does it mean for you? The saints leave no doubt what the Eucharist meant for them. St. Augustine marveled at this gift. He said, “Although God is all powerful, he is unable to give us more; though supremely wise, he knows not how to give more; though vastly rich, he has no more to give.”

Today we join countless Christians around the world to receive the Eucharist just as many have done for centuries. We don’t need to be saints to receive the gift of Jesus himself nor does a priest need to be saintly in order to celebrate Mass but we do so with gratitude. After all, the alternate name for this sacrament is Eucharist, which is Greek for thanksgiving. Thanks be to God for the freedom and the opportunity to celebrate Mass and receive his son.

Paul begins his letter with a plea that should touch our inner being. “I urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace.”

Two men come to mind as I ponder his plea. Fifty-five years ago, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. stood on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and declared, “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last.” Yet, he knew that we were not yet free for he had just noted, “the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination.”

Dr. King fed the hunger of his people for justice. His journey began innocently enough as pastor of Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama. Life was routine until Dec. 1, 1955, when Rosa Park refused to move to the back of the bus. That event changed Dr. King’s life and the history of our country. He saw the injustice that had been perpetrated for too long and decided to meet that injustice head on.

He realized that many still hungered for the human rights promised by our fore fathers. The words he spoke that day are still relevant today. “Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy; now is the time to lift our nation from the quick sands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood; now is the time to make justice a reality for all God’s children.” Quietly and eloquently Dr. King led the campaign that aimed to give Black Americans the respect they deserve as children of God until his untimely death.

The year before Dr. King shared his dream, the president of Carroll College in Helena, Montana was appointed at the young age of 41 as bishop of Helena by Pope John XXIII. Little did Raymond “Dutch” Hunthausen know what was in store for him. He passed away last week at the age of 96, the last living American bishop to have attended all four sessions of Vatican II, an experience that profoundly impacted him. A decade after the council ended, Hunthausen became the second archbishop of Seattle, serving our diocese until his retirement in 1991.

During his tenure, he became an outspoken proponent of peace and justice. The placement of Trident Submarines at Bangor prompted him to confront the morality of nuclear arms by withholding half of his income tax that year.

Respected as an outspoken advocate for the poor and the marginalized, Archbishop Hunthausen was also a great advocate for women and their role in the Church and in society. Many would agree that he formed the conscience of a generation of Catholics in Western Washington. Despite how he was treated by the Vatican and his critics locally, Archbishop Hunthausen saw injustice in our land and met it head on. Both he and Dr. King fed the hunger of many for the justice they deserved and yearned for.

Today’s readings describe how God feeds the hunger of his people; first, through the prophet Elisha. While the food presented by the prophet seemed insufficient to feed the crowd, through God’s power the prophet provided not only what was needed but even a surplus. Miraculously, God satisfied their hunger. Jesus did much the same in today’s gospel, multiplying the few loaves and fish to satisfy the bodily needs of the large crowd. In doing so, Jesus teaches them that God will provide in abundance.

God will provide for our hungers as well but first we must ask ourselves, “What is our true hunger?” Certainly the world hungers for food, with many who are literally starving but there are other forms of hunger as well, especially the hunger for peace. Daily world events show the great need for God’s comforting words of peace from the ruins of Syria to the hill country of Afghanistan.

Many hunger also for love, judging by the ongoing tragedy of spousal abuse and broken families. And many hunger for justice, decency and respect. Yes, the world’s peoples and nations cry out for justice. Racial tensions and violence are a constant threat to civil tranquility, here and abroad. Religious injustice exists where there is little tolerance for those of differing faiths. Even here, in the name of religious freedom, we have lost our freedom to freely express our faith at times. Political injustice is still rampant, found in societies victimized by dictatorships and police states.

God’s universal goodness is also the message of today’s psalm. We, and all living creatures, are fed by God’s hand. Jesus is the answer to all the hungers of our world, but as St. Teresa of Avila has written, we are the hands, the feet, and the eyes of the Lord in our world. Thus, it is through our efforts that the hungry must be fed. It is through our effort that the world can know peace when we let go of our biases, which prevent us from respecting others despite our differences. Justice and a spirit of love are brought to the world through our service and example. Our efforts to bear with one another are the efforts of God, working through us.

Through the Eucharist, alluded to in today’s gospel, Jesus provides us with the bread of life, that is, he gives us himself to sustain us in our daily efforts to heed Paul’s plea. Our prayer as stated so well by Amnesty International should be this, “Give bread to the hungry, Lord, and to those who have bread, a hunger for justice.”

We interrupt the cycle of ordinary time this weekend with a feast that celebrates the birth of John the Baptist, one of only three births commemorated by the Church; the other two being the births of Jesus and his mother, Mary. The Church does so for good reason for John’s birth marks the dawning of a new era, God’s salvation. Even before he was born, John leaped for joy knowing that he was in the presence of Jesus, whom he would herald as the savior of Israel.

We think of John the Baptist as the last of many biblical prophets before Jesus arrived on the scene. We tend to think of prophets as people who predict the future, but the prophets, like John, whom we encounter in scripture, were sent to proclaim God’s truth often times to reluctant listeners.

As a prophet, John heralded a baptism of repentance, challenging the moral laxity of his times. The people then knew that they needed to repent: to change their hearts, to change their lives, to change their attitudes. They knew that they had fallen short of living up to God’s expectations of them. Many came from near and far to be baptized by John. But not everyone chose to repent. Recall that John ended up being imprisoned and eventually beheaded for publicly confronting King Herod for his sexual misdeeds.

Truth is not necessarily something that we want to hear either and yet if we truly want to experience the salvation that Jesus comes to offer, God’s truth cannot be ignored.

By virtue of our baptism, we are also called to be prophets. We are called to be a voice proclaiming the presence of the Lord and his truth in our midst, just as John did in his day. Do our values, conduct, and principles reflect that? Alas, we live in a world where few see little need to be saved. We live in a materialistic society that is convinced that happiness can be purchased. We live in a society that feels if an act is legal than it isn’t wrong. We live in a society where many try to find happiness through a myriad of addictions, ranging from alcohol to opioids, from marijuana to pornography, from masturbation to gambling.

God sends prophets to convince people that happiness cannot be purchased nor found in the midst of addictions. Happiness is God’s gift to those who heed his truth, which includes recognizing our need to repent. While we often ask for the Lord’s mercy, do you honestly feel the need to be forgiven for what you have done or failed to do? When was the last time you repented by going to confession?

Many people are duped into thinking that what they do isn’t sinful. They don’t realize that Satan has brainwashed us into thinking that our misdeeds aren’t sinful. At Priest Days last week, we listened to several speakers address the issue of restoring relationships. They woke us up to the inherent dangers of addictions like pornography and masturbation, which are usually ignored or downplayed.

Pornography and its cousin, masturbation, can affect the mind, like alcohol or drugs, releasing chemicals that weaken or overpower the will. These things not only destroy the addict but also damage relationships and the people in their lives. The devil uses these addictions to take control of people’s lives, fooling them into seeing them as sources of happiness when in fact they are sources of misery and pain. Before a person falls into immoral behavior, the devil says, “It’s no big deal. After all, everyone does it.” I know because I have heard that tune more than once myself and regret that I was duped into sin. When that temptation arises, your best response is to tell the devil, “Go to hell.”

Then remind yourself that by virtue of your baptism, you belong to God, who unconditionally loves you, and created you, and redeemed you at a great price, the blood of his son, Jesus. The battle to resist the devil is not yours to fight alone for God offers you assistance to do so. John the Baptist always pointed to Jesus and so should we.

As prophets, we should challenge those who dismiss God’s divine truth as being irrelevant. Immoral choices, long considered acceptable by our culture, can lead to deep problems, not just spiritually, but also emotionally and physically. Our world can be saved when it begins to accept the divine truth and let go of the many ways the devil has brainwashed us into seeking happiness elsewhere at the expense of our health, our well being, and our relationships.

Today we honor a man who was a son of the desert, a devotee of silence, solitude and serious communication with God. In our modern noise-filled environment where the tools of instant communication fill our lives with no respite, John calls us to stop, pause and devote serious time daily to silence, prayer, and communion with God.

In a culture of materialism and indulgence, John is calling us to sobriety and simplicity of lifestyle. He is telling us not to smother the longing for God in a flurry of immediate pleasures. In a time when relativism is often seen as the only truth, John calls us to be bold prophets of God’s truth. Just as he confronted Herod because of his immoral deeds, he calls us to allow our faith and God’s will to direct our decisions and attitudes, warning us against the tendency to “go along to get along” and not be duped by the evil one.

Twenty centuries later, this prophet still says to us, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.

 

How many people does it take to make a difference? One. One song can spark a moment. One tree can start a forest. One bird can herald spring. One smile can bring a friendship. One star can guide a ship at sea. One vote can change a nation. One candle wipes out darkness. One step begins each journey. One touch shows that you care. One voice can speak with wisdom. One life can make a difference.

Just as the greatest trees in any forest begin as a seed, the greatest movements in history have often grown out of small beginnings and often those who began such movements did not live to see the outcome of their work. Louis Braille, for example, did not live to see his “alphabet” become widely used by the blind; Vincent Van Gogh did not live to see his art impact the beauty of our world. Susan B. Anthony died when her movement for women’s rights was still a tiny and insignificant seed. Martin Luther King died before the civil rights movement had taken root in our country. Oscar Romero died when his movement for justice in El Salvador was still a tiny seed waiting to take root.

No seed is so tiny that God cannot make a tree out of it. So if we think anything we can do is too insignificant to change people’s attitudes, then we have not understood the practical message of today’s scripture readings.

If we think that anything we can do is too insignificant to save the life of an unborn child or someone contemplating suicide, we have yet to understand the true meaning of the kingdom of God.

If we think that anything we can do is too insignificant to bring someone closer to God, then we have not understood the practical message of today’s readings.

If we think that anything we can do is too insignificant to spread God’s kingdom on earth, we have not grasped what being a disciple of Jesus is all about.

If we think that anything we can do is too insignificant to make a difference in someone’s life, we are ignoring our mission, which is to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.

I doubt that I would be standing here today if some people in my past, including my father, had not impressed me with their example and their conviction. Nor would I be here if I did not believe that I could do the same for others.

Paul raises the point that the lives of all of us are to be revealed before the tribunal of Christ so that each of us may receive recompense for what has been done in the body, whether good or evil. What we do largely depends on the degree of our self-love. Unless we love ourselves, just as God does, we cannot love others. However do not confuse self-love with self-centeredness or self-esteem.

Self-centeredness is the sin of selfishness. Self-esteem is the preoccupation of feeling good about one’s self before being able to love others. Self-love, on the other hand, is regarding ourselves as being important and valued by God.

And we are important. Everyone in this gathering is important in God’s plan for making his kingdom evident. “To what shall we compare the kingdom of God?” Jesus asked. The kingdom he speaks of is not rooted in geographical or political reality, but rather in human hearts. Using the parable of the Mustard Seed, he makes the point that the kingdom of God will flourish and grow even though its beginnings seem very small and insignificant. From small acts of kindness arise the great success of the kingdom of God.
While the gospel today has nothing to do with Father’s Day, in a way there is a link. Jesus speaks of the sower as a man of great patience, who had great faith in growth. The harvest would take place if you waited long enough and believed strongly enough. Most dads, like the sower, learn to trust, not just in human efforts but also in God’s good providence. And some, like Thomas More, went on to become saints.

The kingdom of God is our endeavor to bring about the presence of God in the world around us. As the image of any plant suggests, that happens quietly, gradually, and gracefully. As Jesus observes, from the seed emerges the ripe produce in due time.

So think of something small and relevant, like yielding to a car trying to merge onto the freeway, passing a bottle of water to a panhandler on a hot summer day, making a donation to our 3 P’s program to help Good Cheer feed the hungry in our midst, welcoming a visitor or new comer and inviting them to stay for a visit, or writing that long overdue letter to a relative or friend. Your small gesture could certainly make a difference in that person’s day.

Consider the many tall cedar trees here on Whidbey Island. I was told that their seeds are smaller than the proverbial mustard seed. Yet God’s power enables those seeds to become majestic trees. Likewise, God’s power did the same for many ordinary people in the past whose ideas left a big impression on our world. God can empower us to the same, each in our own way to build his kingdom in our midst.

One poet summarized today’s message with four brief lines: Where will tomorrow’s trees come from? / From the shoots we plant today. / Where will tomorrow’s justice and peace get their start? / From the seeds we sow with our hearts.