September 21, 2008
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, September 21st, 2008
“Feeling a little underwhelmed? Ho-hum campaign leaves voters bored, apathetic.” So writes Andrew Mayeda in Wednesday’s Citizen (Sept 17th). “Canadian Politics: Too Sober, No Colour, Zero Sex.” So writes Barbara Yaffe. And “No One to Vote for” laments Margaret Somerville. Is it just me or are we in the grips of one of the dullest election campaigns in Canadian history? What does this say about Canadians? What does this say about . . . the state of our souls?
It used to be, when Canadians traveled, that we could be proud because of our reputation of being so nice; now it’s embarrassing because we are so boring. You meet someone and he says (eastern European/Polish/Russian accent):
“Ah! American! Who do you like better, Barack Obama or Sara Palin?”
“Actually, I’m Canadian, and we have the choice between Stephen Harper or Stephane Dion.” “Oh . . . so who do you like better . . . Barack Obama or Sara Palin?”
The pollster Frank Graves put it this way: “this is an issueless, sterile, tedious, visionless election . . . it’s about politics at the worst level: who has the nicest family and the cutest dog? There is absolutely nothing of significance being discussed” (Ottawa Citizen, Sept. 13, 2008).
There are some concerns in this election, such as the economy and the environment, but there does not seem to be any intense debate about issues that really matter . . . such as life and death. Afghanistan is a matter of life and death, both for Canadian soldiers and the local people, but we are not debating our role there. If we are engaged in a just war, then should we not persevere as long as it takes to help establish peace in that country? No debate. Everyone agrees: leave by 2011.
Abortion is also a matter of life and death, but apparently it’s not an issue that we are permitted to discuss. Consider bill C-484, that would have made it a double murder to kill a pregnant woman. Even though most Canadians are in favour of this bill, no political leader had the courage to stand up for it, and the government undermined this bill by planning to replace it with legislation to make pregnancy an “aggravating” factor in sentencing in a murder case.
Bishop James Wingle of St. Catharines commented that “the reigning wisdom is if a party opens or reopens the issue of abortion, they think it will disrupt their electoral hopes . . . That’s a very sad state of affairs.” He continues, “We seem to have such immense difficulty to find a public voice to speak cogently, eloquently and coherently about matters of ultimate value” (Catholic Register, September 14th, 2008). It’s un-Canadian to discuss matters of ultimate value, so we end up considering who has the nicest family and the cutest dog. Boring.
I don’t think we should blame our leaders; I think we should look at ourselves. If you read the Old Testament, it appears that God always gave the people the king they deserved. The people sinned, and were oppressed by a bad king. The qualities of the king reflected the qualities of the people. I think we can apply the same rule to Canadian politics. Boring election campaign? Boring leaders? What does it mean? Look in the mirror – we are boring! Because in our own lives we don’t want to look at issues that really matter, such as life and death.
We are like the workers in the vineyard who grumbled against the landowner. We are so sadly preoccupied with money and material things, that instead of being grateful to God for the gifts of life, employment, shelter and food, while people in places like Afghanistan have nothing, we grumble because “he” or “she” works less, or seems to have an easier life. Instead of thanking God for loving us more than we love ourselves, we look at others with envy. Instead of living for Christ (like St. Paul who said “living is Christ), we live for what? “The usual daily wage” (Mt 20:9). Instead of living as sons and daughters of God with our eyes lifted up to the mountains, while facing issues of life and death, we stay home, our eyes glued to the TV . . . we become boring – boring to ourselves and boring to others, creating a sterile, tedious culture with issueless and visionless elections.
Are you a boring Canadian? (Oh, no Father! I’m Dutch, I’m French, I’m Irish, I’m Scottish!). Maybe you think you’re so great, when really, you bore other people to death. What can you do? It’s simple. Be the person God created you to be. You are naturally a fantastic and fascinating person because you are created in the image of God! God does not make mistakes; he only creates beauty! But when you tarnish and debase your soul by living only for material things, worldly success and creature comforts, you make yourself dull and boring.
Instead, begin to grapple with issues of life and death, sin and redemption; learn to pray, really pray and enter into the depths of your soul and let it shine out in your words and actions. Be that naturally fantastic and fascinating person God created you to be. Or . . . be boring. It’s up to you.
Let’s also learn a lesson from St. Paul, in this year of St. Paul. The second reading is taken from Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It has been called the “letter of joy” for he writes, “rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4). Any guess from where Paul wrote these lines? Was he like an owner of a vineyard, sitting in the shade of his veranda, gazing out on the vineyards and the labourers sweating, bearing “the burden of the day and the scorching heat” while he sips his wine and says, “rejoice in the Lord” ?
No. St. Paul was in prison when he wrote these lines, most likely in Rome in the years 60-62 A.D. Even while in prison, St. Paul was not bored or depressed; even there he rejoiced in the Lord, because he had learned to pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17), to be content living in abundance or being in need (Phil 4:12), and in the depths of his human weakness, to find the strength of God (2 Cor 12:10); in all things he gave thanks to God (1 Thess 5:18) and rejoiced because he knew the Lord was always with him (“for to me, living is Christ” (Phil 1:21).
Did the workers from the parable in today’s Gospel realize that they were working for God, the ultimate “landowner” of the vineyard? It depends on the person. Some of the workers from the parable were bored, as they spent most of the day “standing idle in the marketplace” (Mt 20:3); some complained, but I’m sure others rejoiced in the Lord and prayed as they worked. Which type are you? Do you realize that you are ultimately working for God, whether at home raising a family or in a job downtown to support your family? Working for God is never boring. And on tough days, when we have to bear the burden of the day and the scorching heat, let us remember to pray as we work and offer everything to God. The sour grapes of a bad day, when given to God, can be turned into sweet wine, an acceptable sacrifice, offered to God in the Mass. And in return for every ounce of our sweat and tears, God gives us his own Body and Blood.
On one of the agri-tour weekends recently, my Mother and sister and I visited a vineyard – Domaine du Cervin near Morewood (last year we had visited Domaine Perrault in Navan). I was sampling the wine and chatting with the owner, Samuel, who is a devout evangelical Christian. We were drinking wine and talking about Jesus, like we do at Mass, except the order is reversed – at Mass, first we talk about Jesus, then we drink the wine that is his Blood!
Wine does tend to make people more interesting, don’t you find? Perhaps boring Canadians need to drink more wine. (Please don’t misunderstand me. I know that alcoholism is a serious problem for some people. I mention wine only to highlight the great gift and miracle of the wine that Christ gives us – the wine that has become his Blood).
Maybe we need to put some more wine in the chalices at Mass, so that people can do more than sip two little drops; they can fill their veins with the Blood of Christ, so that Christ’s own life and joy will be in them. The sacristans used to put in only this much (show carafe) because the Eucharistic ministers were afraid that they might get drunk if they had to drink too much leftover precious Blood. But if you are pulled over, just explain, “Officer, I’m a Eu-cha-ris-tic minister.” “You’re a what? You’re under arrest! . . . Please step out of the car, and put your hands on the roof!” But I don’t mind drinking the extra Precious Blood because I can walk home after Mass. So how much more wine should I put in? (Pouring from bottle in carafe). Is that enough? More?
In the end, the liveliest, most fascinating and attractive people in the world are those who eat and drink the Body and Blood of Christ and become like him, become saints. We need more saints in Canada to add some colour and spice to our elections and to our private and public life. And in the end, it is Christ who makes saints, who transfigures the prosaic into poetry, who transubstantiates the boring into the beautiful, so that even Canadians can be cool again, if we live for Christ.
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September 14, 2008
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Feast of The Triumph of the Cross, September 14, 2008
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.
How many of us often take a good look at the crucifix that is front and centre here? We see it at least every week; maybe it doesn’t have much of an impact on us anymore. Let’s look at it now, though – does this look like triumph to you? Of course, this figure has been cleaned up to make it a bit more bearable. In reality, after being beaten, and after carrying the cross through the streets of Jerusalem, Jesus would have been bloody and dirty. I won’t go into great detail about crucifixion, but it was a vicious, humiliating, agonizing method of execution. It was so horrible that Roman citizens were not allowed to be crucified, regardless of their crime. Jesus’ followers must initially have been extremely ashamed that their leader was killed this way. Seeing Him there on the cross like that, He appears so powerless, so defeated.
As Paul says, Jesus was obedient to the point of death – even death on a cross! Jesus chose the lowliest, most degrading manner of death. Because it was so shameful, the cross wasn’t immediately used as a Christian symbol. But, even in the first century, as shown in St. Paul’s epistles, it had become a symbol closely associated with the power of Jesus’ sacrifice. Jesus was powerless only in that He willingly relinquished His power, and His life, for us. Paul also says “For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God”. So when Jesus, not only completely innocent of the charges against Him, but also free from any sin or guilt at all, died on the cross, He died for us. The instrument of His death, the cross, was the means to our life in Him.
Jesus tells us quite clearly in today’s Gospel that He was sent to save us. I don’t know if it still happens, but for years at football games in the US, there would usually be someone in the stands with a sign simply saying “John 3:16”, and it always got shown on TV at some point during the game. I guess that’s one method of evangelisation, but I wonder just how many people who saw that took the time to find out what this verse says – and means. So if, as He says, we who believe in Him may have eternal life, what about those who don’t believe in Him? Do other religions lead to God? Especially in our day, it’s considered bad manners to say that there is only one way. When I was younger, I explored other forms of spirituality. Where would that have led me? Let’s go back to cross. If all roads really lead to heaven, then why did Christ have to die? Does that make sense? If there are all those different roads, why would He have chosen such a difficult death? We know that Jesus would have preferred another way – during His agony in the garden, He said, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, thy will be done”. If God didn’t have to send His Son to be tortured and crucified to make the one way to heaven, then He wouldn’t have.
But there was not another way. The depth of His love is demonstrated in the depth of His passion. It is not up to us to say that God will not save those who do not believe in Christ, but we can reliably say that according to Jesus, no one comes to Father but through Him. We should have confidence that Jesus’ words are the truth, and that His death and resurrection were completed for our salvation. And, make no mistake – we need salvation. If we are not in need of salvation, there is no need for Jesus to have come at all.
God gave us His Son. He didn’t just send Him, He gave Him. Pope Benedict tells us “The New Testament does not say that men conciliate to God, as we ought to expect, since it is they who have failed, not God. This is truly something new, something unheard of…God does not wait until the guilty come to be reconciled; he goes to meet them and reconciles them. Here we can see the true direction of the incarnation, of the cross.” It is up to us to believe in Him, and accept the forgiveness offered by His sacrifice.
Jesus’ suffering on the cross was eventually shared by most of the apostles, all of whom except John were martyred. Having experienced Christ’s presence firsthand, they were convinced of truth of His teachings. Despite imprisonment and torture, none of them ever relented in their belief in Jesus. In our own ways, we too share in the suffering and the power of the cross. When our dreams are unrealized, when our relationships are difficult, when our health fails – Jesus is there, understanding our feelings of despair and defeat. When we have questions about life, or about our faith – Jesus is there, providing us answers through the scriptures and the Church.
We are not perfect. Our world is not perfect. And Jesus did not come to make our lives on earth perfect. But, twice in today’s Gospel we are told that He did come so that we can have eternal life, which will be perfect. He lived life as one of us, and in giving His life on the cross showed us faithfulness to the end. So let’s not forget the cruelty of the cross, but let us also not forget the love, the power, and the triumph of the cross.
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September 7, 2008
Posted in Homilies
at 9:00 am
Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A, September 7th, 2008
Do we always need to hold together love and the keeping of the commandments, Jesus and the Church? According to the world – no, we can separate them; but according to the Church, yes, we must hold together love and the keeping of the commandments, Jesus and the Church.
St. Paul teaches in the second reading that “The commandments . . . are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” (Romans 13:9). True enough. What about this statement: “As long as you love, you don’t have to worry about following the commandments.” Do you agree with the theology of this statement?
Did you know that there are cases where adultery is permissible? – in the context of love, of course. We all know there are marriages in which a husband and wife no longer love each other but remain married. In a sense, the marriage is over. So if the husband meets someone else and falls in love with her, then he’s not really committing adultery. Do you buy that argument? There are people in our culture who actually think that way and act on it. “As long as you “love,” (whatever that means to you) you don’t have to worry about following the commandments.”
What if your brother or sister, friend or neighbour sins by committing adultery, and you point out the fault when the two of you are alone (Mt 18:15). But he or she says, “how dare you judge me. You don’t know about our relationship; you don’t know what’s in my heart. Who are you to judge?” Would you have the guts to respond in charity by saying, “hey, wait a minute: ‘You shall not commit adultery’ is still a valid commandment; committing adultery is always wrong, even if you think you are somehow motivated by “love.”
And if I can ask another question: who teaches that adultery is always wrong – Jesus or the Church? . . . Both, of course. We cannot separate Jesus and the Church. Jesus founded the Church to be his presence and voice on earth in every age.
OK, we agree on adultery . . . what about homosexuality? (I bring up this controversial issue only to make a point about the problem in our times of separating love and the commandments, Jesus and the Church.) “The commandments . . . are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’” Therefore, if two homosexuals truly love each other, they don’t have to worry about following the commandments of God, yes or no? What would Jesus say? Would it be the same thing as what the Church says?
My uncle in Nova Scotia and his wife have gay friends they met through a local historical society that recreates dances in period costumes from centuries past. At our family reunion, the men and women delighted us with a performance of one of their dances. Afterwards I was chatting with all of them – gay and straight – nice, friendly, interesting people, my brothers and sisters in Christ whom I love.
What disturbed me, however, is that my uncle and his wife left their local Protestant Church because the members voted against supporting gay “marriage,” and some of their friends are gay. And one of my Catholic cousins and her husband left their local Catholic Church because they did not agree with the Church’s teaching on homosexuality. And if I had asked them if they are rejecting Jesus, I’m sure they would have answered, “oh, no, not Jesus, it’s the Church that is our problem.” They separate Jesus and the Church.
On this topic, it is helpful to consider the example of St. Paul, during this year dedicated to the great apostle. When he was persecuting the Church, Jesus appeared to him and said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” And Saul asked, “who are you?” “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.” Jesus did not say to him “why are you persecuting the Church,” but “why are you persecuting me,” because the Church is literally the Body of Christ. So when people think they love Jesus, but criticize, judge and condemn the Church, Jesus himself will appear to them one day and ask them, “why are you criticizing me, why are you judging and condemning me?” “Oh, no, not you Jesus, it’s the Church that is our problem.” “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.”
It breaks my heart and deeply troubles my spirit that people in our times separate love and the keeping of the commandments, Jesus and the Church. And some of them end up leaving the Church and losing Christ. They say “It’s the Catholic Church that forbids homosexual activity (and other sins), but not Jesus. Jesus wouldn’t do that.” It’s true that Jesus is compassion and love, but he also upheld the commandments.
We cannot separate the teaching of Jesus and the teaching of the Church. What does Jesus himself tell us in today’s Gospel? If your brother or sister sins and refuses to listen to you or two or three others, then “tell it to the Church” (Mt 18:17). Jesus himself is directing us – go to the Church. Whatever the Church makes binding on earth is binding in heaven; the commandments of the Church on earth are the same commandments of God in heaven. Of course the Church is always the instrument of God’s mercy on earth, but she is also the voice of Jesus, calling us to repent and obey the commandments.
People in our times like to create Jesus in their own image, making him into a sort of hand puppet that says and does exactly what we want him to. In the end, he’s just like us! He has the exact same values as a 21st century secular North American; he is more like Oprah than John the Baptist or Jeremiah or one of the prophets (Mt 16:14). But if you create your own Jesus, you will never know the real Jesus, our Lord and God – the one who is present in the tabernacle, the one who speaks to us through the Scriptures and through the ministers of the Gospel from the Pope down to the bishop and the lowliest, lowliest country pastor, who are like sentinels, (Ezekial 33:7), warning people to repent, but at the same time encouraging them to trust in God’s infinite mercy.
How can we know Jesus at all? Through the Holy Spirit, yes, who like the wind blows wherever he wishes. And through the Scriptures that tell us about the life of Jesus . . . the Scriptures written by who? Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, St. Paul – 1st century members of . . . the Catholic Church. And the Eucharist, this most intimate, interior relationship with Jesus – flesh for our flesh, blood for our blood, only comes to us through the Church. No one can stay at home on Sunday morning and give himself or herself the body of Christ for breakfast. But rather than being open to changing their minds and forming their conscience, people will turn their backs on Jesus in the Eucharist and walk away from him, no longer wanting to be his disciples (Jn 6:66).
Trust me: it’s worth it to come to know and love the real Jesus, and to know and love the Church, his Body. Jesus is infinite compassion and love, but he is also truth and justice, the one who came not to abolish, but to fulfill all the commandments of the law (Mt 5:17). Get to know him! To approach him we must face some painful truths about ourselves and be progressively purified of our sins, but it’s worth it!
The Jesus we create in our own image is a false god who cannot save us. Only the real Jesus can take away our sins, fill our hearts with peace and joy, and give us eternal life, the real Jesus who comes to us through the Church and the Eucharist we receive today.
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