Malachi
3:19-20a
2
Thessalonians 3:7-12
Luke
21:5-19
When your life
is over, what will be your legacy?
What proof will
you leave behind to show you helped built up Christ’s Kingdom?
After Mother
Teresa died in 1997, they found a beautiful saying on her wall that motivated
her every day to keep building the Kingdom in beautiful new ways. It read:
“People
are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you
are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you
are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine
enemies. Succeed anyway.
If you
are honest and sincere people may deceive you.
Be honest and sincere anyway.
What you
spend years creating, others could destroy overnight. Create anyway.
If you
find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good
you do today will often be forgotten. Do
good anyway.
Give the
best you have, and it will never be enough.
Give your best anyway.
In the
final analysis, it is between you and God.
It was never between you and them anyway.”
When we leave a
worthy legacy, we do it because God calls us to do it. When we build up the Kingdom we may face
scorn and persecution. Our legacy may
not be appreciated by all.
As Jesus says
today, “You will be hated by all because of my
name.” He’s preparing his
disciples for the final judgment. But
even in time of darkness there will be a great light: The “sun of justice with its healing rays”
as we heard in today’s first reading.
The context for
today’s Gospel message is 50 years after the death of Christ. Luke wrote his Gospel after the destruction
of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70 AD. The
Jewish dream had died and it was a time when Christians were being persecuted all
over the Mediterranean for their radical message of love taught by Jesus.
This Christians
were building up the kingdom in the most challenging of conditions… and they didn’t even
blink.
Today’s Gospel
message could just as easily be for anyone committed to building up the Kingdom
today – anyone committed to building a legacy of love.
Christians were
despised for their actions in the Roman world.
They were despised for loving the way Christ
loved.
When plagues
ravaged cities in ancient Rome, who helped care for sick and dying? It wasn’t the Romans. They ran the other way. It was the Christians who ran into harm’s
way, many giving up their lives helping others.
On the streets,
Christians were known for being willing to die for their beliefs.
If you ask most
historians why Christian persecutions came to an abrupt end in the early 4th
Century, most would say society no longer tolerated Christians being put to
death in the public arena because Christians were respected for their actions. These people were respected for living the
life of Christ.
If we fully live
a life for Christ today, what
does that look like?
Imagine a parish
community so committed to good works and loving people so fully that no one is
left behind, everyone is spiritually fed, and all
come back for more… week in and week out.
Imagine a parish
community that lives out its faith so beautifully that non-Christians despise us
and persecute us and our other Christian sisters and brothers envy us.
In so many ways
today, our neighboring “mega” Churches are doing a better job of sharing Christ
with others.
But let us not
forget the Catholic Churches rich history of sharing Christ with the world.
The Catholic
Church is responsible for the first hospitals and hospices. The Catholic Church is responsible for the
first colleges and universities. The
Catholic Church is responsible for the first homeless shelters and
orphanages.
But you say, we
live here in Everett, Washington, this is as good as it gets when it comes to
Catholic Churches.
While what we
have here is good, I believe we can do better.
I believe we can become great.
There’s a parish
in a town not so dissimilar to Everett, Washington, that’s doing it right.
The town is
Centennial, Colorado, with a population a little over a hundred-thousand
people. It’s a suburb of Denver. Denver and Seattle are actually ranked right
next to each other on the listing of America’s largest cities.
And Everett has
almost the exact same population as Centennial at 100-thousand residents.
But wait until
you hear what this parish in Centennial is doing.
St. Thomas More
Parish is really doing it right.
They have FIVE
priests! A pastor and four parochial
vicars.
They have SEVEN
deacons. You heard me right, seven
deacons!
The Church
serves 45-hundred households. We serve
just over 2-thousand households in both parishes.
The Church has
produced 15 priests, 10 deacons, three sisters, one brother, and currently is
forming 11 seminarians from the community.
In the past
year, they’ve done 97 infant baptisms, 344 first communions, 353 Confirmations,
22 marriages and 246 Catholics have received the sacrament of the anointing of
the sick.
They have seven
“packed” Masses each week, Perpetual Adoration, a weekly Holy Hour for
Vocations and an incredible website and bulletin chocked full of helpful
information and resources.
So, how can we
become that parish? We can only do it together as a community. We can only do it if we all
step up and give… and give… and give.
But, if we do
it, if we create this community and live out Christ’s mission for all to see,
not only will we become the envy of our Christian sisters and brothers and the
scorn of non-Christians, but we also will be pointed to by the Archdiocese as a
model for doing it right.
I believe we can
become that Church here in Everett and commit
myself to rolling up sleeves and making this dream a reality.
(Introduce Stewardship
of Treasure Cards)
There
are many ways you can help us get there.
You can increase your giving.
You can commit
some of your estate to the parish’s future.
Our two churches
are probably a decade away from needing major renovations. As we build this new future, I’d like to ask
our sisters and brothers who are blessed abundantly to consider building up this Kingdom as you prepare for the next.
Perhaps our
goals are too lofty. Perhaps you think
why should I give more? I already give enough.
But if we do not
dream big, if we do not work with all of our heart and soul to make a vibrant
Kingdom here in Everett a reality, aren’t we letting Jesus down?
I
see a future faith community so vibrant, so thriving that we will be “hated by all because of (His) name.”
We may die
trying to build this beautiful Kingdom of God, we may be persecuted as we live
out Christ more fully here in Everett, but that’s OK because, “By (our) perserverance (we) will secure (our)
lives” in the world to come.
What is God
calling you to give? What will your legacy be in this
community?
On behalf of
Father Hersey, I want to thank you, thank you, thank you for your generosity.
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