Homily – 3rd Sunday of Easter - Open Wide The Doors Of Mercy

Acts 3:13-15, 17-19

1 John 2:1-5a

Luke 24:35-48

 

Are our Church doors opened or closed?

Are we a house of mercy or a house of judgment?

Are we welcoming and accepting to all our struggling sisters and brothers? Or do we drive people away with our unkind words or gestures?

Pope Francis is officially calling for a jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy. It begins later this year.

Mercy is shocking. Mercy is beautiful.  Mercy can take your breath away.

Perhaps you saw the story this week about the CNN news anchor who wrote an article about how her faith has been reawakened by Pope Francis.

Carol Costello started by sharing her story about how the doors closed on her faith.

“I remember the day I stopped praying. It was the day after my little brother, Jimmy, died of cancer. He was 25. I was so angry at God. 

I was 27 at the time, and, like most young people I had stopped going to church. But, on that day -- that terrible day -- I desperately needed to understand why God took my brother. I called the nearest Catholic church, looking for a priest. A lady picked up the phone. ‘Can I talk with Father?’ I asked.

I wish I could say her answer was ‘yes.’

Instead, she asked me if I was a member of that particular parish. ‘Does it matter?’ I asked (At the time I lived far from my home parish). I don't remember how she responded, but the answer about my being able to see Father was clearly no.

I cried for a bit, then decided I would never ask God for anything. Clearly, his conduits on Earth did not have time for me -- a lifelong Catholic -- and sinner -- so why would he?”

But it was a conversation with a Catholic Cardinal about people who may feel outside the doors of the church that changed everything for Costello.

“’There is room for everyone. The door is open,’ Canadian Cardinal Gerald Lacroix insisted. (The Cardinal says there are hard truths in the Gospel and in Church teaching) But that doesn't mean we reject.’”

Costello said, “That last sentiment – ‘that doesn't mean we reject.’ -- did it for me.

I finally understood why Pope Francis reawakened my faith. I always felt my church would reject me for committing the smallest of sins. Like calling a priest at a church that was not my home parish. Like not covering my head with a traditional veil at Easter. Like accidentally eating meat on Holy Friday…

(Cardinal) Lacroix likened … Pope (Francis)'s approach to Jesus. ‘Jesus didn't judge. Jesus did not come as a judge. He came as someone who preached and talked about the love of God… Jesus walked with sinners until the very end. He did not banish them to fires of hell, for He refused to give up on anyone.’

I can't wait to go church next Sunday. And, yes, I will bow my head and pray for forgiveness, and if I'm worthy, Christ's love.”  

The words of CNN anchor Carol Costello.

Pope Francis officially detailed this week the upcoming jubilee,  a Holy Year of Mercy.

“The time has come for the Church to take up the joyful call to mercy once more… It’s a time to return to the basics and bear the weaknesses and struggles of our brothers and sisters… Mercy is the force that reawakens us to new life and instills in us the courage to look to the future with hope."

That’s exactly what Peter is talking about in today’s first reading from the Acts of the Apostles. He’s just healed a crippled beggar in the streets of Jerusalem.

The beggar asked only for alms, and Peter said,

“’ I have neither silver nor gold, but what I do have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazorean, [rise and] walk.’ Then Peter took him by the right hand and raised him up, and immediately his feet and ankles grew strong. He leaped up, stood and walked around... walking and jumping and praising God.”

The beggar was expecting alms. What he got was “the mercy of God in the form of liberation from his lameness.” 

Peter had just performed his first miracle and all were amazed. But Peter used the moment to tell the people of Jerusalem of the Glory of God through his own Son’s resurrection, reminding them of their culpability in the brutal death of Jesus Christ.  

This all happened outside the doors of the Temple.

Then he called on them to “repent… and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”

I love that line, “that your sins may be wiped away.”

These words echo in something you may not know about.

When a deacon or a priest reads the Gospel at Mass, he ends the reading by saying the following silent prayer: "Through the words of the Gospel may our sins be wiped away."

This prayer is for all of us. Yes, even those we may shoo away from the closed doors of our Church.

Speaking of closed doors, Jesus appears through closed doors in today’s Gospel reading.

For context, the courage shown in the first reading in Acts is now replaced by the cowardice of the Apostles hiding behind closed doors.

They’re listening to the amazing story of what happened on the Road to Emmaus, when Jesus appeared. The apostles were “startled and terrified and thought they were seeing a ghost.” 

But an even more amazing sight was Jesus in the resurrected flesh requesting something to eat.

Then Jesus in his glorified body said to them, “Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning with Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.”

So how are we witnesses of these things?  Are we preaching repentance for the forgiveness of sins?  Or are we focusing solely on justice, the law and condemning people for their sinfulness?

Pope Francis is asking us to be a people of mercy. Jesus is asking us to be a people of mercy.

So, how do we do that?  How does our Church become an open “Door of Mercy” called for by Pope Francis?

In a few weeks, this placard will appear in the pews of our two churches.  It’s entitled, “All Are Welcome – How to be a Church of Open Doors.”

It reads:  “Each of us can make our parish a more welcoming place to newcomers, persons with disabilities, and persons with special needs.”

It even offers a few ideas:

“If you see a parent struggling with a child’s behavior, offer a friendly smile, a sympathetic nod, or a helping hand.” 

Here’s another idea from the placard:

“If you see a person exhibiting unusual behavior, understand it might be a sign of a disability. Embrace the person as a child of God and understand that each of us has different ways of receiving and communicating love.”

And there’s this one that should come in handy when we are uncomfortable with someone’s behavior during Mass:

“If you see someone who is disheveled or out of sorts, consider that he or she might be in dire straits. Act with compassion.”

And always remember this final idea:

“A warm smile, a nod, or a small kindness can make all the difference.”

This is the behavior our Holy Father is calling us to show as we open our Doors of Mercy and become a more welcoming, non-judging, non-condemning Church.

Pope Francis says the Church’s “very credibility is seen in how she shows merciful and compassionate love.”

“The Lord asks us above all not to judge and not to condemn,” adds Pope Francis, saying “If anyone wishes to avoid God’s judgment, he should not make himself the judge of his brother or sister.”

The Holy Year of Mercy begins on the feast of the Immaculate Conception in December.

We have eight months to get our house in order as we prepare to open our Doors of Mercy.

I pray we will be ready with open hearts, too. 

Homily – 5th Sunday in Lent - We all sin, We all need forgiveness

Jeremiah 31:31-34

Hebrews 5:7-9

John 12:20-33

 

I’m afraid this weekend’s homily may anger some people.

For this fact, I offer my sincere apology. I’m sorry my words may make some people mad.  That is not my intent.

My intent is to show none of us is immune to sin.  None of us.

When we humans do things that are not in accord with the Gospel, we must all take pause, acknowledge our sinfulness and ask for God’s mercy and forgiveness. That’s the ONLY path to redemption. 

This is what the Prophet Jeremiah is reminding the people of Judah. The only option for their survival from the Babylonian Empire is to repent their sins and seek God’s mercy and forgiveness.

Bible experts call Jeremiah’s new covenant prophecy heard in today’s first reading, “the Gospel before the Gospel.”  

As we know, ONLY in Jesus is there mercy and fullness of redemption.

With this weekend’s Gospel reading, we’ve come to the end of Jesus’ public ministry.

“The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.”

This grain of wheat is about to fall to the ground and die. And Jesus is troubled by this.

Just like His experience in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus’

troubled heart is given voice.

In His moment of anguish He hears the Father’s voice for the first and ONLY time in the Gospel of John. And it gives Him comfort.

Jesus knows His own destiny.

And Jesus explains to His disciples, “Now is the time of judgment on this world.”

But why must the world be judged?

Because ALL of us do things that are not in accord with the Gospel.  ALL of us. 

Take for instance this week’s revelation from the Archdiocese of San Francisco.

As a way of dealing with the severe homeless problem at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Archdiocesan officials had sprinklers installed in the doorways where the homeless sleep.

These sprinklers were programmed to turn on every 30-minutes and douse sleeping homeless people with water in hopes they would not congregate in the doorways of the Cathedral.

This hosing the homeless is no joke. It actually happened.

The Archdiocese now admits it was a mistake and has disabled the sprinklers, issuing a formal apology, saying:
“This kind of system was being commonly used in the Financial District as a safety, security and cleanliness measure.”

Really? Is this what Jesus would do?  

The Prophet Jeremiah has these beautiful words about the New Covenant God will make with his people:
“I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

If the law is written on our hearts, how is it that we continue to do stupid stuff as disciples of Christ?

It’s because we are all sinners. Each and every one of us.

Yes, even deacons, priests, bishops and other Church officials.

And it is ONLY through Christ our Savior that we find mercy, forgiveness and redemption.

I love the picture of Pope Francis from a year or so back giving his confession to a priest stationed in one of the open confessionals at St. Peter’s Basilica. It’s a lesson for us all.

As the greatest prophet ever Jeremiah says,

“All, from the least to the greatest, shall know me, says the Lord, for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.”

Then there’s this: Atlanta Archbishop Wilton Gregory said recently he’s selling a controversial multi-million mansion that was his residence. Instead he’s moving into a modest home.

He called it “a strategic mistake that perhaps I should have seen in advance.” 

Archbishop Gregory said he moved into the mansion a year or so before Francis became Pope.

Francis has changed much in our Church today.

Pope Francis reminded us in a homily this week, “the Church ‘is the home of Jesus,’ a house of mercy that welcomes all, and therefore not a place where Christians should close the doors to those seeking to enter.” 

In fact, Pope Francis declared this week that the year 2016 will be an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy.

Now I know, when Pope Francis starts talking like this, some get nervous, maybe even a little angry. The same was true when Jesus spoke of mercy in his day.

With one week left until the start of eve of Holy week, what sin do you need forgiven? What evildoing must you bring before the light of Christ to start the healing process and find true reconciliation?

One of the biggest sins in our Church today is whining. 

One of my favorite Catholic contemporary singers, Grammy award winner Matt Maher had “the quote of the week” for us all to reflect on today:

“The enemy has taken MOST of the Church and turned them from prophets into a bunch of complainers – myself included. We spend MORE time complaining about life than prophesying the love and grace of God over it. It’s an interesting thing when we silence all our prophets and turn them into complainers because it mutes the voice of God, in a way, in a world that really needs to hear it.”

Did you know that “when we complain, our brains release stress hormones that actually harm neural connections in areas used for problem solving and other cognitive functions? This also happens when we listen to someone else moan and groan. (Experts say) ‘It’s as bad as secondhand smoke.’"

In today’s Gospel, Jesus refuses to complain about his pending Passion, “Yet, what should I say, ‘Father, save me from this hour?’

 Complaining is sinful, but confession is divine.

We have one week left to ask God to create in us a clean heart before Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord.

In a moment, we will ALL partake in the new covenant spoken by Jeremiah. It was made reality at the Last Supper when Jesus spoke these words, “Take this, all of you, and drink from it; this is the blood of the new and everlasting covenant. It will be shed for you and for all so that sins may be forgiven.”

May the Body and Blood of Christ cleanse us from all our sinfulness and help us to better hear the voice of our God whose law is written on our all our hearts.

Help us, Lord, be ready for you this Easter.

Homily – 1st Sunday in Lent - A Walk In The Desert

Genesis 9:8-15

1^st Peter 3:18-22

Mark 1:12-15

 

             Come. Let’s take a walk in the desert together.

But a walk in the desert will be no easy trek for we must prepare ourselves for the perils that lie ahead. During our journey, we will need to strip ourselves bare of our pretentions, our sinfulness, our old self.

Welcome to the first full week of our Lenten journey.

Are you ready for the challenges we’ll encounter over the next 40-days in the desert?

In the desert there are wild beasts, unrelenting winds, a blazing sun, unbearable heat, sand in our eyes clouding our view, no water, and mirages around every corner. And the devil will be there tempting us.

A walk in the desert is a dangerous thing. But with spiritual preparation, hard work and understanding, the hike will bear much fruit in our growing relationship with God between now and Easter Sunday.

Archbishop Peter Sartain said something quite profound about our journey into the desert.  If you haven’t picked up a copy of this Lenten booklet, they’re in the vestibule. Here’s what our Archbishop said:

“From a spiritual perspective, the wilderness is that place we enter to be reminded of the One who is truly essential in our lives, where we stand before God with no false veneer, makeup, cologne, designer labels, or pretense. It is that place where we confront the challenges of daily life not as insurmountable problems but as steppingstones to growth. It is that place where temptation seems to hover ominously over our heads in mirages of fakes and forgeries – but where mirages collapse in the light of God’s strength. It is that place where we confront ourselves with no other support than God.”

“That place where we confront OURSELVES with no other support than God.”   

In other words, it’s time to take a look in the mirror and ask ourselves, where am I in my relationship with God?

I’m reminded of a popular movie, “Groundhog Day.” Perhaps you’ve seen it. It’s the story about a conceited, egotistical TV weatherman who’s stuck in the same day. No matter what he does he cannot escape Groundhog Day. The day just keeps repeating over and over again where he meets and talks to the same people over and over again until he’s forced to look in the mirror and start to change who he is. In the end, he escapes Groundhog Day by giving his life over to serving others, not himself, loving others, not himself.  

I’ve always seen this movie as a metaphor for our relationship with God. No matter what we do in our lives, God calls us to self-improvement. God wants us to be better people than we are. Lent is the best time to work on this.

I read a beautiful reflection recently by a favorite faith writer Richard Rohr.  He talks about the four stages of development in our covenant relationship with God. 

He applies these stages to the development of the Israelites as the people of God in the Old Testament and the early Christians in the New Testament, but it could easily be adapted to us today.

He says God does not change; only our comprehension of God changes as we go through life.

Here are the four stages of development in our relationship with God as stated by Franciscan friar Fr. Richard Rohr:

 

”In the first stage, people start to experience the reality of God and God's love as more than abstract concepts. At the same time, however, they tend to believe that God's love is limited to just themselves, a select few such as a chosen people or the one true Church.

 

 

In the second stage, people begin to respond to God's love, but they perceive God's love as rather totally dependent on their ideal response. They believe that grace is a conditional gift, that God will love them if they are good, that God will save or reward them if they keep the commandments.

 

 

In the third stage, people begin to see God's love as unlimited and unconditional, but they do not see further than that. They acknowledge that God loves them whether they are good or bad, and that God is gracious to the just and the unjust alike. But they still think that God is doing that from afar, from up in heaven somewhere. They do not yet see themselves as inherently participating in the process. Frankly, they have not discovered their own soul yet.

            Finally, in the fourth stage, they make the breakthrough to seeing that God's grace and love is present within them, through them, with them, and even as them! The mystery of the incarnation has come full circle. They can now enjoy God's temple within their own body, as Paul loves to teach, and can love themselves and others and God by the same one flow. It is all one stream of Love! They now fully realize that it is God who is doing the loving, and they surrender themselves to being channels and instruments of that Divine Flow into the world.”

 

What stage are you at in this present moment? 

The journey this Lenten season is to continue to as Archbishop Sartain said, work our way on the “steppingstones to growth.” This will happen in how we respond to the events in our lives using Christ as our model.

As Fr. Rohr tells us, Christ is the model of the final and fourth stage of development. The other three represent the people of God and their development from the time of Adam and Eve until Christ came in their midst. 

So how do we work our way up this ladder to God?

It won’t be easy.

As Richard Rohr reminds us, the people of God many times “come kicking and screaming and denying” the need to make this journey or take these “steppingstones.”

Our Catholic tradition encourages us to make this journey through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. 

PRAYER: Take at least 10-minutes a day to quietly pray to God the Father as Jesus did. Find a quiet place and just spend time in communion with our Lord, in peaceful contemplation. It might be on a park bench, or behind a closed door in your house, or at Church before the Blessed Sacrament.

FASTING: Deny yourself some pleasurable thing by giving it up, by fasting from it for the next 40-days.  It might be a type of food or drink. Or an activity (some people give up Facebook). Maybe it’s a part of ourselves we are not pleased with and want to change. Whatever it is, use it as a focal point of your fasting.

ALMSGIVING:  I’m a big believer in the CRS Rice Bowl campaign as a way of giving because the money helps the poorest of the poor around the world. The very people Pope Francis says our Church is built for. But there are many ways to give alms. Find your own way and then give with your whole heart.  It doesn’t just have to be treasure, your time or your talents can be offered as alms to others in need, too. 

            So, are we ready for our walk in the desert?

Please know I’ll be praying we all have a safe and transformative journey.

I’ll be praying that we escape our Groundhog Day and bring our new selves before the Lord come Easter. Then together we will all rejoice!

 

- Richard Rohr’s “four stages” are adapted from Great Themes of Scripture: Old Testament; pp. 110-112 (published by Franciscan Media)