Saturday, July 7, 2018

HOMILY – 14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) 2018

With the issue of immigration heavy on our hearts and minds (recent polls indicate that it is the most important issue today), I want to offer a quick overview of the church’s teaching on the matter, which I hope leads well into today’s readings. While our bishops have written much on current immigration trends, as well as policies and laws, here are two short paragraphs from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops worth repeating: The Catholic Catechism instructs the faithful that good government has two duties, both of which must be carried out and neither of which can be ignored. The first duty is to welcome the foreigner out of charity and respect for the human person. Persons have the right to immigrate and thus government must accommodate this right to the greatest extent possible, especially financially blessed nations: "The more prosperous nations are obliged, to the extent they are able, to welcome the foreigner in search of the security and the means of livelihood which he cannot find in his country of origin. Public authorities should see to it that the natural right is respected that places a guest under the protection of those who receive him." (2241) The second duty is to secure one’s border and enforce the law for the sake of the common good. Sovereign nations have the right to enforce their laws and all persons must respect the legitimate exercise of this right: "Political authorities, for the sake of the common good for which they are responsible may make the exercise of the right to immigrate subject to various juridical conditions, especially with regard to the immigrants' duties toward their country of adoption. Immigrants are obliged to respect with gratitude the material and spiritual heritage of the country that receives them, to obey its laws and to assist in carrying civic burdens." (2241) With this two-pronged - “both/and“ approach - to immigration in mind, I invite your continued reading, discernment, and discussion on the issue; and your prayers for our civic and religious leaders, that they may be guided by these principles; and for your continued prayers for all who are impacted by this issue - here in our country and throughout the world. Which brings me today’s Readings. I especially like this Gospel passage, which is found in all three synoptic Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke. I like this passage for two reasons. First, in today’s gospel, we hear that Jesus experienced rejection (or at least a less than warm welcome) from those in his home town – in fact in Luke’s version of the story, Jesus is almost run off a cliff! In contrast, you have been incredibly kind and generous to me, a son of this parish. For this, I am sincerely grateful. Your support and encouragement for my ministry here at OLP has been overwhelming-regardless of and despite what you might say to me after Mass on the issue of immigration, which I do welcome! Anyhow, THANK YOU! The second reason I like this gospel passage so much is because we see the focus, passion, and persistence of Jesus despite the apparent rejection by those from his hometown. We read that even though he is rejected by family and friends, he continued to do the good work of healing those receptive to him. In addition to Jesus’ wonderful example of perseverance in today’s Gospel, we have the example of the Prophet Ezekiel in today’s first reading. As we just heard, the Lord sent Ezekiel to his own people, but a people who had rebelled against God, a people who were hard of face and obstinate of heart - certainly not a warm and welcoming group to Ezekiel, who nonetheless went to them at God’s command to bring them back into relationship with God. Going to today’s second reading, there is much debate about what Paul’s “thorn” might be - a sickness or a physical disability, it might be a temptation or other struggle in his personal life, or it might have been a person who posed a threat or challenge to Paul. Regardless, it makes sense what Paul is suggesting in his letter to the Corinthians: that with crisis or difficulty comes focus. For Paul, his thorn tempered the joy he experienced from private revelations he received from God, which might have otherwise distracted him from his ministry. For us, in a similar way, it might be an illness or loss of a job, or loss of a loved one that unexpectedly provides humility, clarity, and focus to what is right, true and important, as well as the ability, like Paul, to endure weakness, insults, hardships, persecutions and constraints. Truly, in these moments when we are weak, we are strong. As Catholics, we are called to share the good news. Yes, that means sharing the incredible love our God has for us. And to do so with persistence, even in the face of hostility, even in the face of hardship. And yes, it also means sharing how we live this love relationship in the midst of and responding to the hot button issues of our times, like life, marriage, sexuality and immigration. This is the grounding we receive from Alpha (yes, a shameless plug for our Alpha program) and the inspiration we find in today’s readings! Going back to immigration, we can benefit from the teachings of our bishops to understand the issue and how we can respond. The challenge for us modern Catholics is that we cannot live just in this space, but we must go back to our homes, places of work, public spaces, and online and engage with the world. And to engage not just with emotions, feelings and popular sentiment, but with facts, civility, and charity, and as today’s readings inspire us to do, with persistence, courage, humility, and to do so even in the face of hostility and hardship. And we must also, as we sang in today’s responsorial Psalm, always fix our eyes on the Lord, pleading for his mercy. And this my friends is the good news! Just as the Spirit of the Lord entered Ezekiel and set him on his feet, and just as our God filled St. Paul with grace, so will the Lord for us! God will give us, and has already given us, his grace to act and speak with humility, courage and wisdom to share the Good News. And quite possibly, he may give us a thorn in our side to keep us ever grounded in the reality of our life and our mission. Your response will be yours alone. Regardless of whether you enter both feet into the public debate on immigration (or other hot-button issue), actively observe on the sidelines, or take more contemplative response of prayer and discernment, know that the Lord is with you. May God bless you as you go and announce the good news of God’s great love!

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