Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family – (2013)

(Cycle A readings: Sirach 3:2-6, 12-14; Psalm 128: 1-2, 3, 4-5; Colossians 3:12-21; Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23)

            Let’s talk about family. How many people here at some time of your life have been a part of a family, raise your hands. It’s hard work to be in a family.Families may not be easy, but we know that they are essential for becoming fully human. Families are, first and foremost, the place where God is encountered, where faith is given flesh, where our theories of justice are tried out, where our prayer is made real, and where our dreams are actualized.

            Families are so critically important because they reflect the nature of God – our God is a God of relationship, and our family is the most basic and essential human relationship we will have. It is the place where we share the joys and the struggles of those we love more than anyone else – where we have this realistic engagement with others in the difficulties, tensions, and celebrations of each others’ lives.

            This feast of the holy family presents a challenge to us to make our own families holy, just as THE holy family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph was. Now raise your hands if you have been part of a HOLY family. There are many fewer hands up than before. Why are we so reluctant to recognize OUR family as a holy family? I think there are two reasons why that might be so.

            First, maybe our definition of holy is a little skewed. Vatican II tells us that to be holy is to discern and do God’s will in everything, to be wholeheartedly directed to the glory of God, and to be of service to our neighbor. It’s about our fidelity to God and to each other.

            Second, maybe we get too hung up on the particulars rather than the attitudes and attributes of what it means to be a “holy family”. Families come in all kinds of variations and configurations – and being holy is based on the Council’s definition: to discern and do the will of God, to be wholeheartedly directed to the glory of God and service to our neighbor. That’s the basis for a holy family.

            The letter to the Colossians is a good example. If you read for the particulars, you can get hung up on the “wives be submissive” thing. That was a particular for another time – and not a prescription for ours. But earlier in the letter is where the path to holiness is laid out: compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forgiveness, and on top of it all – love.

            So here is my suggestion for the next week – maybe as a way to approach the new year? Take one of those qualities each day and find ways to express that quality in your daily, ordinary living. Talk about those qualities – brainstorm in your family about what you can do to live them. Or, for those of you who are really ambitious, make each day of the week the day for that attribute: Monday is compassion day – each Monday perform some act of compassion within the family or together as a family. Tuesday is kindness day, or have “forgiveness Friday” – you get the idea.

            The heart of Christianity is the transformation of the ordinary into the holy – that is the lesson of the Incarnation that we just celebrated. Being in a family is no easy job – but discerning and doing the will of God, wholeheartedly directing ourselves to the glory of God and service of neighbor should be our goal. Living lives of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, and forgiveness will put us on the journey to make each of our families a holy family.

Christmas Homily – 2013

Midnight Mass readings

(Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-3,11-13; Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14)

           What an incredible event we celebrate tonight! These events of 2,000 years ago still are remembered and observed. For as Isaiah says, “a son is born to us, a child is given for us – and we call him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever”. “Today is born our savior, Christ the Lord” our Psalm proclaims.

            For the past 2,000 years, artists and iconographers and songwriters and poets have memorialized this night. And we have been graced with the beauty of their efforts to the point where each of us has a picture in our minds of what this night looked like all those years ago. And they are beautiful images – so many glorious and joyful representations of that special night.

            But I want you to put all of those images aside for a moment – including the beautiful nativity scene that you see in front of you. Instead, I want you to picture a night when a transient young woman and her betrothed stop in a remote village as she gives birth to her child. I want you to see a young couple, far away from home, scared and anxious about this child they are about to have. See the meager surroundings – a stable that is not even totally enclosed – all that was available to them as strangers.

            And now see the baby – naked and cold until his mother wraps him in rags. Hungry and crying until his mother nurses him to feed him.  Born far from family, friends, - homeless and without anyone to witness his birth and celebrate with his parents other than some dirty shepherds that were in the neighboring fields.

            This is how Jesus comes into the world – naked, hungry, cold, homeless. Is it any wonder that he would later teach us to clothe the naked, feed the hungry, welcome the stranger? I wonder sometimes if this deep compassion that he felt came from his very own experiences from the moment of his birth.

            Jesus born hungry, cold, homeless - means that Jesus is, yes, Emmanuel, God With Us, but he is also God OF us. God became what we are. And what are we? Well, we are frequently weak, unpredictable creatures, tied down by the limitations of time and space. Jesus not only took on our flesh and bone but took on our frailty as well. We are prone to illness, and moodiness, and loneliness…but God OF us means that we have a way out of all of that – we have a God who is not distant from us but is so close to us because God became OF us.

            God OF us means that just as Jesus shared in our humanity, we have the possibility of a share in his divine life. We no longer need to be afraid. No matter what it is that we are experiencing, all of our trials, all of our challenges, our loneliness, our discomforts – we know that God understands because in Jesus we have God OF us.

             That means that our faith is a faith of hope and not of despair; a faith of joy and not of anxiety; a faith of confidence and not of fear. For God came so very close to us in Jesus of Nazareth. And so tonight we celebrate those events of 2,000 years ago knowing that because of this night our lives and the lives of all people are changed – because God is OF us. 

Gaudete! Rejoice!

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent - Cycle A

December 15, 2013

A few weeks ago Pope Francis issued his Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium – the Joy of the Gospel. For the past few weeks we have been singing the refrain to O Come O Come Emmanuel – Rejoice, rejoice! The entrance antiphon for today’s liturgy- if you checked it out in the Missalette – comes from Paul’s letter to the Philippians: Rejoice in the Lord always; I say again, rejoice! Indeed the Lord is near!

           It is this phrase that is the reason this is called Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent, the Sunday of Joy – and the name Gaudete comes from the Latin version of the Entrance Antiphon.  The readings, the prayers of the Mass, everything is intended to lift our spirits to joy. The third candle on our Advent wreath is pink, or technically, rose-colored – the color of joy – a mixture of purple and white. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice.

            That’s a whole lot of rejoicing! And then we look around in our families, in our neighborhoods, in our country, in our world, and we might wonder what there is to rejoice about. All of us know someone who is out of work, or underemployed, or having hard financial times. All of us know someone who is suffering with illness, or has lost a loved one.

            The holidays especially can be difficult times for us as we struggle to make sense of the inconsistency between the happiness that we are supposed to have at the holidays and the pain or sadness we might feel. That’s why we are providing pamphlets that we have in a display in the side vestibule that might help you or someone you know cope with the emotional roller coaster of the holidays.

            And yet we are still encouraged to rejoice, to be joyful. Our readings (and Pope Francis) might help us to figure out how to deal with this incongruity.

            The first reading invites us to be filled with joy and to express it in singing and rejoicing – even when everything seems bleak. The Israelites had been exiled into Babylon, and they were awaiting a restoration of their homeland – and once they returned, they are to be joyful, even in the middle of the rubble of their Temple and the ashes of Jerusalem.  This is not a dismissal of reality, but was an expression of hope that God will restore and save and bring the parched desert to a place of fragrant flowers. Their joy was to come from a trust and confidence in God – because they had encountered a God who had saved them.

            This is no small feat – think about how hard we make it to be joyful even at times when we should have no problem with it at all. There is the story of the mother and her young daughter who went out for a day of Christmas shopping and after going from store to store and being in all kinds of crowds, they were leaving one of the last stores, and in a voice of tired exasperation, the mother said to her daughter, “Did you see the nasty look that saleswoman gave me?” The daughter replied, “Oh no, Mommy, you had that nasty look when we left the house this morning!”

            We fail to be people of joy because we mistake joy for getting everything we want – we mistake joy for satisfaction. But that’s not joy. Pope Francis says that if we want to lead a dignified and fulfilling life – a life of joy, we have to reach out to others and seek their good. The joy we are about is the joy of the Gospel – the joy of the good news – the joy that fills the hearts and lives of those who encounter Jesus.

            What happens when people encounter Jesus? The gospel makes clear the result of an encounter with Jesus: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. Maybe we find joy so hard because we fail to realize that this is us: we are the blind and the lame and the leper and the deaf and the dead and the poor. We are blind to the sufferings of people across the world, across the country or across the street; we are lame in our walk of faith and conversion and take steps with Jesus only half-heartedly; we are lepers, separated from our families and our loved ones because of old quarrels, old hurts, old scars; we are deaf to those who need us just to listen to them for a while; we are dead in our spiritual life, just going through the motions at Mass and having a prayer life that is on life-support; we are the poor who desperately need the Good News proclaimed to us so that we can be heralds of that same Good News to others.

            When we realize the opportunity for transformation that we have in Jesus – we can shout Gaudete! Rejoice! because we allow ourselves to be transformed by him. Pope Francis says that with Jesus, joy is constantly born anew – and that no one – no one – is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord.

            This season of Advent calls us to reform ourselves, calls us to conversion. We are called to clean ourselves up to make room for the coming of the Lord – we are to make room for that personal encounter with Jesus that we celebrate at Christmas.

            And once we realize our need for Jesus and open ourselves up to an encounter with him we can say: Rejoice in the Lord always – I say again, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near!

Joy to the World!

Justice Perspective – December 2013

            Have you had enough of Christmas sale advertisements yet? Are you almost wishing that we would just get it over with? Does it seem like the whole shopping and decorating season began even earlier this year?

            With still weeks to go before the actual celebration of Christmas, it is easy to get caught up in the hype and the commercialism of the season.  Each year we hear messages that criticize how Christmas is even more about buying and less about Jesus. And each year we agree and shake our heads and long for the days when it wasn’t so.

           

            But are we doing anything differently this year to change any of that? Are we actually willing to find a way to make a difference?

           

            Unfortunately, I was not able to find any survey that compared the Christmas shopping habits of Catholics to other Americans, but it would be a fair guess to suppose that we are not very different. After all, American Catholics vote like other Americans, hold views about the death penalty and other issues like other Americans – why assume that we would shop any differently?

            And perhaps that’s where the problem is. Catholic Social Teaching has long supported the dignity of work and the rights of workers. But how many Catholics were in the throngs that stormed the doors of more than a dozen stores that are now open on Thanksgiving evening? The workers of many of these stores were told “don’t even ask” for time off that day, meaning that any time they intended to spend the holiday with family was now gone.

            Catholic teaching has also professed the dignity of people and the preferential option for the poor. Where are those values in how Catholics shop and spend at Christmas? Latest estimates from economists are that the “average American family” will spend over $750 this year on Christmas gifts, decorations, cards, trees, and food. And about thirty percent of Americans will spend over one thousand dollars.

            All of that adds up to total spending by Americans – on “holiday spending” for 2013 – of over $600 billion. (Yes, that is with a “b”). Experts predict that we will spend over $24 billion on decorations and flowers alone. Is there any reason to believe that Catholics spend any differently than the “average American family”?

            Maybe we have to do things differently if we want to break the cycle of commercialism and consumption and replace it with compassion and Christ-centeredness. A few years ago Catholic Relief Services (CRS) began a “Joy to the World” campaign that was intended to focus on the blessings of Christmas and provide ways for people to honor loved ones by giving gifts that give twice – once by helping the poor overseas and also by honoring those on our gift giving list. CRS had a three-fold program that provides principles for making Christmas a real celebration of the birth of Jesus: Prepare prayerfully, shop responsibly, and give generously.

            Preparing prayerfully means taking the time to reflect on how the incarnation of Jesus brings infinite dignity to all people. Shopping responsibly means buying fair trade gifts when we can, and at least patronizing retailers and manufacturers that have fair labor practices. Giving generously means setting aside a percentage of our spending and donating that money to life-giving projects and community-building aid to the world’s poor – in the name of those we love.

            If we are willing to be different, we can still make Christmas an authentic celebration of Jesus’ birth and through our compassion bring joy to the world.  

Is Labor Day Still Relevant?

Justice Perspective, September, 2013, WNY Catholic

            

Did you know that Labor Day was declared a national holiday in 1894 during the Presidency of Grover Cleveland? Or that it was established in response to the killing by the US military of 30 workers striking against the Pullman Railway company?

            Did you know that just three years earlier in 1891 Pope Leo XIII issued his encyclical Rerum Novarum, on the rights of workers and the dignity of work?

            As we celebrate Labor Day 2013 we should be conscious of what the holiday is all about and what the Church teaches about the issue of work and workers. Unfortunately, it seems that we have allowed the retail industry in this country to hijack this holiday and turn it into nothing more than another reason to participate in our national pastime of shopping.

            The tragedy is that while many people use Labor Day to shop, those who work in the retail industry not only do not have a holiday, but frequently have to work even longer hours to accommodate the extra business. And retail employment in our country accounts for 24% - nearly one fourth - of all jobs, so a significant number of our citizens are compelled to work on a day that was intended to honor workers.

            In their 2013 Labor Day Statement, the US Bishops remind us that each Labor Day “is an opportunity to take stock of the ways workers are honored and respected.” And it seems that if we “take stock” honestly, we might conclude that honor and respect for workers is, perhaps, at its lowest point since the sweat shops and child labor factories of the early 1900s.

            The Bishops point out that half of the jobs in our country pay less than $27,000 per year. That is the poverty line for a family of five. The Church has consistently supported the moral obligation of paying workers a “just wage”, which the Church defines as the amount necessary for a person to provide for their own material, social, cultural, and spiritual life and that of their dependents.  How many people do you know that can do that on $27,000 a year or less?

            Acknowledging the widening gap between the affluent and the poorest people in our nation, the Bishops say that the only way to reduce that gap is by creating quality jobs that provide a just compensation and enable workers to live in the dignity appropriate for themselves and their families. And yet so many employers continue to move jobs overseas, or employ increasing numbers of part-time workers to avoid paying benefits, or encourage employment turnover to keep mostly lower-paid workers.

            Consider, too, that there has been a consistent effort on the part of employers to eliminate and prevent unions from representing workers. In 2012, only 11.3% of public and private workers were part of a union – down from 20.1% just thirty years ago in 1983.  And for private sector workers, only 6.6% of them are represented by unions. The Bishops highlight that Catholic teaching has consistently affirmed the right of workers to choose to form a union and bargain collectively. These days this right is being squashed in both the public and private sectors.

            As Catholics, we should either follow the request of our Bishops to promote the dignity of the human person through work that is honorable, pays just wages and recognizes the God-given dignity of the working person; or we should just stop celebrating “Labor Day”.

Good News People!

Homily for the 21st Sunday in Ordinary Time - August 25, 2013

Readings: Isaiah 66:18-21; Psalm 117:1,2(Go out to all the world and tell the good news); Hebrews 12:5-7,11-13; Luke 13:22-30

(NOTE: This homily was prepared to introduce a new parish program called "Good News People" published by JustFaith Ministries. The "infomercial" at the end of the homily reflects that.)

            Who doesn’t love getting good news?

            Think of all the instances of good news in our lives: “We’re getting married!” “I found a job”! “We’re having a baby!” “I got into college!” “I got a promotion!”

            And even some of the less obvious things that we share: “I made a new friend”; “I made up with my sister”; “I’m feeling much better now”.

            And now think about the ultimate Good News that we heard in today’s readings – that God has come to gather people from all languages to proclaim God’s glory – that people will come from the north and south and east and west to recline at the table in God’s kingdom. God has given us salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ – what better news could there be than that?

            And, for those of us who do believe that God has redeemed us in Christ Jesus, we have a mission – as our Psalm says: “Go out to all the world and tell the Good News”. Good news has to be shared!

            It is our obligation as baptized Christians to go out and spread the Good News. But – how do we do that? Certainly, we have opportunities to spread the Good News in our conversations within our family or others that we pray with or are friends with. We have opportunities to do that in the way that we live and how behave at work, and with our friends and family. But we have to do it – being a disciple means having a deep relationship with Jesus, not just a casual one. Jesus warns us in today’s Gospel that those of us who rely on just “eating and drinking” with him, or just “listening” to his teaching may find ourselves on the outside of the gates. It takes action – it takes growth – it takes what Pope Francis has said, “going outside of ourselves”.

            But here is the catch: The truth is that, as the old Latin saying goes, “Nemo dat quod non habet” – “You can’t give what you don’t have”. And so, we have to continue to grow in our relationship with the Lord in order to share the Good News with others.

            Our parish is beginning a program to help you make that kind of growth in your relationship with Jesus even deeper. It is called the Good News People program. It is a combination of Scripture reflection, small group sharing, study of Church teaching, and individual prayer and action. We are inviting you to be a part of it. You will meet for seven sessions in the fall, and seven sessions in the spring – a total of 14 times between now and next summer. We will also have a little get-together before we begin and something at the end as well.

            We will be forming groups of about 10 people to meet together for these sessions. You are welcome to form your own group with folks that you already have something going with – perhaps you are on a committee like the decorating committee or the social committee, or you are part of a group like the Knights or Holy Name, or the choir. Or, you can just choose the day and time that is most convenient for you and we will put you together in groups with similar available times! We will be having sessions in the evenings as well as during the day for those who are retired or don’t like to go out in the evening or who work another shift.

            Each group will be led by a facilitator who will be trained to lead the discussion for the group, and everyone will get a binder that will have materials for reading, journaling, and reflection.

            You can take one of the RSVP cards that we will be handing out this weekend – and you can indicate your interest without making a firm commitment. Please give us your name, phone and email and either indicate that you are ready to sign up, or maybe want to be a facilitator, or maybe you are interested but not sure. Just write that on the RSVP – or write your question on the back.

            We want to help our parish grow into a community of disciples that are Good News People. Please join us on the journey by signing up to be a part of the process and together we will go out to all the world to tell the Good News.

The Indignity of Solitary Confinement

August 2013 Justice Perspective

            Anyone who has seen the movie Cool Hand Luke starring Paul Newman will remember the explanation of the rules by Boss Carr: “Any man forgets his [clothes] number spends a night in the box…Any man loses his spoon spends a night in the box…Any man fighting in the building spends a night in the box…Any man not in his bunk at eight spends a night in the box…” And on it goes for another six or seven rules.

            What might be a humorous scene in the movie represents a very serious situation for many men and women who are incarcerated. “The box” is commonly known as solitary confinement – sometimes called isolated confinement. The New York State prison system has developed a system of solitary confinement called “Special Housing Units” (SHUs) since the 1970s.

            In these SHUs inmates spend 23 hours a day in a single cell and are denied any programming or religious worship, and are offered only limited privileges to visitation. Current plans by the State call for long periods of confinement in cells that severely restrict access to personal hygiene, physical exercise, human contact and religious worship. Estimates are that there are 4,500 inmates across the State in SHUs on any given day – upwards of 35% higher than the average of other states.

            The New York State Catholic Conference had spoken to this issue as one of its 2012 Legislative Agenda items. The Conference recognized that managing the prisons “clearly depends in part on the ability of correction officers and administrators to discipline inmates for infractions of facility rules.” A program of discipline helps to keep officers and other inmates alike safe from violence and able to exercise their rights.

            The question is, the Conference said, whether “the conditions under which they operate, the extent of their use, and the extended length of time of their use” is such that it denies the inmates their human dignity and whether punishment overrides concerns for safety, rehabilitation or restitution.

            SHUs are but one example of the issue that crime and criminal justice pose for us as Catholics. The US Bishops addressed this moral issue in their document Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration issued in 2000. They note that “our society seems to prefer punishment to rehabilitation and retribution to restoration thereby indicating a failure to recognize prisoners as human beings.”

           

            The Bishops go on to point out that approaching “criminal justice” in a way that is inspired by our Catholic vision is a paradox. On the one hand, “we cannot and will not tolerate behavior that threatens lives and violates the rights of others. We believe in responsibility, accountability, and legitimate punishment.”

            However, a Catholic approach “does not give up on those who violate these laws. We believe that both victims and offenders are children of God…Their lives and dignity should be protected and respected. We seek justice, not vengeance.”

            Blessed Pope John Paul II said this:  “We are still a long way from the time when our conscience can be certain of having done everything possible to prevent crime and to control it effectively so that it no longer does harm and, at the same time, to offer to those who commit crimes a way of redeeming themselves and making a positive return to society. “

            Our Bishops ask us to advocate for a system that simultaneously seeks justice for the victims of crime and upholds the dignity of inmates. We are still a long way off, indeed.

Lord, Teach Us to Pray

Homily for the 17th Sunday of Ordinary Time - Year C

(Readings: Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138:1-8; Colossians 2:12-14: Luke 11:1-13)

         What is it you pray for? Do you have confidence that God will hear your prayer? Do you trust that when you call on God you will be answered?

          I remember that a retreat director once described the four different kinds of prayer in four simple words: "Thanks", "Wow", "Sorry", "Please". Four different kinds of prayer - but doesn’t it seem like we focus so much on the last – Please?

          And there’s nothing wrong with that – if we have a relationship with God, we are bound to ask our friend for something. It is the give and take of any relationship.

          Look at Abraham – how bold he was in bargaining with God. Each time that God agreed to lower the threshold, Abraham asked for more – and each time God agreed again.

          And we bargain with God too, sometimes, don’t we? There is the story of the man who went Christmas shopping at the mall when the parking lot was full and on perhaps the worst weather day of the year – the kind of day when the snow was blowing horizontally and the ice keeps gathering on your windshield – on the inside! And as he was looking for a parking space, he began making promises to God – “if you show me a space, I’ll start going to Church again every week, and I’ll begin giving money to the poor, and I won’t be such a grump to the people I work with…” and at that a space right by the door opened up and the man said, “Nevermind, God – I’ve got this!”

          How often do we look at prayer like that – like it’s some kind of deal that we’re making with God? Or how often do we see prayer as some sort of heavenly candy machine – as long as we put in the right amount of prayer we will get candy dropped in our lap.

          And so we ask God for all kinds of things – at least I do, don’t you? And why not; Jesus tells us in today’s gospel to ask, and seek and to knock, to ask for our daily bread - and that covers a lot of territory! Over the years, I’ve prayed to find a job, or prayed that my father-in-law be healed from cancer, or prayed that my kids arrive home safely – and you better believe that I was storming heaven with prayer when I was in the middle of my heart attack!

          But as I get older and reflect on my prayer life, I have come to realize that behind so many of the things that I have prayed for has been a gnawing fear of losing the people I love and the things I have become attached to. And then I compare that to what Jesus instructs his disciples to pray for: what we need just for today; to pray for forgiveness and to be able to forgive all the debts that others owe us; and to pray that we might be saved from the test that we would surely fail.

          Most of all, by calling God “Father”, “Abba”, “Daddy”, and recognizing God’s name as holy, and calling for the coming of God’s kingdom, Jesus is instructing us to pray in a climate of trust and love. And this, I believe, is the point of why Jesus instructs us to ask, and seek, and knock.

          All of our asking, and seeking and knocking don’t make God more attentive – God already knows what we need before we even utter a word. Instead, our prayer makes us more receptive. When we ask for anything for ourselves or for another, we become mindful of how much we need and how needy we all are – and perhaps we become more compassionate and more understanding, and more willing to do something about all the needs we see around us. The effectiveness of prayer is found in the change it effects in us, not in God. Prayer may not change the situations for which we pray, but frequently we change in the praying. Prayer may not change things for you, but it sure changes you for things.

          When we ask and seek and knock, in one way or another we are opening ourselves to God’s will. When we put ourselves in God’s presence and ask and seek and knock, we acknowledge that we are not in control, that there is something greater than us, and that it is God’s will that we are seeking. And when we have the grace to discover God’s will, we then ask for the courage and the strength to do it. That is the gift of the Spirit that Jesus promises we will receive.

          During the next week, in all of your prayers, be as bold as Abraham, and as courageous as Jesus taught us to be. And then, in your conversation with God, wait with patience, and humility, and faith – and ask to be given the Spirit in order to be an instrument of God’s will to bring the kingdom to earth.

My homily for this weekend:

The Cost of Discipleship

1 Kings 19:16-21; Psalm 16:1-11; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62

     Are you the disciple that Jesus has called you to be?

     Our readings today tell us that our commitment to follow Jesus must be radical, absolute, and wholehearted. What does this imply for us? What does discipleship require of us?

     In the first reading, Elisha was called to leave everything behind and go with Elijah. Elisha slaughtered his oxen and burned his plows. Don’t we look for the bare minimum of what “counts” to be a disciple rather than offering our whole lives in commitment?

     In the second reading, St. Paul tells us that the entire law can be summed up in “Love your neighbor as yourself”. Do we look at that as a command to “be nice” to other people? Or do we see it as a serious call to be a disciple of the one whose total sacrifice for others we celebrate around this table?

     The gospel tells us that Jesus “turned his face toward Jerusalem” – knowing full well what was in store for him there: betrayal, torture, and death. But how easily do we turn away from our commitment as a disciple when it looks like it’s getting too hard?

     Jesus told one enthusiastic young man that he would have to give up his comfortableness to follow him. How often do we choose the “comfortable” path or the easy way instead of the difficult way of discipleship?

     When Jesus called two others, they made excuses for why they couldn't follow him right now. Don’t we also make excuses for why it is not convenient right now to proclaim the kingdom of God? 

     Jesus says that no one who looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God. Do we let our fondness for the past, or our regrets, or our hesitations, or our indecision, or our fear keep us from giving ourselves totally to following Jesus?

     Are you the disciple that Jesus has called you to be? What is keeping you from it? And what are you going to do, beginning right now, to change that?

Defending What is Right - and the Need to Think Critically

      I really feel the need to defend President Obama on his speech in Northern Ireland. Let's be clear - I am NOT a fan of President Obama. I repeat - I am NOT a fan. Got it? From his stance on abortion, to his persistent use of drones, to his inability to close Guantanamo, to...you name it. Suffice it to say I would not vote for him if he was running for reelection. But, that being said, the headlines claiming that he called for "closing Catholic schools" are outrageous and incorrect. If anyone who passed this around would have actually checked their facts and read his speech, they would never had stated this untruth.
     I have put a link to the transcript of his speech below from the Daily Kos - the only place I could find a full transcript when I Googled it. If you have the time (and it will probably take 20 minutes or so), read his speech. He actually said some very insightful and inspiring things to young people in Northern Ireland about  maintaining and amplifying the peace that was won at so great a cost 15 years ago.
     In that context, he was talking about removing barriers to understanding as a way to "wage peace". He was talking about how much work there is to do, about how much resistance there still is, how tenuous the peace is in Northern Ireland. Now, let's remember - who was at war with each other in Northern Ireland? Catholics and Protestants. And the point that he made was that segregated schools, and segregated housing - where there is no opportunity for one group to interact with and understand the other - can be barriers to peace.
     And he is right. The more that we see "the other" as different, and dangerous, and even demonic, the more likely we are to wage war, not wage peace. He was not calling for closing Catholic schools any more than he was calling for closing Protestant schools. I have included the relevant section below. Read it - in context!  - and you will see what he actually said.
     The point here is this - we are sorely lacking these days in any critical thinking. People take what they are given by whatever source they listen to and run with it. Over and over again I see unthinking statements from all corners that are obviously wrong, and illogical, and just plain bone-headed. And people pass them on without thinking.
     It seems to me that we have a responsibility to ourselves and to the common good to THINK. We owe others the respect that comes from reflection and research. We have a duty to use the gift of reason that God gave us and to infuse it with compassion and a predisposition to trust.
     The next time that you are tempted to "share" an item that is inflammatory, or to forward an email about something that a politician or a Church leader or business executive said - you owe it to those who will receive it to have verified it and be assured that it is true.
     Here is a copy of the relevant portion of President Obama's speech:

We need you to get this right.  And what’s more, you set an example for those who seek a peace of their own.  Because beyond these shores, right now, in scattered corners of the world, there are people living in the grip of conflict -- ethnic conflict, religious conflict, tribal conflicts -- and they know something better is out there.  And they’re groping to find a way to discover how to move beyond the heavy hand of history, to put aside the violence.  They’re studying what you’re doing.  And they’re wondering, perhaps if Northern Ireland can achieve peace, we can, too.  You’re their blueprint to follow.  You’re their proof of what is possible -- because hope is contagious.  They’re watching to see what you do next.

     Now, some of that is up to your leaders.  As someone who knows firsthand how politics can encourage division and discourage cooperation, I admire the Northern Ireland Executive and the Northern Ireland Assembly all the more for making power-sharing work.  That’s not easy to do.  It requires compromise, and it requires absorbing some pain from your own side.  I applaud them for taking responsibility for law enforcement and for justice, and I commend their effort to “Building a United Community” -- important next steps along your transformational journey.

     Because issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity -- symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others -- these are not tangential to peace; they’re essential to it.  If towns remain divided -- if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs -- if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear or resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division.  It discourages cooperation.  

     Ultimately, peace is just not about politics.  It’s about attitudes; about a sense of empathy; about breaking down the  divisions that we create for ourselves in our own minds and our own hearts that don’t exist in any objective reality, but that we carry with us generation after generation.

Here is the link to the entire speech: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/06/17/1216765/-Transcript-of-town-hall-with-President-Obama-and-Michelle-Obama-in-Northern-Ireland

Father's Day Thoughts

On this Father's Day, with all of the wonderful and sincere "Happy Father's Day" wishes that I receive, I am reminded of the the three reasons why I am so thankful today.

First is that I am lucky enough to have my Dad still with me. I appreciate each day that he is still around, and I count my blessings to have had him in my life. I hope that I have, in some small way, been as good a son to him as he has been a father to me. Now that we have an adult relationship, we often relate to each other more as friends - and for that I am truly grateful.

The second cause of my gratefulness today comes in the form of the three all-grown-up "kids" that I am a father to. I couldn't be prouder of any three people in the whole world than Chris, Don, and Kathie. Each of them is unique, and each of them is so different that I wonder sometimes if they grew up in the same household. But they have this in common: they love passionately, they play joyously, and they care deeply about the things that really matter. Chris and Kathie have chosen Mike and Jim, respectively as their husbands - wonderful men who love them and who have blessed me with being a "father-in-law". Being a father to adult children is a whole different thing than being a Daddy to little ones. Where I used to have specific expectations and rules, I now have an all-embracing wish for their success and joy - not so much in the material things, but that they find real love, happiness, and peace in themselves and in those they love.

Finally, being a father has been the doorway to becoming a grandfather, and what an amazing opportunity for joy and wonder that has been. Michael has helped me understand that bumper sticker that I saw years ago: "If I knew grandchildren were this much fun, I would've had them first!". To be able to have the opportunity to once again see the world through eyes of wonder and awe, to feel the delight and the excitement that small things bring, and to be loved unconditionally brings a new perspective to me after having seem so much "reality" in the life I have had.

So, to Dad, Chris, Don, Kathie, and Michael, and to Mike and Jim as well - thank you for the blessing that each of you is to me. I can't think of a better Father's Day gift than to have each of you as a part of my life. I love you all, and hope that I continue to be blessed by your presence for years to come.

This is a copy of my June article for the WNY Catholic newspaper on "Peace on Earth" - Pope John XXIII's encyclical from 50 years ago this past spring. Comments are, as always, welcome!

The Arms Race and Peace on Earth

Justice Perspective

Deacon Don Weigel

            I remember being really scared as a young boy by the possibility that our country would be entering into nuclear war. It was October of 1962, and the U.S. and Russia were staring each other down in what was later called the “Cuban Missile Crisis”. Blessed Pope John XXIII, urged both parties to “spare the world from the horrors of a war whose terrifying consequences no one can predict”.  A short time later, Russia withdrew the missiles from Cuba and war was averted.

          In April of 1963, Pope John XXIII issued his encyclical Peace on Earth (Pacem in terris), and this year we celebrate the 50^th anniversary of this amazing document. The topic of the encyclical is, as its title suggests, peace; but only the last chapters deal with the traditional issues of international peace. The beginning of the document is a long essay on all of the issues that support a peaceful earth: human rights, responsibilities, relations between people, and a very profound section that defines the “common good”.

         

          What is really significant is that Pope John interprets international relations based on the rights and dignity of human beings. He reasons that since all people have rights to a worthy standard of living, to food, clothing, shelter, and medical care, then whatever prevents societies from being able to provide those things to its citizens works against the common good.

          In particular, this is one of his major criticisms of the “arms race” at the time. Not only does it produce a world that lives in fear, but it increases the likelihood that war, in fact, will break out given the build-up of weapons around the world. Pope John called desperately for reducing the production of all weapons, and made an appeal that the stockpiles of weapons should be decreased, that all nuclear weapons should be banned, and nations should stop the financial outlay on armaments.

          Given this papal teaching, what are we to think about the current situation of arms and weapons in our own country? The state of affairs here in the U.S. is quite disturbing in light of this encyclical by Pope John.

          For example, here in the United States we spent over $1 trillion (yes, that’s trillion) on the military last year, including the costly wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. That number includes defense, weapons, nuclear arms, military personnel – everything related to our military operations.

          And, most startling, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, that represents over 40% of all the spending on military in the entire world. By comparison, China’s spending, which is second, is only about 8%, and Russia’s is only about 4%. With what Pope John said about reducing spending on arms, shouldn't we be uncomfortable with that amount of money going to military purposes?

          When it comes to nuclear stockpiles, it is estimated that the United States has over 7.700 nuclear weapons right now. And, we are planning to spend over $600 billion over the next ten years to increase that number. How can we reconcile that with Pope John’s teaching (and continued Catholic teaching) about reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons?

          These are very difficult questions that we must wrestle with as Catholics – both in our own consciences as well as in our parishes and our schools and in discussion with each other. What seems to be clear is that we cannot dismiss this landmark teaching of Blessed Pope John XXIII easily without risking doing damage to our Catholic conscience. 

The Consistent Life Ethic – "All Life Matters"                                              

  
        This is a copy of my "Justice Perspective" article that appeared in the May issue of the Western New York Catholic, the newspaper for the Diocese of Buffalo.          

          
           Early last month three pictures came across my laptop screen on the same day. One was a picture of 11 young Afghani children who had been killed in a NATO raid on a Taliban leader’s house. The second was a photo of a Planned Parenthood executive who, while testifying to the Florida Legislature, could not bring herself to condemn killing babies who had survived a botched abortion. The third was a poster that had images of people who had died from being aborted, bombed, executed, and euthanized. The caption read, “Be Consistent: All Life Matters”.

            All life matters, indeed.  First and foremost in Catholic morality and social doctrine is this theme: respect for human life and the promotion of human dignity. No matter what aspect of Catholic Social Teaching we are discussing, this most basic of principles guides our thinking and our action. In its most popular phrasing, we say that because it is a gift from God, every human life is sacred from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death.

            This basic truth has led to a way of thinking about the life and dignity of human persons called the “consistent life ethic”. An abbreviated statement of this ethic is that “all life matters” – ALL life, no matter the circumstances, heritage, ability or disability, color, race, belief, gender, sexual orientation, history, family situation, economic status, country of origin, nationality, illness or strength, or any other aspect of social definition you can think of.

            The “consistent life ethic” was at the heart of Pope John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), in which he quotes this long but powerful excerpt from Vatican II’s Gaudium et spes: "Whatever is opposed to life itself, such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia, or willful self-destruction, whatever violates the integrity of the human person, such as mutilation, torments inflicted on body or mind, attempts to coerce the will itself; whatever insults human dignity, such as subhuman living conditions, arbitrary imprisonment, deportation, slavery, prostitution, the selling of women and children; as well as disgraceful working conditions, where people are treated as mere instruments of gain rather than as free and responsible persons; all these things and others like them are infamies indeed.”

            The “consistent life ethic” presents a great challenge to us: it calls us to defend life and human dignity in ways that are sometimes counter-cultural or, at least, at odds with popular, or prevalent, or political attitudes. As clear as it is to oppose abortion, we are also called to oppose capital punishment. While we speak out against euthanasia, we have to simultaneously be against the use of drones that indiscriminately kill civilians as well as combatants. If we are going to be credible when we contest embryonic stem cell research, we have to just as forcefully be in opposition to the continued proliferation of nuclear weapons that are built to wipe out millions of people at one time.

            The “consistent life ethic”, although basic to an understanding of Catholic Social Doctrine, tests the limits of our resolve to defend life. It is simply not enough for us to be pro-life on some issues; we have to be pro-life on all issues. We must be consistent in our opposition to everything that demeans or diminishes life or reduces human dignity – from abortion to poverty, from euthanasia to war. Our faith would remind us of this simple truth: “Be Consistent: All Life Matters”.

Gun Control - A Life Issue

This is a copy of my "Justice Perspective" article that appeared in the April issue of the Western New York Catholic, the newspaper for the Diocese of Buffalo.

Gun Control: A Life Issue

            In a recent entry to his blog, “The Gospel in the Digital Age”, Cardinal Timothy Dolan came out strongly in favor of gun control, both on the national level and on the State level as well. The Cardinal recounted that while he was watching President Obama’s State of the Union address, during which the President called for “common sense” reform of gun regulations, he found himself “nodding in agreement”. The Cardinal also mentioned his support for the recently-enacted gun control law in New York State.

            Cardinal Dolan rightly mentioned that supporting gun control is nothing new for the Church – the Church has long been supportive of limiting international arms trading, reducing the number of handguns on the streets and banning assault weapons.

            In 1975, the Bishops issued Handgun Violence: A Threat to Life which stressed that “the cost of this [handgun] violence in terms of human life and suffering is enormous” and proposed legislation to control handguns, hopefully leading to their eventual elimination (with exceptions, of course, for law enforcement). At the time that they wrote, there were approximately 40 million handguns in our country – there are now over 105 million.

            The Bishops made similar calls for regulation and control of all firearms in Confronting A Culture Of Violence: A Catholic Framework for Action (1995), Community and Crime (1978), and Responsibility, Rehabilitation, and Restoration (2000). Clearly, the Bishops have had a long history of taking a stand in an effort to reduce the availability of weapons in order to reduce the violence that stems from that availability.

            And their calls for regulation are not only pastorally imperative, but common sense: a recent study by the Center for Disease Control found a direct correlation between tighter gun control laws and a reduction in gun-related deaths. There was no other factor that had such a direct correlation – not population density, stress, nor mental illness.

            It is puzzling to see so many Catholics who allow their thinking on this issue to be more influenced by their political leanings than Gospel values and Catholic Social Teaching. The Bishops repeatedly remind us of the proper perspective, as they did in Handgun Violence: “We affirm the traditional principle that individual rights to private property are limited by the universal demands of social order and human safety as well as the common good.”

            While some may argue about the Constitutional right of owning a firearm, we need to constantly assert that while the Constitution is excellent law, it is not divine law – it is not revelation. As difficult as it may be sometimes, we are called to align our politics according to our faith, not the other way around.

            Most compelling, perhaps, in Cardinal Dolan’s observations is his correlation between gun control and other life issues. “For me, regulating and controlling guns is part of building a Culture of Life, of doing what we can to protect and defend human life. The easy access to guns, including assault weapons, that exists in our nation has contributed towards a Culture of Death, where human life and dignity are cheapened by the threat of violence.”

            The association of gun control and a “Culture of Life” moves us closer to reminding ourselves of the need to have a consistent ethic of life – opposing everything that detracts from human life and dignity. We must be consistent in our opposition to abortion, the prevalence of firearms, the use of violence to solve problems, the death penalty – everything that diminishes the value of life and human dignity. It is, simply, a requirement of our faith.

Reflection on Today's Gospel - Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent

Here is a reflection on today's gospel reading (John 7:40-53) that I wrote for the Daily Reflections for Lent of Catholic Charities USA.

Reflection:  Reveling in Surprise

How are you at handling surprises? Disappointments? How do you react to setbacks? Or even an abrupt turn of events in a positive way?

It seems that there is something in our makeup that causes us to be thrown off when our expectations are not met. Certainly we recover much more quickly, and probably even enjoy the happy surprise or the sudden success. But in general, we are resistant to people and events that do not conform to our expectations, that disrupt our beliefs or our world view. 

Many people who witnessed the words of Jesus were surprised by his teaching and his insight. Some reacted positively, John tells us, and declared that he must be “the Prophet” or maybe even the Messiah, the Christ. Others, though, could not imagine that any prophet could come from Galilee – and certainly not the Messiah. Their expectations were for someone in David’s line who would restore the military and political independence of the people of Israel as it was in David’s time. No doubt this Jesus who spoke of love and new wine and the mercy of Abba could not be what they were looking for.

How often it is this way with us as well. No matter how much we love those with whom we work, and especially those we serve, we, too, tend to develop expectations and assumptions about them. How often we prejudge the person who sits in front of us asking for help. How often we are convinced that we know all about this new face for whom we are providing services – after all, haven’t we seen it all before?

Each time we take someone’s story for granted, or fail to see their individuality, we deny a little bit of their dignity and their humanity. Each time we make assumptions about where people come from or how valuable they are or are not, we reduce our own ability to see them for their true self. 

We are called to be a people that revels in surprise. Our God has surprised us throughout salvation history by turning the world upside down. We, too, should be prepared to be surprised by everyone we meet.

For reflection:

1.         During this Lent, re-examine the assumptions and presuppositions you have about the people with whom you come in contact.  What are the times when you are most surprised?

3.         What expectations do you have about people, about God, or about the world that you might have to let go? 

Justice for Immigrants

            After a number of years of failed attempts at reforming our admittedly broken immigration system, there seems to be some political will to make something happen. A bipartisan group of Senators who got the ball rolling on this issue, met with fairly strong support, including from President Obama. This might be the year, at long last, that immigration reform becomes a reality.

            There will be, undoubtedly, a great deal of debate and discussion about the specifics of immigration reform. Elements of any proposal will deal with issues such as border security, amnesty (or a path to citizenship) for those already here, treatment of those who were brought here as minors, and regulations for employers. When examining all of these issues, we, as Catholics, are obligated to use our faith to inform our politics, not the other way around.

            Perhaps one of the most helpful documents of recent times is Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope, a Pastoral Letter concerning migration that was issued jointly by the Bishops of Mexico and the United States in 2003. Immigration from Mexico (or across Mexico’s border), will be the focus of the debate.

            Strangers No Longer was the result of a two-year collaborative process by the bishops of both countries, and observes the common role of immigration in the history of each country as well as the role that faith in Jesus Christ has had in the life of each nation.

            It may be that the most helpful insight for us of Strangers No Longer is the listing of “five principles” (Articles #33-38) that the bishops felt emerged from “the rich tradition of Church teachings with regard to migration”.  These principles have been drawn from Church documents as well as examples and stories in Scripture, from the Israelites fleeing Egypt to the family of Jesus as refugees fleeing persecution.

            Principle #1 – “Persons have the right to find opportunities in their homeland”.  People should expect to find economic, political and social opportunities in their own country that will give them the ability to live in dignity, including work that provides a living wage.

            Principle #2 – “Persons have the right to migrate to support themselves and their families”.  The goods of the earth belong to everyone, so people may need to migrate to survive, and sovereign nations should accommodate this right as a matter of justice.

            Principle #3 – “Sovereign nations have the right to control their borders”.  However, the Church rejects such control when it is exerted “merely for the purpose of acquiring additional wealth”. In fact, more prosperous nations have a stronger obligation to accommodate migrants who are less fortunate.

            Principle #4 – “Refugees and asylum seekers should be afforded protection”.  People fleeing wars and persecution should be protected by the global community, and individual nations should provide an opportunity for migrants to claim refugee status without imprisonment.

            Principle #5 – “The human dignity and human rights of undocumented migrants should be respected”. People have a right to all basic human needs: food, shelter, clothing, work, and health care, regardless of their legal status.

              Our faith calls us to view any proposed immigration legislation by these principles, making sure that it will “transform national and international social, economic, and political structures so that they may provide the conditions required for the development for all, without exclusion and discrimination against any person in any circumstance.” (#102).

            More information and opportunities for advocacy can be found at the US Bishops’ site for immigration issues: www.justiceforimmigrants.org. 

The Preferential Option for the Poor

            "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist."

 – Dom (Archbishop) Helder Camara

            In the past year, we have seen elections on all levels of government, debates and deals to avoid the “fiscal cliff”, more haggling over the “debt ceiling”…and on and on. Through it all there has been one question that has been conspicuous by its absence – “How will this affect the poor?”

            This is the fundamental question that needs to be asked when approaching any economic or social issue from a Catholic Social Teaching perspective. It is called the “fundamental option for the poor” and it is our challenge “to speak for the voiceless, to defend the defenseless, to assess life styles, policies, and social institutions in terms of their impact on the poor. ” (Economic Justice for All, #16). In other words, before we look at any other factors, any legislation or policy has to be viewed from the moral perspective of how well the poor and vulnerable will fare from that policy.

            To be clear, this teaching has been a part of the doctrine of the Church from its earliest writers, and in modern social thought, it has been framed to assert that “the poor and badly off have a  claim to special consideration” (Rerum Novarum #37). This special consideration includes not just social and economic policies, but the requirement for the more fortunate to “renounce some of their rights so as to place their goods more generously at the service of others” (Call to Action #32).

            The “option for the poor” is “not intended to be an adversarial slogan that pits one group or class against another. Rather it states that the deprivation and powerlessness of the poor wounds the whole community” (Economic Justice for All #88). It is a requirement of all of us and each of us to begin to heal these wounds by creating solidarity with the poor – to understand their difficulties in a compassionate way, and to recognize them as individuals with dignity and an infinite value in the eyes of God.

            And yet, the reality is that many of us tend to see “the poor” as nameless and faceless millions who are strangers and alien. Maybe one reason for this is our lack of actual involvement with poor people. Many people stress the generosity of our fellow citizens; Americans are known worldwide as a caring people who contribute to charities that benefit the sick and the poor. But how much time is spent actually engaging with poor people, seeing them face to face, knowing their names, listening to their stories?

            Poverty is not only having fewer financial resources than necessary – it is also accompanied by a lack of full participation in the social aspects of society, and an inability to influence decisions that affect one’s life. Spending time with people of need allows us to not only hear them with passionate concern, but to advocate for them, to stand up for them, and to help them find the resources that they need to pull themselves out of poverty.

            Lent begins this month, and the three traditional activities for Lent are prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. This Lent, perhaps we should consider almsgiving as not only giving of our financial wealth, but of our time as well by volunteering in a food pantry (Catholic Charities runs five of them), or in a dining hall (like St. Vincent de Paul’s). The “preferential option for the poor” requires us to stand with them and for them; to feed them, certainly, but also to ask why they are poor and advocate for policies that will lift them up and out of their poverty.

Homily for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Note: This homily was delivered on the weekend of January 12-13, 2013

(Readings: Isaiah 40:1-5, 9-11; Titus 2:11-14; 3:4-7; Luke 3:15-16; 21-22)

            The feast of the Baptism of the Lord is a feast of transitions. We are just finishing the joyous season of Christmas, and we are now beginning “Ordinary Time”. We are on the threshold of coming out of one time period and moving into another. This feast also marks the transition of Jesus from private life to public ministry. Jesus crosses the threshold in his Baptism from his life devoted to his family and his private expression of his faith to his public, outward expression of it.

            Over the next few weeks until we get into Lent, we will hear how Jesus celebrated a wedding with his friends; announced his mission to the poor, the captive, the blind, and the oppressed; how he was run out of town for his preaching. But it starts with this – his public baptism and the approval of the Father for his mission. He has moved from private prayer to public proclamation. He has crossed the threshold into another life.

            This feast should remind us as well that in Baptism we too are called to leave our old life behind – that our baptism, like that of Jesus, calls us to a commitment to continue the mission and the ministry of our Lord. We are called to cross that same threshold from private prayer to public proclamation of our faith.

            Each time we approach any threshold, we have a moment of decision. These are called “liminal” moments in spirituality lingo, moments when we are not quite in one place or another, like the transition between Christmas time and Ordinary Time. Each of these “liminal” moments is a moment of decision – we decide who we will be and what we will do when we cross that threshold.

            We have these liminal moments all the time. Each time we cross the threshold of our bedroom in the morning, we can choose what kind of person we will be to the people that live with us. We can choose to be a person of love, care, concern, or we can be focused on ourselves and our own problems of the day. Each time we cross the threshold into our office building or school or store where we work, we have a liminal moment – a moment of decision when we can choose what kind of person we will be as we interact with coworkers and customers. Will we be people who live temperately, justly and devoutly as our second reading says?

            Think of the liminal moment that you have when you come into and leave the Church today. The holy water that we have at the doors of the Church helps me to use those moments when I cross those thresholds to remember why I am entering and what kind of person I want to be when I leave. As I enter the Church, and I cross the threshold, I bless myself with holy water and remember with great gratitude my parents who brought me into the life of faith by bringing me to Baptism as an infant. On my way out, as I cross the threshold, I bless myself with holy water to remind myself that my Baptism calls me to be a public witness to my faith – to live a life as a faithful Catholic Christian in everything that I say and do.

            Each week when we cross that threshold to come into this Church, we are making a decision to hear the Word of God and to celebrate this Eucharist with everyone else who believes as well. By coming over that threshold, we are using that liminal moment to make the decision to express our faith together, to strengthen each other for our own journeys as we leave.

            And when we leave today, when we cross the threshold out into the world outside of our worship space, we have a decision to make. Are we going to leave our faith and our belief here in this space? Or are we going to witness to the mission and ministry of Jesus? Our baptism calls us to mission – to not leave our faith here, but to be a presence in the world, as our first reading says, who makes a straight highway for God in the wastelands of our lives, someone who will be a voice in the wilderness of our culture, someone who will fill in the valleys of the pain we see around us, and who will make the hills of greed and the mountains of power into a level plain.

            Today as you leave the Church, you will come to the threshold – you will have your liminal moment of decision to live out the Christian calling of your Baptism, or leave your faith behind in the walls of this worship space. My prayer for you, as I will say again as you leave, is that you go in peace to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord.