LIFE: PEOPLE MEETING PEOPLE – 

RESULTING  IN  GOSPEL OR  BADSPELL

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 4^th Monday in Lent is, “Life: People Meeting People – Resulting in Gospel or Badspell.”

Gospel as we know from church or the play “Godspell” means,  “Good News”.

“Badspell” – is a word I made up this morning – meaning “Bad News.” We’ve all said sometime in our life, “I’m going through a bad spell.”

So I really didn’t make up a new word.

Spell - without that second l – “spel” - is an old high German word. I saw it dated as before the 12^th century. It’s also a Middle English word – both the German and the English meaning is talk or tale.  It also is a word with a strong experience of enchantment and high energy in it.

LIFE

I like to stress that the key issue and energy in life is people – more than things.

The Catholic Church stresses people before stuff.

To be pro-life is to hold babies are more important than stuff for babies or for self.

To be pro-life is to have care and concern for all people – 8 months to 8 years  to 80 and beyond. You must have smiled about the comment in today’s first reading about making it to 100. Once more the text from Isaiah said, “He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years.”

To be pro-life for life is taking time to give time and presence to each other.

To be pro-life is to have in our hand another person’s hand – more than a TV remote.

TODAY’S GOSPEL: GOSPEL AND BADSPELL

Today’s gospel indicates that Jesus had some bad experiences – not just at Calvary – but in Capernaum and other places where people knew him as a small town carpenter.  Many rejected him.

There he was preaching good news – gospel – but he received in return – rejection: “badspell” – badnews.

In the Prologue of John we hear all this loud and clear:  “He came to what was his own, but his own people did not accept him.  But to those who did accept him he gave power to become children of God to those who believe in his name.” [John 1: 11-12]

In today’s gospel this royal official – perhaps not a Jew comes to Jesus – to have his son healed – and Jesus gives him “good news” “You may go. Your son will be healed.”

JESUS IS STRONG IN HIS CONCERN FOR KIDS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

Often in the gospels we see Jesus’ concern for children and young people.

To be pro-life is not only concerned about putting an end to abortion – we get that – having heard it in church over and over again for all these years.

I would stress not aborting life and recognition and attention and love and respect for those we meet each day.

I don’t know about you, but I often don’t look folks in the eye – or I’m not listening – and I avoid difficult people.

Communion, connecting, being with others can be hard work.

And this is not just kids and young people but all people.

Yesterday we celebrated the feast of St. Clement Hofbauer – the second founder of the Redemptorists – and we wouldn’t be in this specific church with these specific priests – if it wasn’t for him.

His goal was to preach the gospel anew.

We can preach the gospel anew every day in every way.

We can preach the gospel anew every day by being aware of the one’s we’re with.

We were brought up as Redemptorists hearing every year on Clement’s feast day – March 15 – that one day he went into a tavern begging for money for his orphans.  Someone in the tavern mocked him – laughed at him – and spit in his face.  Clement said, “That’s for me. Now how about something for our orphans.”

And coins filled his hat.

That’s preaching the gospel anew.

CONCLUSION

William Barclay commenting on todays’ gospel – John 4:43-45 says, “Here we have one of the great truths of the Christian life. The only real argument for Christianity is a Christian experience…. Effective Christian evangelism really begins when we can say: ‘I know what Christ has done for me’ and go on to say, ‘Try him, and see what he can do for you.’”

Try service. Try taking care of people. Try raising kids and raising old parents. Try communion.

Isn’t what why we’re Christians? Amen.