A  PERSON  OR  A  PLAN? 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily is, “A Person or a Plan.”

I want to use the word “person” in my title and my theme for today. I’m sure about that. 

However, I’m not sure yet what the other word could be for something I want to get at.

Right now I’m using “plan” - but it could be “program” or “system” or something else like that.

Maybe by doing this sermon - what I’m trying to get at - might become clearer to me. 

However, I’m not sure.

RELIGION AND SPIRITUALITY

When it comes to Religion and Spirituality we have both ideas and persons.  

We have lists and we have people who follow those lists of what to do.

When it comes to spirituality we have systems or programs. For example: we have Jesuit, Franciscan, Carmelite, Redemptorist, Quaker, Buddhist, Confucian spiritualities.  Some dovetail each other at different points - but each has unique flavors - specific stresses - particular pushes or nuances.

A RELATIONSHIP WITH A PERSON

Of the two - persons or plans - I like to present persons as central - more than books or spelled out systems.

The call to be Christian is the call to relate, connect, marry, follow a person with the name of Jesus.

Then we have the system of that person.

So we have Jesus - the human and divine person - who gave us teachings and thoughts - parables and beatitudes - beatitudes and woes.

For example, someone or some early Christian Community put together Jesus' so called Sermon on the Mount. It's found in Mathew chapters 5, 6, and 7.  It's a great listing of some great teachings of Jesus.  It was a great teaching method - that Matthew sculpted or tweaked and put it into his gospel. 

Like a catechism it’s a great list of how to be a good Christian.

It's unique to Matthew.  Luke has some of those teachings in the so called, "Sermon on the Plain." [Cf. Luke 6: 17-49.] 

In St. Paul we have both. St Paul gave lists - like what love is - we hear his great listing of what love is at most weddings with the reading of 1st Corinthians 12: 31- 13: 8. 

But Paul also stressed my main point: Christianity is a relationship with Christ. Read:  “I live - now not I - but Christ lives with me.” [Cf. Galatians 2: 26.]

Or take St. Alphonsus whose feast is coming up on August 1st. He wrote over 100 books - but he summed up his main message in one sentence: “The whole sanctity and perfection of a soul consists in loving Jesus Christ, our God, our sovereign good, and our Redeemer.”  That's on the opening page of his book, The Practice of the Love of Jesus Christ."

ANOTHER WAY  OF PUTTING ALL THIS

A person wants to be happy. A person wants to give up an addiction. A person wants to change.

He or she comes up with a plan or a program - like the 12 Step Program called AA or any 12 Step programs.

Now I think - it's my belief - that any spiritual program won’t last until one makes that program personal.

Unless one gets connected with a group or a community - until one starts relating to God as a Higher Power with others - then recovery won't make it or won't last.

For example: in  AA, one has to do one’s 5^th step with others - confessing one’s life to another - bouncing one's life off in a relationship with another.

So what I'm saying here is that I hold that systems won’t change us.  Persons change us.

For example, a person falls in love, marries, and in 10 years he or she is a new person - that is, if it’s a good marriage - a selfless marriage. People change people.  People change in relationship with people.

For example, a couple are self-ish or self-centered. They have a baby - and the baby changes them - gets them out of themselves - when they sacrifice  themselves for their child and their children.  If that doesn’t happen, we have a baby and then a person who goes through life hurt or damaged or complaining - maybe without knowing why  - without knowing or with knowing that their parent didn’t launch or love them enough.

CONCLUSION

I say all this on the feast of St. Mary Magdalene - July 22nd. She met Jesus. She fell in love with him.  She had a relationship with him.

She changed and grew as a human being - because as we hear in today’s readings, she loved Jesus.

I heard all this through the years when people explained the spirituality of St. Alphonsus.

St. Alphonsus said all this when he wrote in his book, The Practice of the Love of Christ: “Whoever loves me, says Jesus Christ himself, shall be loved by my Eternal Father: 'My Father loves you because you have loved Me.' (John 16:27). Some, says St. Francis de Sales, make perfection consist in an austere life; others in prayer; others in frequenting the Sacraments; others in alms-deeds. But they deceive themselves: perfection consists in loving God with our whole heart. The Apostle wrote: “Over all these … put on love, which is the bond of perfection” Colossians 3:14. It is charity which keeps us united and preserves all the virtues that render a man perfect. Hence St. Augustine said: “Love God, and do whatever you please;” because a soul that loves God is taught by that same love never to do anything that will displease him, and to leave nothing undone that may please him.”

Amen.