LISTENING  SESSIONS

 
 INTRODUCTION
 
The title of my homily for this feast of Saints Simon and Jude v- October 28 -   is, “Listening Sessions.”
 
PROVINCE CONVOCATION ON LINE
 
Last week our province listened on Webinar – sort of like a Group Zoom – but different than that. We listened  to different people on two main issues that we as province needed to hear more about:  Opioids and Young Adult Ministry.
 
They were two themes chosen before the Corona Virus.
 
Speakers were in New York City, San Diego, Toronto, the Islands – etc.
 
Patrick Rivera  head of Young Adult Ministry in San Diego said a bunch of things – but one thing  jumped out at me.  It  was this: when Bishop Robert McElroy became bishop of San Diego he went to the 100 parishes of the diocese for listening sessions. I heard that comment.
 
Now I don’t know what the process was like – how information was gathered – what kind of atmosphere was set up – what’s the best way to do this – how to  evaluate what was being said – paper forms, priority gathering, etc. follow up, etc. etc. etc. Who ran the sessions etc.?
 
Just doing that – great. I also wondered if that idea was pushed and promoted at the National Bishops conference, etc. for the whole United States, etc.
 
Wouldn’t that be wonderful if bishops listened to each other – to other bishops – to parents – to kids – to parishes – to immigrants – to gays – the folks in the military – teachers – to politicians – to everyone …
 
Listening sessions – listening to each other – smart and wonderful idea.
 
ADMIRAL MIKE MULLEN
 
In my last assignment – St. Mary’s Annapolis -  Admiral Mike Mullen – a  former chair of the joint chiefs of military staffs - gave the commencement address at  our high school graduation.
 
One of things he said to our h.s. kids was to listen and learn and be willing to change. For example: he asked folks to evaluate how he was doing as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
 
Someone watched for a while and said, “Have you looked at your staff. It’s all white men.”
 
Optics – very important idea.
 
Earics – a new word I just made up – what are the sounds we’re making – what are the words we’re saying?
 
He heard that. A year later it was something like 3 women, 3 people of color, etc. etc. etc.
 
TODAY’S READINGS FOR THIS FEAST OF ST’S SIMON AND JUDE
 
I thought of those two things when I read today’s readings.
 
Today’s first reading from  Ephesians 2: 19-22 -  describes us as no longer sojourners and strangers – but fellow citizens of the household of God.
 
We are temple sacred to the Lord – with Christ as our capstone – being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
 
Temple: that’s one of the four  basic metaphors of church in Lumen Gentium  – temple, field, flock and body -  all of which – show diversity and the need for unity.
 
Today’s gospel  - Luke 6: 12-16 - gives the list of the twelve disciples chosen to be apostles.
 
We don’t know enough about the different apostles – but we hear in the gospels that Jesus listened to them, picked them, asked questions and discovered their differences. He picked different. He picked strong characters.
 
In reading about Simon and Jude I noticed in a few commentaries that both are described as zealots according.
 
We find them in every parish and every group: intense, non-nonsense, pushy people.
 
Notice my prejudice against this type.
 
In Zeffirelli’s movie, Jesus of Nazareth, some Roman soldiers came riding into a village – and grab bread . Two guys – who were zealots  - pulled out their swords - and someone said, “Put away your swords for now." I’d assume today they would be those we see with guns on the outskirts of the crowd in the Black Lives Matter marching or this or that.
 
CONCLUSION
 
The title of my homily is, “Listening Sessions.”
 
It hit me that every group needs to listen to all the members of the  group.
 
And every group – if we listen to each other – will begin to hear the differences in the group.

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Paintings on top: Simon on left 

by Juseppe de Ribera

 and Jude Thaddeus on right  

by Georges de La Tour