INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 5th Sunday in
Ordinary Time [A] is, “Faith Switch.”
What’s a “Faith Switch.”
Well, it’s like a light switch. In fact it looks like a
light switch - with the possibility of an up or down movement. [Gesture up and down.] And it has two
words on it: “On” and “Off”.
Some older people - like grandparents know that everyone
has a faith switch on the wall of their soul - or as Jesus calls it, “One’s
inner room.”
Some older people - sorry to say - don’t know about that
faith switch. Maybe it was turned off in their soul a long time ago -
unfortunately - and they are now in the dark when it comes to God and faith -
and life. They are unable to show - or bring up faith ideas and issues and
images - to themselves or their kids or grandkids. Their faith switch has been
in the “OFF” position for years now - so how can they tell others about faith?
When that happens, well -
that’s an, “Uh oh! A Bummer!”
Now, this is tricky stuff - and it can get us into
judging others - and that can get us a bit nervous. We’ve all heard the Native
American saying about, “Unless you’ve walked in another’s moccasins - you don’t
know where another has walked or what they have gone through.”
And we know Jesus’ thoughts about this same issue,
“Unless you’ve walked in another’s sins, don’t throw stones.”
So not having been in another’s inner room or soul, some
folks think the best wait - when it comes to that inner faith switch - is to
let another be the one to one to discover some of this stuff.
As priest, I’ve heard many people ask about this stuff -
especially folks over 70 - who have sons and daughters and grandkids - who have
dropped out of church and faith. The same kind of wonderings come up about
someone who is drinking too much - or messing up too much.
Is the best move to let others - especially those younger
than us - to find out about that faith switch for themselves.
Does one have to be in the dark, and bump into enough
suitcases - and trip and fall enough times - hit bottom, before they start searching - before they feel
the need for more understandings about what life is all about.
In other words, I don’t want to make things worse - hear,
“Mind your own business!” or what have you.
So in this homily - I’m taking a chance - to say out loud
that we all have a faith switch on the wall of our soul - and maybe it’s not
the best move to hit another’s button.
I remember being stationed and every morning, early
morning, we sat there eating breakfast with very few lights on. It was easier
on the eyes. Well, this guy would come
in every time, turn all the lights on full blast, and say, “Let’s put a little
light on the subject.”
And everyone with coffee cup in hand or Cheerios on the
spoon - would moan, “Oh no!”
And Larry never got it.
People like to eat breakfast the way they like to eat
breakfast - with just enough lights on.
For the sake of transparency, I like breakfast with
natural light - with the light switches on “Off”.
The title of my homily is, “Faith Switch.”
Pause during this mass - and feel for that switch. Like a
little kid discovering a light switch, turn it on and off - on and off - on and
off - up and down - up and down a few times.
THE BABY THAT
DIED
The faith switch in Judith and Jim got turned off when
they lost their first and only baby. They found out it was going to be a boy
and they named it Justin - while he was still within his mom. He came out early
and still born.
Judith and Jim, had tried everything to have a baby - but
nothing worked - till finally - sure enough - Judith was pregnant. She took it
slow, nice and easy, but two months before
the baby was due - Justin was born - dead.
They became silent with God. They became angry with God. They
became silent to each other - with God mentioning’s.
Their faith switch was turned off.
ABUSE AND
ABORTION
Of course abuse and abortion are deadly and wrong - horrible
- hitting faith buttons - so when they became a combo - in a parish - a bunch of people had their faith
switch turned off. Father So and So was off on abortion - every sermon - every
Sunday - seeming to be without sympathy for people sitting there who had been
through that horror - and healing and forgiveness can be slow - for some
lifetime slow. So when Father So and got
caught doing the wrong thing, abuse, it hit the papers. It hit the hearts and
minds of a bunch of people - and their faith switch went off. Sorry.
McDONALDS
For Sarah it was a bunch of little things that got her to
push that faith switch upwards - and the light went on.
First it was McDonalds. She was sitting there. She liked
to go there every once and a while. Hey - a dollar day - not bad - but she also
loved to get their creamy ice cream - as well.
As she was sitting there one Saturday around 2 PM - in
came a family - and they got their orders and sat down - just across from her
table. They sat there - heads down for a
moment - held hands - made the sign of the cross - and said, “Grace”. It
was in a mumble from a moment - but Sarah’s hearing was going.
But Sarah saw a faith moment. It became a Normal Rockwell
type picture in her brain - and at supper that night - by herself - she made a
sign of the cross for her food - but especially, she thanked God for that
family she saw in McDonalds.
Next she was watching TV - in her Lazy Girl chair - but she fell asleep. It was late, really
late, and some sports announcers were on the screen and they woke up her up
with their chatter. They were talking about the Super Bowl - which Sarah knew
nothing about - or when it was played. They talked about an Irish Quarterback
who did very well. Someone asked someone why some players point skywards after
a great catch - and the other announcer. “They are giving God the glory” not
themselves. “Nice” said the questioner.
I wish my team got into the Super Bowl and I wish they made some great
plays and gave God and my team some glory.
Next it was going by a church - and the light was red and
Sarah saw three ladies in the cold in running shorts - running down the street
and going by a church and making the sign of the cross as they did.
That brought back memories of her mother - making the
sign of the cross on her and her brothers and sisters when they were kids -
when they went by a church - and sure enough Sarah went back to church - making
the sign of the cross as she entered - just like she saw that family in
McDonalds - giving God the glory.
And the light switch - her faith switch went on.
THE FUNERAL
For Tom it was going home to Arkansas for the funeral of
his wife’s brother. He had a sudden heart attack. The funeral was in a small
rural Catholic Church - and he found out - all that his brother-in-law did for
people. The priest described him as the salt of the earth and the light of the
town - the bread winner for so many hungry people. Tom had never heard those words
of Jesus before.
And Tom and his wife went back to church when they back
home.
Their faith switch was turned on - in Arkansas.
CONCLUSION
The title of my homily is “Faith Switch.”
Like a little kid at a light switch- turn your faith
switch on and off, on and off, up and down during this mass.
What does it look like? What does it feel like?
