INTO THE MIX AND MESS
OF HUMAN LIFE
INTRODUCTION
The title of my homily for this 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time [B] is, “Into the Mix and Mess of
Human Life.”
Sometimes we Christians wonder about our religion: Being a Christian.
Sometimes we Catholics wonder about our religion: Being
a Catholic Christian.
Hopefully questions pop up in our wondering. Hopefully,
we’re thinking people. It’s okay to ask questions. It’s okay to wonder whether
this is all real? Is there life after death? It’s okay to wonder about Mary, the Virgin Birth, Communion, Christ -
becoming one in Christ in his Body and Blood, the Mass. Is this all real? We come down the aisle and we hear the
Eucharistic Minister say, “The Body of Christ.” And we say, “Amen” which means,
“I believe.”
And sometimes we say with the father of the epileptic son in the Gospel of
Mark - 9:24, who came to Jesus for his son’s healing, “I believe. Help my
unbelief!”
There’s a great prayer: “I believe. Help my unbelief.”
It took our Church its first couple of hundred years to
come up with a language and creeds and councils - like Nicea and Chalcedon - to
formulate the theology of Christ. This meant disagreements, heresies, splits,
and people who walked away, It’s like
the folks in this 6th Chapter of John - which we’re listening to
these 5 weeks in our Sunday Gospels. John is giving us what people in Jesus
time and then in the Early Church time - wrestled with in dealing with Jesus’
message about eating him up - embodying Christ - being in Christ in communion. We’ll
hear next Sunday - the ending of the 6th Chapter of John - this concluding
message: “many of his disciples returned
to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.”
THE CHAIR
When someone tells me that they don’t believe in God, I
like to use the example of a chair. This usually happens when I’m sitting with
someone.
I begin by talking about the difference between “I know” and “I believe.”
I like to say: “When it comes to God, I don’t believe in
God. I know there is a God.”
Then I point to a chair.
“I don’t believe there was someone who made this chair. By seeing the
chair, I know there is a chair maker. It
could even be a bunch of people or a robot, but by seeing a chair - I know
there is a chair maker or a robot maker, who programed making a chair.
Next I point to the sky - or the sun and I say, “I don’t
believe there is a moon maker or a sun or star maker. I know there is a star
maker.”
So there is a difference between I know and I believe.
Try this with one of your kids who says he or she doesn’t
believe in God.
If they don’t get or accept that difference between
knowing and believing, quit arguing or don’t go further with the discussion.
Then I say, “I know there is a chair maker, but I don’t
know what the chair maker is like.”
Then I say, “I know there is a God, a Creator of the sun,
the moon, and the stars, but I don’t know what the Creator is like - other than being creative and makes a lot
of stars in lots of space.”
Then I say, “Here’s where faith comes in - in the
personality of the Star Maker. That’s where the scriptures come in. That’s
where Jesus comes in. That’s where the ‘I believe’ statements come in.
JESUS CHRIST
If we listen to Jesus enough we’ll hear him say, “See me, see the Father.”
We know Our Father as we get to know the Son.
We know the Spirit as we get to know the Son and the
Spirit of Love between the Father and the Son and anyone they breathe life and
existence into.
THE TITLE OF MY HOMILY
Once more, the title of my homily is, “Into the Mix and
the Mess of Human Life.”
In the fullness of time - God sent His Son into our world.
Jesus came into the mix and the mess of human life.
Jesus comes as a baby - into human flesh - and Mary and
Joseph can’t even get a place to have
their baby.
We hear that story in Luke.
In Matthew we hear about the slaughter of the Holy Innocents because of
him.
Jesus walked our streets. He saw market places and bakers
and bread makers. He saw people dancing
and he heard people singing. He saw our greed and our needs.
He saw men wanting to kill a woman caught in adultery.
Was one of the rock throwers one of the men who was caught in adultery - who
wanted to silence her - lest his wife find out?
Jesus saw sin - mess - hunger - thirst - the wounded and
the weak.
Jesus came into all this mess.
Jesus comes to us as bread and wine. He comes into our
mouth - whether we floss or not - brush our teeth or not - into our bodies and
our personality.
I love the Gospel Text: “This man eats with sinners and
dines with them.”
Jesus comes into the mix and mess called me.
WE PRIESTS - WE CATHOLIC CHRISTIANS
Last week, we priests - we Catholic Christians - we human
beings - heard the mess and the bad news
of what some priests have done to minors and others - and then there was the cover ups.
I thought this was all over a couple of years back - but
nope there’s still stuff that hasn’t been solved or resolved.
Sometimes it’s tough being a Catholic. Sometimes it’s
tough being a priest.
I hope this is one more scream to parents, keep your eye
on who might have your kids in their predatory sights.
We have made progress in that abuse is being seen not
just as sin - but as criminal - and please
go to the police for starters - as the Dallas Charter of the Catholic Church
states.
We can read the letters and appraisals in the newspapers that
folks have made - and hear anger and compassion.
A lady from Pennsylvania was telling me just yesterday that she was reading
stuff on line from Jewish folks and lots of non-Catholics and some of them have greater compassion than some Catholics.
We know now that some of
this sexual abuse stuff is a life time problem in abusers psyche and
history.
I hope we continue to make major changes in our church -
that all this is put into the hands of lay people - psychiatrists, specialists,
parents, police, FBI, etc. etc. etc. who will
be given power to do more about sexual abuse.
For nine years I was I charge of our Redemptorist
Novices. I’d have a novice for a year and a day - as part of their training to
become a Redemptorist - besides time in theology and philosophy. I didn’t pass
anyone forward, whom I would not be willing to be stationed with - and whom I
discerned would not be a good priest and a good Redemptorist.
It was a tough job - with a heavy responsibility.
CONCLUSION
Let’s hope this is a better week for our world and our
church. This world can be mixed up with a lot of mess - but we know God came to
walk our streets and share bread and wine with us - his body and blood is in
our mix.
