Hi
everyone, this is my homily for the 21st SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME. The readings for today's Mass can be
found at http://usccb.org/bible/readings/090218.cfm Thanks as
always for reading; sharing this blog on your social media sites; and
your feedback and comments. I appreciate it. Have a good week - God
Bless - Fr Jim Chern
How
is your heart doing? Sit with that
question for a second. There’s so much
going on in the world... in the Church... in each of our lives to discourage,
to depress, to overwhelm us, that it’s good to just pause for a second
especially as we reflect on what we heard Jesus speak to us just now in these
scriptures. I know my heart and mind
have been so all over the place that by Friday I probably had 5 different word
documents open with different thoughts and ideas and reflections on it, that I
had to walk away and just clear my head, go for a ride, get some Dunkin Donuts coffee,
get stuck in a downpour and just clear my head to listen to my heart. That’s when this memory came back to mind.
It’s
from this film called “The Human Experience.”
This documentary conceived by and starring two brothers was released ten
years ago. The premise of it had them
asking a very philosophical question “what does it mean to be human?” They went looking for answers by traveling to
some of the most unlikely of places: on the streets of New York City with the homeless;
to a leper colony in Ghana; meeting victims of AIDS and their families. They also travel to Peru where they visit a
hospital for abandoned children in the Andes mountains. I’ve seen the film at least dozen times and I
don’t think I’ve gotten through that scene without crying. Seeing these kids, some who were abused, and
horrifically discarded by the ones who should’ve been the ones who cared for
them the most - their parents - undergoing treatments and rehabilitations where
you can hear them cry is captured and presented in such a way that even though
I’ve seen it before and I know it’s coming it just levels me.
One
person who came to mind, who really stands out in this powerful scene is Dr.
Tony Lazzara. Prior to going to Peru, he
had been a professor of pediatrics at Emory University, a leading researcher on
brain surgery in premature infants. He supervised neonatal wards in two Atlanta
hospitals. He was the epitome of a
successful doctor, who described his life as living on easy street. “I had a nice little sports car and I had a
nice condominium with fancy furniture, but it didn't mean anything. It was
there, but it didn't really mean anything.”
That started to dawn on him when he and some of his colleagues visited
India on vacation. While there, he was struck by the abject poverty he
witnessed. He said he saw children, some
of whom were mutilated by their families just so they would be more effective
beggars on the street. That experience
stayed with him. And he reflected on the
life he was living as a successful doctor who was doing a lot of good and
working with some groundbreaking scientific advances with the reality that
there were other children who weren’t receiving the very, very basics of
care. So he left that life and ended up
in Peru founding a clinic, or rather a home for these “The Lost Children of
Peru” which the film captures so movingly.
Lately,
and for good reason, we’ve had a lot of people asking “Why am I still a
Catholic?” And some are struggling to
find an answer for themselves. By this
point, it’s almost numbing as we’ve been saturated with numbers of stories of
abuse by clergy - sexual abuse, clerical abuse, psychological abuse... many of
us, myself included, have been horrified to learn just how deep, and
devastating the pain that the victims have experienced which has sadly often
been silenced by those in the Church... and many of us, myself included, have
been scandalized by the lack of transparency, accountability and leadership in
the Church. It’s understandable that so
many are struggling. To which I say, thank
you for being here. Thank you for
struggling, and still listening to that inner voice that voice of the Holy
Spirit pushing you to come to Mass despite all of those mixed feelings.
And
it’s why I’m thankful that the story about Dr. Lazzara came to mind. Because that is the same voice that called
out to him - not to settle for the comfortable existence... not to give
into the real and discouraging news around him...but to believe in the Good
News of Jesus Christ. Good News that
made little sense to his friends and colleagues. Good News that said in giving up the life he
was living he could experience a peace and a happiness that had eluded him in
the first 63 years of his life. Good
News that transformed his life, and how that effected and transformed the lives
of others; those who came to serve, those who were served... and the
communities and families of all these individuals all connected to this one
small clinic, this one small home nestled in the Ades Mountains in Peru.
We
need these types of reminders - that is a living example of what Jesus is
proclaiming in today’s Gospel. Yes, we
all know all too well how human beings, even priests, bishops, cardinals -
possess the ability to do monstrously evil things. But, the converse is even more important to
focus on in light of those revelations.
Because
we possess - each and every one of us carries the potential to do great, even
miraculous things. Who we are as
brothers and sisters in Christ, what we believe as Catholic Christians, how we
will respond to problems, worries, challenges, tragedies - that isn’t
determined by our positions, our stature, our state in life. For each and every one of us, that begins
solely in our hearts. The place were
Jesus Christ dwells within us. The place
where the Holy Spirit is constantly whispering and nudging us to react and
respond to the different things that we encounter each and every day. To bring about the kingdom of God, that our
Loving Heavenly Father desires.
Sadly
it’s there too – in our hearts – where we can choose not to respond to God’s
graces, blessings and invitations; where we can allow selfishness, anger, greed
and hatred to take root - and that we’re capable of great evil - where we
inflict hurt on one another and can wreak further havoc on the creation that
God had and has such beautiful dreams for.
As
we reflect on those realities, and we’ve found ourselves here tonight, it’s
good to remember why the Holy Spirit has called us to be here. Here at this Mass. Here at this parish
As
a community, one of the main purposes for this place is to be a place to
nurture that heart...
to
remind ourselves that we are God’s family - where we are truly brothers and
sisters -
to
be nourished on God’s word and fed with Jesus’ body and blood in the Eucharist
to
be a place of healing for when we do fail, or when the failures of others have
hurt us
to
renew and refresh ourselves of our universal call to holiness, and our
individual calls where God has placed each and everyone of us here in this time
and space for a purpose.
We’re
not all called to leave our homes, careers and lives behind and go to Peru like
Dr. Lazzara. That was his particular
call. But Jesus is speaking in our
hearts specific and personal things that can have just as transformative an
effect here at this parish here in our local community, here in this local
Church. The Lord needs each of us - now
more than ever - to respond to those calls, to fulfill those purposes and
dreams, to make those choices, deep in our heart calling us into deeper love
and relationship with Jesus and being authentic, genuine disciples to the world
around us.
