Two Saints Who Changed Their Minds

June 29, 2008, Feast of St. Peter and Paul
Acts 12:1-11 II Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 Matthew 16:13-19

To the churched and unchurched[2]
gathered in a church not built by human hands[3]

Second reading

For me, Paul, the hour has come to be sacrificed; the time is here for me to leave this life. I have done my best in running the race; I have run the full distance. I have kept the faith, and now the prize of victory is waiting for me -- the crown of righteousness which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on that Day -- and not only to me, but to all who wait with love for Him to appear. The Lord has stood by me and given me strength, so that I was able to proclaim the full message for all the Gentiles to hear, and I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. And the Lord will rescue me from all evil, and take me safely into his heavenly Kingdom. To him be glory forever and ever! Amen. (II Timothy, 4:6-8, 17-18)

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to you, Lord.

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Mt 16:13-19)

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction
June 29 -- the feast of St .Peter & Paul

Today is June 29 and the feast of St. Peter and Paul. Like Romulus and Remus, the legendary founders of the city of Rome,[4] Peter and Paul are the founders of the faith in the Eternal City -- the center of Christendom. Because the feast is so important to the Universal Church it replaces what would normally be today the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Time.

The June 29 feast commemorates Peter and Paul’s martyrdom. The Scriptures do not record their deaths or the deaths of any of the Apostles except of James the son of Zebedee. (Acts 12:2) But very early tradition has always maintained that the two were martyred in Rome at the command of the Roman Emperor Nero (58–63) and were buried there. The June 29 date refers to a day around 258 A.D. when, under the persecution of the Roman Emperor Valerian (253-260), the remains of the two apostles were moved temporarily to prevent them from falling into the hands of the persecutors.

Of the five or six hundred great churches which dot Rome, two tower above them all in importance: the Basilica of St. Peter at the Vatican and the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. Down through the centuries both basilicas have attracted an endless flow of pilgrims. Tradition locates Peter’s martyrdom where the Basilica of St. Peter now stands and his burial place directly beneath its high altar. Tradition locates St. Paul’s martyrdom by beheading at the Tre Fontane along the Via Ostiense and locates his burial at the spot where the Basilica of St. Paul now stands.

Pope Benedict XVI at St. Paul’s, 2007

On June 28, 2007, Pope Benedict went to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside The Walls where for 2,000 years the remains of the Apostle Paul lay under the papal altar. He participated in a Vesper Service in anticipation of the next day’s feast. To celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of Paul’s birth, Benedict used the occasion to announce the “Year of St. Paul” extending from June 29, 2008 to June 29, 2009. He announced also that in the basilica and the Benedictine abbey attached to it a series of liturgical, cultural and ecumenical events would take place. “Special attention,” he said, “will be given to pilgrims who from various parts of the world will want to go to the tomb of the Apostle Paul in a penitential way in order to find spiritual benefits.”

Pope John XXIII at St. Paul’s, 1959

Benedict’s announcement of the “Year of St. Paul” in the Basilica of St. Paul calls to mind another pope’s visit to that great basilica and the startling announcement he made there. On October 28, 1958 Cardinal Angelo Roncalli, born of peasant extraction, was elected pope and took the name of John XXIII. Then on January 25 of 1959 he went to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to celebrate the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. There good Pope John took the occasion to announce his intention to hold an ecumenical council! After three years of preparation, in the Basilica of St. Peter’s on October 11, 1962, the bitter-sweet event of Vatican II burst upon the Catholic Church!

One feast for two great saints!

If we look through the church calendar, we find that neither Peter nor Paul has a feast day devoted to him and only to him. It is true that Catholics celebrate a feast entitled The Chair of Peter on February 22. The gospel that day recounts the words of Jesus to Peter: “Thou art Peter and upon this rock I will build my church.” (Mt 16:18) That feast celebrates the authority of Peter’s chair, but it does not celebrate Peter himself.

Catholics also celebrate the feast of The Conversion of St. Paul. On January 25, it commemorates the occasion when Paul, traveling to Damascus to persecute Christians there, was suddenly struck down from his horse by a vision of Jesus of Nazareth who asked, “Saul, why are you persecuting me?” (Acts 9:1-9) That feast, too, celebrates the conversion of Paul but not Paul himself.

St. Francis of Assisi, St. Dominic, St. Theresa of Lisieux and all the other saints each have a feast day devoted to him or her as individuals, but Peter and Paul do not. Why is there only one feast honoring these two great saints? Why are they commemorated together? It is because Peter and Paul together eloquently speak a single simple message. Both were dead-sure of themselves, and both had a vision which changed their minds!

The conversion of St. Paul

Paul was dead-sure that the early Christians were heretics and should be arrested, tried, and put to death. Chapter Nine of Acts relates the vision which converted him. As Saul was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians there, a light from heaven suddenly flashed around him. He was thrown from his horse and heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” That vision converted Saul who had been dead-sure that the followers of Jesus should be persecuted as heretics. He became Paul, the great apostle to the Gentiles. (Acts 9:1-9)

The conversion of St. Peter

Peter, too, underwent a great conversion. He was dead-sure that Gentiles were unclean. Chapter Ten of Acts relates the vision which converted him. One day he went up on the flat roof of his house to pray. It was noon, and he was hungry, but while lunch was being prepared, he fell into a trance and had a vision. He saw the sky open and something like a large sheet coming down and being lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all kinds of four-footed creatures and reptiles and birds of the air, which Jews were forbidden to eat.. Then Peter heard a voice saying, “Get up, kill and eat! “ “Never, Lord, never!” Peter protested. “I have never in all my life eaten such creatures, for they are forbidden by our Jewish dietary laws.” Then the voice spoke again, “Don’t contradict God! If He says something is kosher then it is kosher!” The same vision was repeated three times. Then the sheet was pulled up into heaven again.

When Cornelius, a Roman centurion and Gentile, known for his charities and beloved by the Jewish people, sent for Peter to come to his house to tell him what God wanted him to do, Peter came immediately. (Acts 10:22) He addressed a crowd gathered there, saying, “You know it is against Jewish laws for me to enter into a Gentile house like this. But God has shown me in a vision that I should never call any man profane or unclean. So I came as soon as I was summoned. Now tell me what do you want.” Cornelius then told Peter that he and the crowd gathered were anxious to hear some good word from him. Peter did, indeed, deliver a good word to them. He told them about the remarkable change of heart and mind that had come upon him as the result of a vision. “I have finally come to see,” he said, “that Jews are not God’s only favorites! Anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to Him!” (Acts 10:28-35)

Their message

The message which Peter and Paul, founders of the church in Rome, speak eloquently together is that no matter how strong our views might be, we must be ready to change our minds, for God might hold another view. In fact, the stronger our views are the more ready we should be to change our minds.

Throughout these endless presidential debates one candidate has charged the other with changing his or her mind about this or that. There is something worse than a person who changes his mind, and that is a person who never changes his mind, no matter what!

Conclusion
A Roman church reflecting its founders

Peter changed his mind about Gentiles. In the Jewish world-view that was a big change. Paul changed his mind about Jesus of Nazareth and His followers. In his little world, which delighted in persecuting heretics, that, too, was a big change. Blessed are these two founders of the church in Rome who had the courage and humility to change their minds!

Blessed also is a Roman church which has the courage and humility to change its mind, if God might hold another view. Blessed is a Roman church that can change its mind not only about who are God’s favorites but also about the other issues which trouble the church -- like divorce and remarriage, birth control, homosexuality, celibacy, the ordination of women, etc. Such a Roman church will reflect the spirit of its two great founders who had the courage and humility to change their minds.

[1] These two statues of Peter and Paul stand in front of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, one to the right and one to the left.

[2]] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!

[3] Acts of the Apostles 17:24

[4] Romulus and Remus are depicted throughout Rome by statutes and images of two infants suckling a she-wolf.

The Gift Bestowed with a Hug and a Kiss

Luke, Big Russ and Me
The Gift Bestowed with a Hug and Kiss

June 22, 2008, 12th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Jeremiah 20:10-13 Romans 5:12-15 Matthew 10:26-31

To the churched and unchurched[1]
gathered in a church not built by human hands[2]

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew
Glory to you, Lord.

Jesus said to the Twelve: “Fear no one. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known. What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light. What you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops. And do not be afraid of those who can kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father’s permission. Even the very hairs on your head have all been counted. So do not be afraid! You are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction
Do not be afraid

The New Testament abounds with the injunction to not be afraid. When Joseph discovers that Mary is pregnant, an angel appears and says to him,”Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for it is by the Holy Spirit that she has conceived.” (Mt 1:20 When Zachariah is before the altar of incense in the temple, an angel appears and says, “Zachariah, do not be afraid! God has heard your prayer, and your wife Elizabeth will bear a son, and you will call him John.” (Lk 1:12-13) When Mary is troubled by the angel Gabriel’s salutation, he says, “Mary, do not be afraid! You have found favor with God. You will conceive a son and call him Jesus.” (Lk 1: 30-31) When shepherds are keeping watch over their flocks, and the night sky becomes ablaze with the glory of the Lord, an angel appears and says to them, “Do not be afraid! I bring you tidings of great joy. This day is born to you in the city of David a savior who is Christ the Lord.” (Lk2: 8-11)

When a strong wind tosses the disciples’ boat, Jesus appears and says to them,”Do not be afraid! It is I.” (Mt 14:27) When the women entered the tomb of Jesus to anoint his body, an angel sitting at the right says to them, “Do not be afraid! You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth who was nailed to the cross. He is not here. He has been raised from the dead!” (Mt 28:5-6) And in the gospel today Jesus enjoins all of us who have doubts about our self-worth to be not afraid, for we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows! (Mt. 10:31)

Self-esteem

God knows that we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows; He showed it by redeeming us -- by buying us back -- with nothing less than the precious blood of His Son Jesus. (Eph 1:7) Good family and friends know that we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows; they show it with many sincere words and gestures. Yes, even our dogs know that we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows; they show it as only man’s best friend can show it. At the end of the day, however, what really matters and what is really critical is that we know that we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows. Psychiatrists call it “self-esteem.”

A gift from birth and a gift from friends

Self-esteem, they tell us, is partly a gift bestowed by birth. Some are blessed with self-esteem because they are born with great natural endowments and into abundant means. (On the other hand, some are born into sizeable needs of one sort or other.) Self-esteem is also partly a gift bestowed by friends (especially family) who keep telling us with word and gesture that we are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows. The gift of self-esteem, the psychiatrists tell us, is bestowed already at a very early age. By the age of three or four the matter is quite basically signed, sealed and delivered.

A critical gift

Self-esteem is a critical gift. The lack of it drives kids to commit suicide or to avenge themselves with school massacres or to just simply fix matters with fast fixes. It is a sober thought to know that we have the power to bestow such a critical gift in others or withhold it. We can give our kids a nice home, a good education and all the toys and trinkets of technology but if we do not give them, first and foremost, the gift of self-esteem, we have not given them very much. Without self-esteem they have nothing, and with it they have everything. If they do not know they are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows, they will surely die one way or the other. If they do, indeed, know it, then by hook or by crook, they will surely manage to live and even thrive, no matter what. And if we do not have time to let them know they are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows, then, for God’s sake, we must make time! That will save us tons of time and grief later on. What’s more, it will reap an abundant harvest for us in due season.

Russert’s gift to Big Russ

Tim Russert, NBC News’ Washington bureau chief and moderator of Meet the Press died of a heart attack on Friday, June 13, 2008 at the age 58. Russert had a very close relationship with his father whom he affectionately called “Big Russ.” In May of 2004, he penned a book about his father and titled it Big Russ And Me. At Thanksgiving that year, his father, Big Russ hugged him and told him for the first time that he loved him! Big Russ felt his life had been affirmed and was now able to communicate because his son had said in his book, "I wish to hell he'd tell me sometimes what I knew he felt." Russert was telling his dad, Big Russ, that he was worth more than a whole flock of sparrows, and oh how grateful Big Russ felt on that Thanksgiving day! Self- esteem is a critical gift we give and receive.

Luke’s gift to his dad and Big Russ

Russert relates that on Christmas Eve of 2004 the family went to midnight Mass. When they came home, and his son Luke was getting ready for bed, his wife Maureen discovered that Luke had a tattoo on his side! She called down saying, “Tim, get up here! Your son has a tattoo!” Surprised, Tim ran up to talk turkey to Luke. He spoke to him about the physical consequences of tattoos. Then he told Luke to lift up his arm. Luke refused. He kept his arm locked. Again Russert told his son to lift up his arm. The arm finally unlocked, and there in a purple stencil print were the initials T.J.R. (Russert’s dad's name is Timothy Joseph Russert and his name is Timothy John Russert.) Unlocking his arms Luke made a wonderful confession; he said to Father, “Dad, after I read your book, I always wanted you and grandpa at my side!” Luke was telling his dad and grandpa that they were worth more than a whole flock of sparrows. Self- esteem is a critical gift we give and receive.

Russert’s gift to Luke

Russert penned a second book titled Wisdom of Our Fathers. Like his first book it was no. 1 New York Times best seller. At the end of the book Russert tells about the day he dropped Luke off at college (a day Russert dreaded). He had written a note to his son but at first hesitated to give it to Luke, as he was dropping him off. Then he changed his mind, turned to Luke, handed him the note and said, “Read this when I'm gone." Luke insisted on reading it now. And this is what he read:

Dear Luke, off you go. New school, new city, new friends, new challenges. You are more than ready. Whether it was New York or Washington or the different schools you've been to, you've connected with people that made your mark. I've so enjoyed watching you and helping you grow. We've had an amazing 19 years together. I hope we have at least another 19. I will always be here for you. We are bonded by blood. Call any time, any day, with good news or bad. I am on your side. Keep an open mind to new ideas and people with different views. Study hard. Laugh often. Keep your honor. With admiration, respect, and deep love, dad, a.k.a.[3] The Big Guy.

How powerfully the “Big Guy” told the “Little Guy” that he was worth more than a whole flock of sparrows! Self- esteem is a critical gift we give and receive.

Conclusion
The gift bestowed with a hug and kiss

We bestow the gift of self- esteem upon others and especially upon our kids not in the same way we bestow upon them the toys and trinkets of technology. This gift we hug and kiss into them. An old bumper-sticker used to ask us, “Have you kissed your kids today?”

A poem, whose name and author is lost in the long corridor of my memory, paints a picture of a father walking with his son in-hand across the sprawling campus of a mental institution in Boston, Massachusetts. In it are incarcerated hundreds of sorry human beings. (Without batting an eyelash we used to call those institutions “crazy houses” in days past.) As father and son are walking along, the father is deep in thought. His son, he thinks, harbors a strange dogma in his little head; he believes every ache and pain, every scratch and wound can be healed with a kiss! What a strange thought the father thinks. Then he pauses and ponders. And here the poem rises up to its bottom-line. The father says to himself,

"I wonder whether
t ’was the lack of a kiss,
that made the State of Massachusetts
need a house like this?"

Jesus says “While it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one can work.” (Jn 9:4) The night has come, and Russert, hard worker that he was, can no longer work. Over and over again this past week, the news marveled at the thorough, fair and appealing job Russert did on Meet the Press every Sunday morning. Over and over again this past week the news marveled also at the wonderful job Russert did on his father Big Russ and son Luke. He hugged and kissed the gift of self-esteem into them, and because of him both know now that they are worth more than a whole flock of sparrows. That’s the gift and inheritance Russert left them, and nobody can ever take that away from them.

[1] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!

[2] Acts of the Apostles 17:24

[3] A.k.a. stands for “also known as.”

Lord of the Harvest, Inspire Your Church

June 15, 2008, 11th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Exodus 19:2-6 Romans 5:6-11 Matthew 9:36-10:8

To the churched and unchurched[1]
gathered in a church not built by human hands[2]

First Reading from Exodus 19:2-6

In those days, the Israelites came to the desert of Sinai and pitched camp. While Israel was encamped here in front of the mountain, Moses went up the mountain to God. Then the Lord called to him and said, “Thus shall you say to the house of Jacob; tell the Israelites: You have seen for yourselves how I treated the Egyptians and how I bore you up on eagle wings and brought you here to myself. Therefore, if you hearken to my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession, dearer to me than all other people, though all the earth is mine. You shall be to me a kingdom of priests, a holy nation.”

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:36-10:4
Glory to you, Lord.

When Jesus saw the crowds he was moved with compassion for them, for they were harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is, indeed, plentiful, but the reapers are few. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few. So pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers to gather in his harvest.”

Then Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon from Cana, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed him.

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction
Sheep without a shepherd

Twice the New Testament speaks of the crowds as “sheep without a shepherd.” On one occasion a huge crowd thronged about Jesus. It was getting late, and everyone was hungry. Mark writes that Jesus was moved with compassion for the crowds who were “like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mk 6: 34) So Jesus, Good Shepherd, fed the hungry sheep by multiplying five loaves and two fish for them. (Mk 6:30-44)

Today’s gospel characterizes the crowds thronged around Jesus in the same way. “When Jesus saw the crowds, he was moved with compassion, for they were harassed and helpless, and they looked like sheep without a shepherd.” (Mt 9: 36) The Living Bible with its folksy translation reads, “The heart of Jesus felt pity for the crowds that came because their problems were so great, and they didn’t know what to do or where to go for help. They were like sheep without a shepherd.” So Jesus, Good Shepherd, appointed twelve apostles to shepherd them. (Mt 10:1-4)

Our crisis: no shepherds

With what compassion would Jesus look upon us Catholics today who are like sheep without shepherds, and whose parishes are without priests. Some of us remember the days when the church abounded with priestly vocations, and every sizeable parish had at least one or two assistant priests. Matters have dramatically changed since then. Parishes now find it necessary to unite into clusters. In Milwaukee, WI., the parishes of St. Rita, St. Hedwig and Holy Rosary had to unite and form a consortium called the Church of the Three Holy Women. And now some poor pastor, like a circuit judge of early frontier days, has to pony-back from one parish to another to celebrate Sunday Masses. The poor man is going to burn himself out before his time. We, the church, have a crisis on our hands, and no band-aid measure will solve it.

Yearly, I have had the luxury of escaping the rigors of a Wisconsin winter by going south. One year I celebrated an evening Ash Wednesday Mass in a little country parish deep in the heart of Texas. I was taking the place of the pastor. He was a sickly man who, I was told, actually said Sunday Mass sitting on a high chair in front of the altar. And here I, in my 79th year, was stepping in (or limping in) to help the poor man out! We, the church, have a crisis on our hands, and no band-aid measure will solve it.

The next winter before heading south again to Texas, I called the Vicar General of the Houston-Galveston Archdiocese to ask whether I could be of some assistance in a parish down there. I can still hear the surprise and delight in his voice. He exclaimed, “Oh, you’re an answer to our prayers! One of our priests has just now suddenly died and isn’t even buried yet. We do, indeed, need your help.” He was speaking about a beloved, relatively young pastor of a parish in a little blue-collar town near the Gulf of Mexico. Again, I was stepping in (or limping in) at a ripe old age of eighty to help a parish without a shepherd. We, the church, have a crisis on our hands, and no band-aid measure will solve it.

Fixing our crisis

Our priest-shortage crisis is almost forty years old. Crises should not be left to die of old age; they should be fixed. Importing an 80 year old priest is no way to fix such a systemic problem. It is neither innovative nor is it courageous. At best it is a band-aid. Importing priests from other countries (who do not speak English well and whose homilies the faithful cannot understand) again is no way to fix such a systemic problem. That, too, is neither innovative nor courageous. At best it is a fast-fix.

Sometime ago US bishops met and voted to fix the wording of many of the prayers we have been using at Mass for more than thirty-five years. The Vatican, it was said, wanted those prayers brought into greater conformity with the original Latin! That would comfort only the Latin scholars among the faithful! For example, “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you” in the prayer before Communion will now be fixed to say, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof.” Another momentous fix is the familiar exchange of greetings between priest and congregation: “The Lord be with you. And also with you” will now be fixed to say, “The Lord be with you. And with your spirit.”

With much vitriol one commentator wrote, “Shame on you shepherds for expending so much time, energy and travel-expense on a meeting to “fix” something that is not broken, while a system of pastoral care providing shepherds for the sheep is allowed to fall into ruins. Shame on you shepherds for not mustering up enough courage to insist upon fixing what is really broken: your sheep are without shepherds, and your parishes are without priests. The only courage it takes to fix what is not broken is the courage to withstand the scorn or ridicule of people who will laugh at you!”

Fixing our crises

In his homily on the day of his inauguration Pope Benedict said, “My real program of governance is not to do my own will, not to pursue my own ideas, but to listen together with the whole Church.” Fr. Francis Gonsalves, a Jesuit in India, in an open letter to the new pope published in the NCR, rejoiced in his promise to listen to the church. Gonsalves exclaimed, “Bravo, Pope Benedict! Many Indians who religiously listen to God’s voice in nature and in other faiths and in their neighbors complain that the Roman Catholic Church only speaks but never listens.”

Richard Gailardetz, a husband, a father and a theology professor at the University of St. Thomas in Houston expressed similar hopes and aspirations for the new pope. He asked Benedict to invite the church to “a holy conversation” about all the great issues that quietly (or not so quietly) exercise the church -- issues like divorce, birth control, homosexuality, celibacy and the ordination of women. A holy conversation, he said, is one in which all are allowed to speak and be listened to. A holy conversation, he said, is one which “resists the temptation to control or direct the discussion toward predetermined conclusions.”

In the priest-shortage crisis, “a holy conversation” is abruptly ended (even before it gets started) by having recourse to some nebulous expression about “a long unbroken sacred tradition” of ordaining only celibates or only men. We remind ourselves that we have had “a long unbroken sacred tradition” of slavery in this country, and we are grateful that that has been broken. We remind ourselves also that we have had “a long unbroken sacred tradition” of men only in the US Congress, and we are grateful today that that, too, has been broken. And at this very moment when the nation prepares to elect a new president, we remind ourselves that we have had “a long unbroken tradition” of men only as president, and we are now grateful that that glass-ceiling has been recently shattered by sixteen million people who backed a female candidate’s bid for the White House, even though she did not succeed.

Jesus and our crisis

Alluding to our priest-shortage crisis and our band-aid methods of fixing it, Fr. Hans Küng, a Swiss German Catholic theologian, writes in his little volume, Why I Am Still a Christian, “I cannot believe that he who said, `I have compassion on the crowds [who were like sheep without a shepherd],’ would have increasingly deprived congregations of their pastors and allowed a system of pastoral care [which provided sufficient pastors for the faithful] built up over a period of a thousand years to collapse.“ In the same volume, Küng writes, “I cannot believe that he who was constantly accompanied by women (who provided for his keep), and whose apostles, except for Paul, were all married and remained so, would today have forbidden marriage to all ordained men, and ordination to all women.”

Presbyterians and our crisis

When Margaret Butter, a pioneer CEO, philanthropist and patron of the arts (especially of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra) died, her daughter-in-law, the Rev. Sarah Sarchet Butter, (an ordained Presbyterian minister) and I officiated at Margaret’s funeral. It took place in a cemetery chapel. Rev. Sarah did the first reading from the Book of Proverbs, chapter 31, which sings the praises of a woman who is a good mother, wife, and manager of her household. Rev. Sarah read with great clarity and feeling. At the final commendation she invited the crowd in the cemetery to draw near to the casket kissed by a setting sun on a day filled with the fine feel of fall. She pulled everyone into a heartfelt final good-bye. As I observed her attentively (and as I observed everyone else observing her attentively), I found myself saying, “See how innovative and courageous these Presbyterians are! See how they have solved their problem of sheep without shepherds! See how they have resisted the temptation to have recourse to “a long unbroken tradition.”

The blessings of our crisis

These are good days for us. Our shortage of priests is a blessing. It challenges us, the priestly community, to ask a bare-boned and pared-down question which we otherwise would not ask. When we, the priestly community, go in search for a priestly head to lead and feed us, what, at the end of the day, should we be looking for? For an administrator to get things done? For a legalist to do things the right way? For a celibate to extol non-sex over sex? For a male to remind us that this is a man’s world?

None of the above! When we, the priestly community look for a priestly head, we should look for one who is good at Word and Sacrament. We should look for one who at the Liturgy of the Word will feed us hungry sheep with words filled with meaning for our meaningless lives. We should look for one who at the Liturgy of the Eucharist will lift the Bread on high to remind us that there is more to life than meets the eye. We should look for one who at the dismissal of Mass will have us exclaiming like Peter on Mt. Tabor, “Oh how good it is for us to be here! Let’s stay up here forever!” (Lk 9:33) That’s what we should look for, and for that we do not need a good administrator, legalist, celibate or male. For that we need a good human being! And of good human beings there is no shortage out there! Our shortage is man made!

Conclusion
Lord of the Harvest, inspire your church

Today’s gospel enjoins us “to pray to the Lord of the harvest to send out more workers to gather in his harvest.” In our crisis we always keep praying that the Lord of the harvest will inspire more young men. Perhaps in our crisis we should be praying also that the Lord of the harvest will inspire the church.

Oh Lord of the harvest, inspire your church to hear your voice in the present crisis. Oh Lord of the harvest, inspire your church with courage to do what she hears your voice is saying. Oh Lord of the harvest, console your church with the thought that if she listens to your voice in the present crisis and musters up the courage to do what she must do, everyone will win. Healthy young men, who want to minister but also want to marry, will win. Women, too, who can do just as good a job (and also just as bad a job) as men do, will also win. The people will win; they will get back their own churches and patron saints, and they will have pastors aplenty to shepherd them. And even eighty year old priests will win; they will be able to retire before they are ninety!

[1]] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!

[2] Acts of the Apostles 17:24

Our Fall Into Amazing Grace

June 8, 2008, 10th Sunday of Ordinary Time
Hosea 6:3-6 Roman 4:18-25 Matthew 9:9-13

To the churched and unchurched[1]
gathered in a church not built by human hands[2]

First reading from Hosea 6:3-6

In their affliction, people will say: “Let us try to know the Lord. He will come to us as surely as the day dawns, as surely as the spring rains fall upon the earth.” But the Lord says, “Israel and Judah, what am I going to do with you? Your religious spirit disappears as quickly as morning mist; it is like dew that vanishes early in the day. That is why I have sent my prophets to you with my message of judgment and destruction. What I want from you people is plain and clear: I want love and mercy from you, not your animal sacrifices. I would rather have my people know me than have them burn offerings to me.”

Alleluia, alleluia.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew 9:9-13
Glory to you, Lord.

As Jesus passed on from there, he saw a man named Matthew. He was a tax collector sitting at his booth. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. While He was at table in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples. The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” He heard this and said, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the scripture which says, ‘What I want from you is plain and clear: I want love and mercy from you, not your animal sacrifices.’ I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

The Gospel of the Lord.
Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Introduction
The call to discipleship

We have rounded off the liturgical cycle with the feast of Pentecost (Jesus’ gift to us of His Holy Spirit) and the feast of Corpus Christi (Jesus’ gift of Himself in the Eucharist). Both gifts are in fulfillment of His promise not to leave us orphans as He ascended into heaven. (Jn 14:18) Now we are in a six-month period of Ordinary Time with its color green, which will take us through the warm summer months into late fall until November 30, 2008. Then we will begin the liturgical cycle all over again with the first Sunday of Advent in preparation for Christmas 2008.

The scripture readings at Mass during this period are lessons on discipleship – on the following of Jesus. In the gospel reading for this 10th Sunday of Ordinary time, Jesus sees Matthew, a tax collector, sitting at his booth and invites him to be his disciple. Matthew immediately gets up and follows Jesus. Later on, when Jesus and His disciples are having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners join them at table. The Pharisees seeing this complain to Jesus’ disciples saying, “How come your master eats with tax collectors and sinners?”(Mt 9:11)

“Tax collectors & sinners”

When Rome occupied the land of Jesus, it hired Jews to collect export taxes from fellow Jews. Naturally these Jews were considered traitors. Many of them were also extortionists. So in the New Testament tax collector and sinner are frequently mentioned in the same breath. Complaining one day about cantankerous people, Jesus said, “John the Baptist comes fasting and drinking no wine, and everyone says, `He has a demon in him!’ Then I, the Son of Man, come eating and drinking, and everyone says, `Look at this man, will you! He is a glutton and wine-drinker, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’” (Mt 11:18-19) On another occasion Jesus berated the chief priests and Jewish elders saying, “I tell you that tax collectors and sinners (prostitutes included) are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you people. John the Baptist came preaching and they listened to him, but you fellows did not.” (Mt 21:32)

When Jesus heard the Pharisees were complaining that He ate with tax collectors and sinners, He told them, “Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the prophet Hosea’s words, `It is not your animal sacrifices and gifts that I want from you people. What I want from you is mercy and compassion.’” Then He added, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 9:11; Hosea 6:6)

Jesus quotes Hosea again

That quote from Hosea must have been a favorite of Jesus; he used it on another occasion. One Sabbath the apostles were on their way to the synagogue. They had not eaten breakfast and were hungry. As they passed by a field of ripened wheat, they began to pick the grain and eat it. That was a violation of Jewish laws concerning food preparation on the Sabbath. The Pharisees complained to Jesus saying, “How come your disciples do what it is forbidden to do on the Sabbath!” Jesus responded, “Have you not read what David did when he and his men were hungry? How he and his men went into the house of God and ate the bread which only priests were allowed to eat.” (I Sam 21:6; Lv 24:5-9) To the Pharisees He quoted the same passage from Hosea, saying, “Go and learn the meaning of the prophet’s word, ‘It is not your animal sacrifices and gifts that I want from you people. What I want from you is mercy and compassion.’” Then he added, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 12:1-8; Hosea 6:6)

Righteousness & Sinfulness

Some years ago, Anglican William Coats wrote an article in an Anglican diocesan newspaper about the event which sent the Archbishop of Milwaukee into fast retirement amid a cloud of sexual scandal. In the article Coats claimed that we Roman Catholics have it all wrong when it comes to righteousness and sinfulness. He characterized his article as “incendiary” and said to a Roman Catholic friend, “It is a bit anti-Roman Catholic, but you will have to live with that.”

Coats maintained that if the Roman Church had had in place a right theology and spirituality about righteousness and sinfulness it could have spared much spiritual anguish for the church of the Milwaukee Archdiocese and its faithful, when the sexual scandal broke into the news media. In his article he referred to a homily preached by a priest in the cathedral. The homily, Coats said, pretended to “comfort” the faithful. It condemned the Archbishop’s sexual affair and the hush money involved, and it asked for mercy and forgiveness upon the Archbishop who, the homilist said, “had fallen from grace.”

“The fall from grace”

In exasperation Coats exclaimed, “This is far too much for me to take!” He explained his exasperation by claiming that there is a strain in Roman Catholic theology which sees human beings as born good, but who “fall from grace” when they commit certain sins. That, he exclaimed, is so much nonsense! The Archbishop, he said, did not fall from some goodness. He started out from where we all start out -- from a human mixture of good and evil. Then he quoted the words of the Apostle Paul, “I tell you, not one of us is righteous; no, not one…. We have all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. “ (Rm 3: 11, 23)

That quote, Coats maintained, does not refer to a moment of sexual weakness which then means disgrace. Rather, it refers to the daily lot of us all. We all know our failures. We all know what we could have done but did not do. We all know what we have done badly. We all know the deceit that is in us. We all know our own cover-up jobs. The idea that one sexual sin somehow besmirches a clean record is pure nonsense, he wrote. The Archbishop and all of us besmirch our records everyday in big and small ways, in ways sometimes hidden and sometimes exposed.

In the article Anglican Coats maintained that had this kind of theology and spirituality been alive and well in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee when scandal broke upon it, there would not have been so much self-righteousness in some, or so much need for cover-up in others, or so much anguish in the hearts of many faithful. He wrapped up his article very neatly and niftily with one shining line: We humans do not fall from grace; we fall into grace.

The fall into grace!

After the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Parable of the Prodigal Son ranks next in my book. What Jesus said of the two greatest commandments can be said of these two great parables, "On these two depend the whole Law and the Prophets." (Mt 22:40)

The Prodigal Son is a disobedient young man who wonders off into a foreign land where he squanders his inheritance on parties and prostitutes. With time, however, he is reduced to slopping the pigs for a gentile farmer. He decides then to turn his life around and make his way back to his father’s house. The father is an incredibly loving man who for months and years looks off to the horizon for any sign of his son returning. When finally one day he spies his son still a long way off, he runs out to meet him. At that moment, the son falls into grace! He falls into the open arms of his father. The father wraps his son’s bare body in a rich robe. He places a ruby ring on his finger and soft sandals on his calloused feet. Then he orders the fatted calf to be slaughtered for a banquet to celebrate a son who was lost but now has been found. (Lk 15:1-32)

The parable has sometimes been called also the Parable of the Prodigal Father. It can also be called the Parable of Man’s Fall into Grace.

Conclusion
Our fall into Amazing Grace

Anglican Coats takes a parting slam at the Roman Church saying, “The Roman Catholic Church certainly has a right to preach and practice whatever theology it wants to, but as the dominant religion in this country it often gives the impression that its view is the Christian point of view. As a child of the Reformation and as an Anglican I say, No, it is not!”

Man’s fall into grace is so wonderful that the Reformation sang of it with all its might in its hymn of hymns -- Amazing Grace.

“Amazing Grace, how sweet the soundthat saved a wretch like me.I once was lost but now am found,was blind but now I see.”

This parable of Man’s Fall into Grace is read on the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time in liturgical Cycle C. After that, this magnificent gem falls silent for two whole years! It is not proclaimed in Cycle A or B. Imagine, the Sunday assembly is deprived of hearing such good news about our sinful selves for two whole years! And when, at last, this great parable is finally proclaimed in Cycle C, there are brackets in the missalette indicating a shortened reading of the parable! Imagine, wanting to shorten such a gem! Tell whoever proclaims the gospel that day to forget about the brackets. Tell him that we sinners have all the time in the world to listen to such good news about our fall into Amazing Grace.

[1]] By the “the unchurched” is especially meant not those who have left the church but those whom the church has left!

[2] Acts of the Apostles 17:24