Twenty-Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Last week I gave a difficult homily. I am not in the habit of giving difficult homilies, so it was a shock to many of you for that reason alone. But, and probably more weighty, the question I asked was also startling: was the preference we expressed to stay open until we spent all our money in line with how a disciple thinks. I appreciate the people who came forward and told me what they found so distressing about last week’s homily. I do not claim now, nor have I ever, that I am perfect. I did my best to communicate what I felt the Holy Spirit speaking to me, but I understand that the words I used may have gotten in the way of the point of the entire homily. I also know that some of you felt that the survey you took after our Town Hall was a vote that determined what was going to happen to our parish. I know I said it then, but I’ll repeat it now, that your input is a consultation, not a determination. It’s a consultation that Bishop Boyea wanted to hear, and is glad you provided. But it wasn’t like a ballot issue where the vote would determine the outcome. I apologize for not emphasizing that enough.
I honestly hope that you have been thinking about the homily all week. I hope you re-read the homily on the internet. Because the question is an important one, not just for this parish and its future, but for all our lives: what determines the decisions we make? Is it what gives more comfort or requires less change? Or is it what helps spread the kingdom more?
Jesus challenged His Apostles and disciples. His parables, while we are used to them, upset many people, because they turned people’s pre-conceived notions upside-down, and in some cases did not make the hearers sound all that good. Last week, Jesus said that those who were Johnny-come-latelys would get the same inheritance as those who followed God all their lives. And today, He tells the chief priests and elders that tax collectors and prostitutes are getting into heaven before them because the tax collectors and prostitutes are actually doing what God wants, even though they had earlier said no by their sinful actions. The tax collectors and prostitutes converted; the chief priests and elders were stuck in their ways and would not change. Do you think the chief priests and the elders quietly took that admonition with pious and serene faces? Certainly not! This passage is from Matthew 21. Jesus dies in Matthew 27. That’s no literary coincidence.
What matters most, we hear today, is to do the will of the Father. Sure, it would be better if we said “yes” to God and followed through on it, but what is most important is that we actually do the will of God, no matter what our earlier response.
And what is the will of the Father? To share the Gospel. Not just with other Catholics, but with those who do not know the Gospel, or do not know the fullness of the Gospel. Our church, our parish, has one purpose with two parts: to sustain you so that you can evangelize others. We’re really good at the first part. Our Divine Mercy group, our Men’s Faith Group, and our other faith formation groups help you to grow in your faith. But frankly, we’re not doing a great job at the second part. And I can say that because we are not bringing people into the church. Yes, part of what God wants for this parish is to feed our souls. But He feeds our souls so that we have the spiritual energy to evangelize and bring others into the faith.
First of all, there is no going without staying: before sending the disciples forth on mission, Christ–the Gospel says– “calls them to himself” (cf. Mt. 10:1). The proclamation is born from the encounter with the Lord; every Christian activity, especially the mission, begins from there….Witnessing him, in fact, means radiating him; but, if we do not receive his light, we will be extinguished.
We are good at the “staying” in this parish. You are the faithful few who keep coming back, week after week, to be refreshed by God’s Word and by the Eucharist, and that is a good thing! Praise God that you recognize the need to be fed by God in order to survive.
But Pope Francis continues:
Equally, however, there is no staying without going. In fact, following Christ is not an inward-looking fact: without proclamation, without service, without mission, the relationship with Jesus does not grow. We note that in the Gospel the Lord sends the disciples before having completed their preparation: shortly after calling them, he is already sending them!
If the entirety our faith life is about coming here; if our faith life is only about my daily prayer, whether by myself, or with my spouse, or with a small group; if my faith life is only about my individual actions; if my faith life does not have an opening to share with others the joy that I have found in following Christ, then I’m not fully following Jesus. There is an aspect, the going, that I am missing. And being a disciple means staying and going.
There are ways that our parishioners do “go” after staying. Some serve in the North End Soup Kitchen; some have baked cookies for Catholic Charities; others care for the physical needs of the buildings. We all say with our lips that we want to follow Jesus, but He tells us to “go” and make disciples. With few exceptions in my 6 years here, we have not welcomed others into our faith, for whatever reason. That’s not a judgement, just a fact. We are comfortable talking to other Catholics about our faith, but we have not invited many others into the faith, at least very few that have decided to join the Catholic Church.
In spite of all this, God still invites us to follow His call, no matter how we have answered before. Just because we haven’t done something before, doesn’t mean we can’t start doing it now. Indeed, if we at first said no, but then changed our mind and did the will of God, we would be the ones entering heaven before those who said yes originally, but did not do anything. Each day is a new chance to spread the Gospel. No matter how long our parish has, can we each commit to living both aspects of a disciple: staying with the Lord to be nourished by Him, and then going to the world to proclaim the Good News?