-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at USCCB.org >
-I will be celebrating mass this weekend at 11:00am and 6:00pm
Touching
Through the literary technique of "framing", the author of Mark's Gospel points out to us the importance of "contact with Jesus" to the life of faith. The touch of Jesus, "if only I could touch the hem of his garment". He takes the little girl by the hand - touching.
I am certain that this feature of physical contact with Jesus is the most important lack of faith in the world today. It is the crisis of the impetus of the call for the "new evangelization". What I mean is the lack of desire by the human family to touch Jesus and be touched by him.
The incarnate physical embodied presence of Christ in the church, as Christ instituted it, is the feature of religion most challenged in the world today. The scandals of the church and the over-intellectualization of faith since the Reformation have eroded humanity's ability to find and to seek contact with Jesus in and through the place/person of the church.
In fact, the biblical disciples in conversation with Jesus about the bread of life, found his embodiment to be scandalous, meaning that they "walked away". Likewise, the scandal of the cross is an expression that refers to the in ability of the disciples and of course the Jews to endure the physical embodiment of God in Jesus. They walked away wagging their heads claiming "and this one claimed to be the son of God".
Almost everyone in the world and, I believe, most Catholics do not believe that the church, the institutional, human, embodied, social, divine sacramental body of Christ in the world is a necessary feature of their salvation. Actually, the majority of the people in the world see the church as an obstacle, a pain, difficult, boring, annoying.
In that lies the source of a lack of faith. God is so unable to be effective in the world because of a lack of confidence in and contact with the body of Jesus-the church. Do you feel and experience this lack of intimacy with the body of Jesus-the church? Can our eyes be opened and our hearts opened so that Jesus might touch us again today in and through the imperfect Church? Can we as the limited and imperfect church, his body, re-present ourselves to the world convincingly that they might simply long "to touch the hem of our garments"? It is there that the world will be healed and brought to life!
6 comments:
THE REALITY OF OUR “IMPERFECT” CHURCH STEMS FROM OUR IMPERFECT HUMANITY WHILE THE PERSON, THE BODY OF JESUS REMAINS PERFECT AS HEAD OF THE CHURCH. IF WE SEEK HIM LIKE YOU SAY FATHER, IN SUCH INTIMACY, THEN WE OURSELVES RECEIVE THE NECESSARY FEATURES OF OUR SALVATION AND IN TURN CAN BE HIS REPRESENTATIVE IN THE WORLD FOR THE CHURCH.
EVEN ONE WHO, LIKE JESUS, COMES IN THE CHURCH WITH SUCH A GREAT FAITH AS SEEN BY, EVEN THE CHURCH, TO BE A “SCANDALIST FAITH”, CAN FEEL THE LACK OF INTIMACY WITH THE BODY OF JESUS; THE CHURCH, DUE TO THE OVER-INTELLECTUALIZATION OF FAITH BY THECHURCHS’ “FORM” , “ORGANIZATION” OR “SYSTEMILIZAION”.
THE CHURCH CANNOT “CONTAIN” THE WHOLE OF CHRIST. ONE CAN FEEL EXILED FROM THE IMPERFECT CHURCH DUE TO REPRESENTING HIS “GREAT FAITH” EVEN WITHIN THE CHURCH; HENCE, THEREFROM SUCH FAITH, THE CHURCH IS ALWAYS GROWING IN HIM.
Years ago I read a magazine article written by a young film celebrity who had an opportunity to work for a week in Calcutta alongside Mother Teresa. She recounted how for many months she had anticipated the meeting, and how quiet and humble Mother Teresa was when she was introduced. There were few actual words exchanged between them during the little time that was not given to caring for sick people. This actress wrote about Mother Teresa’s gentleness and angelic qualities and how “touched” she was by her, but in no part of the story did she link Jesus, God, or the church to Mother Teresa. Certainly the actress must have known Mother Teresa was a nun, so I surmised that she was probably of no particular religious denomination and bringing Jesus or the Catholic church into the story was beyond her comfort zone. She may have been one of those who call themselves “spiritual” but not “religious”. Therefore the young woman wrote as if Mother Teresa had personally developed an exclusive brand of goodness all her own, and God and the church didn’t figure in.
There’s the saying attributed to St. Francis of Assisi which instructs “preach the Gospel always and, if necessary, use words.” As we strive to live our lives through the lens of our faith, I hope that the love of God and the church will be recognized as the source of the “good news” and the impetus of the “good work” even though some of it may be carried out imperfectly. Jairus’ role in this gospel—pleading with Jesus, in faith, for the life of his child-- gives me hope that our own faith and pleadings through prayer will lead to healing and new life for many others who are “dead”— not intimate with Jesus and the church.
I’m having a hard time lately just making effort not to become discouraged with the Institution of the Catholic Church. The institution is here because it has to be… and we’re more than just an institution, we are a way of life and sometimes that life is painfully hard to see. However, all in all………
In regards to the statement: “the institutional, human, embodied, social, divine sacramental body of Christ in the world …” and, “…this lack of intimacy with the body of Jesus-the church…”
God is the church, the church is not God. I think that’s an important thing to keep in mind when speaking or thinking of the institution.
We are in this world right now and, plain and simple, somebody has to lead the dance. The institution must have laws and rules; otherwise, as we know, there would be anarchy. As Catholics, we trust in the apostolic succession and remain ever mindful to live rightly ordered lives in Christ.
That doesn’t mean we’re always going to agree, it means, as children of God, we are asked to always love more "we are asked to love more" - regardless. God really is Love – that’s not just a cliché.
The Holy Spirit does indeed contain us, if we freely choose to remain in Him. I describe it as… I am very in love with God… and when you love somebody with your entire being, you would never intentionally do anything to hurt them – even in secret.
True intimacy with Christ and His Church is within us as individuals along within us as a community - the Church is not an entity separate and apart from us - it is within us. If you are looking for it with your eyes and ears, back up, go to your inner room. When you’ve found Him there, you will find Him in the other as well. There is true, authentic Joy in that.
Evangelization begins with living a life of witness.
In Christ’s Love ~
ALONG WITH MY THOUGHTS ABOVE I WOULD LIKE TO ADD THAT I HAVE FOUND THE GREATEST INTIMACY WITH CHRIST IN THE GIFT OF THE HOLY EUCHARIST WHICH, ONLY HIS PRIESTS CAN GIVE TO US IN THE "CONTEXT" OF THE SACRED LITURGY. THE INTIMACY WITH CHRIST WAS EVEN MORE ENHANCED, EVEN MORE DEEPENED (FEELING THE HUMAN INTIMACY AS WELL AS THE DIVINE) THROUGH CHRIST'S GIFT OF THE PRIEST HIMSELF, AS HE CARRIED FOR ME CHRIST IN HIS HUMANITY ALSO.
Wow, your prep had me thinking so much that I went to the Catechism last night and read. And I made comments & they disappeared. Today, I realized I had not read far enough in the Cathechism and that Article 9 “I believe in the holy catholic church” goes from CCC 748-975. And the more I read the Catechism and what you wrote, the more I realize we Catholics do not think enough of the Mystery of God in the Church. I surely don’t! I can only compare it to a first-grader thinking she knows it all, ha ha!
To be part of the Mystery requires faith and I’m thinking I busy myself with too much thought of me and us. I think of how Jesus says to us in the Gospel, “Do not be afraid; just have faith.” Not faith in myself, in others, this community, but faith in God to do as God wills through, with & in the Mystery of the Church, the “sacrament of the unity of the human race” (CCC775) WOW!!! Can we see THAT with eyes of faith, WOW!!! Faith in the power of love/God to work great things in me & us & this community! But I think most of us are caught/snagged/enmeshed in the web of this world.
Mark 11:23-24 says, I tell you solemnly, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours says the Lord.” That is a true & deep faith that whatever you ask for, IS YOURS, if you have faith to believe it, even if (and especially if!) the appearance is different than you pictured it. That’s faith!
Our hearts & minds are part of the problem -- I think too many times we lack a supernatural aspect – the people ridiculed Jesus for seeing a sleeping girl instead of a dead girl -- sure we believe the host is Christ-- we can maybe believe that –- maybe wholeheartedly -– but can it be wholehearted unless we can see Christ in the distressed form of parishioners that can’t make friendly eye contact & greet one another…can we see Christ in the distressed form of people who are opinionated or unchurched or rude or cold? Can we see Christ in the distressed forms of the difficulties of our lives??? Faith looks “through & with & in” people & situations.
Somewhere in the Easter vigil (Exultet? When we renew our baptismal promises?) the Priest GRANDLY proclaims, something like, this is our Church, this is our Faith IN CHRIST JESUS. But really, if Christ (the host, right?) and Heavenly realities are NOW, why does the stuff of this world fill our hearts & minds & bring us down???
So . . . how can I get my hands more firmly on Jesus’ garment, how can I set my heart more firmly on the Lord? How can I grow in faith? How can my eyes be opened more to these realities??? Well, I think they’re ALREADY mine! And if they’re mine, they’re also yours!
I am inspired by the question of whether others might experience 'the body of Jesus-the-church' by touching the 'hem of our garments.'
It helps me ask myself: am I bringing Christ to others by what I say and do? Is it clear to others that I experience the love of God? Because if I really do, then the super-abundance of that love would be something I couldn't contain; it would spill over into all of my interaction with others.
Sometimes I wonder if rather than being too concerned about which of my family and friends aren't at church, should I rather be VERY concerned about making sure I myself am open to the truth and love of God in my own life - wondrously communicated to me by the church? I need to check myself - am I allowing myself to be changed, dying in ways I am challenged to die and then moving on to loving more deeply - through my life and participation in the church? Once I do that, God can work more readily through me and will certainly take care of the rest; and they will see that it is in the body of Jesus-the-church that renewal and peace are found.
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