Oct 15 Homily do NOT come as you are

-Last Sunday's homily is available by email
-This Sunday's Scriptures can be found at www.usccb.org
-check out this week's LinC Letter on the back of the parish bulletin or at www.saint-albert.org/lincletter
-I will be celebrating 4pm Mass on Saturday and 9:30 Mass on Sunday

Christianity is not a “Come as you are Party". Get changed!

 When I was a kid people participated in “mystery trips“. On a mystery trip you were told how long you were going to be gone, what kind of clothes you needed to pack and nothing else.  I don’t know why that is fun but people did it. A more ancient type of adult fun back in the 1960s was a thing called “come as you are party“. A come as you are party resulted in people showing up at your house and kind of kidnapping you exactly as you were (I guess hoping to catch somebody in their pajamas, somebody else in there work clothes, etc.).   I guess some people would walk around all weekend with their hair fixed and their party clothes on, in anticipation of being kidnapped. Doesn’t sound like much fun now but the 1960s were funny.

The gospel parable this Sunday  instructs us as to the nature of being saved, sharing in the life of heaven, being welcomed into Paradise. From what I understand, receiving an invitation to life with Christ does not come without expectations, requirements, or conversion.

So the 21st century attitude that many people have that “people just have to accept me as I am“ does not ring true with the call to Christian life. The invitation to share in the life of Christ, the life of heaven, is an invitation to conversion and to conformity.

 It seems to me that many people like the idea of being a member of the church, enjoying good liturgy, receiving a Catholic education, etc. However, many of those same people do not appreciate that the Catholic way of life demands that we change, be converted, be daily conformed to Christ himself. That involves change.

So, Christianity is not a “come as you are party“. Like the ministry of John the Baptist the invitation to the feast of having demands that we “get changed". We need to consider the demand to be properly dressed.

We have to get changed into our Christian feast apparel. We might call that line of clothes the virtues.