Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

There is probably no more powerful symbol of our beloved country than the statue of liberty that stands proudly in the New York City harbor.  Gifted by the people of France to their friends in the United States in the 19th century, it continues to stand as a beacon of the very best of our country.  While many of us know this famous structure by its common name, the statue of liberty, I was intrigued to find out recently the formal name that this symbol of our country carries, given it by the French – Liberty Enlightening the World.

For the millions of immigrants and those seeking asylum in our country down through the decades, this title captures the power of its meaning for the peoples fleeing despotic governments, demagogues, poverty, and racism, to taste and breath the endless opportunities that freedom promises in this blessed land of opportunity.

In many respects, this symbol of our deepest and most honored identity as a nation reflects the power and challenge of the Lord’s own words to us enshrined in the Gospel of Matthew.  You are the light of the world.  My friends, our identity as followers of Jesus is to be that light in the midst of the all too common darkness that still enslaves so many of our sisters and brothers in the human family.

It was this image of our nation as a light for others that remained a favorite theme of our 40th President, Ronald Reagan.  In his farewell speech to the nation on January 11, 1989 he eloquently stated:

"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life, but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in my mind, it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still."

I find these words all the more eloquent and prescient as we find ourselves in this present moment of tension in our country.  I have spoken often homiletically, invoking that beautiful image of Abraham Lincoln, that of being attentive to the better angels of our nature.  Now, more than ever, it is that attentiveness that is needed.

As Christians, it is of course, the call of Jesus, his way, his good news, the enduring values that he himself exemplified so powerfully in his life and ministry that must be the north star of our own lives that bear his name.  It must be this vision that shapes all our choices and decisions as faithful citizens of this land.  For it is this vision and its values that remain as a healthy corrective to the nativism, misguided nationalism and isolationism that are so unworthy of our great nation and its heritage.

The enduring words of the Prophet Isaiah, that we have heard this day, provide a challenging clarion call to us all of our deepest and truest identity as citizens of this land of freedom and opportunity:

"Share your bread with the hungry,
shelter the oppressed and the homeless;
clothe the naked when you see them,
and do not turn your back on your own.
Then your light shall break forth like the dawn…"

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Brothers and Sisters, we have all heard the expression at one time or another:  Familiarity breeds contempt.  I’ ve learned over the years that more often than not, familiarity, rather than engendering ‘ contempt,’  has a way of lulling us into a complacent, ‘ take it for granted’  attitude.  While this is only natural in so many areas of our life, it is lethal when it comes to the vitally important realities in our life.  To take for granted the relationships and friendships that give our life their ultimate meaning can spell devastation in our emotional lives.  Many a marriage that has sadly floundered and died can trace the seeds of this demise to a ‘ take it for granted’  attitude.

As devastating as this mind-set can be in our relationships with one another, it is lethal in our relationship to our faith.  A lively faith that is transformational must be intentional.  A faith that is built on the cheap grace of convenience rather than conviction is a faith that has no foundation, no substance, no permanence.  Frankly, it is nothing more than a charade that is assumed to merely impress or manipulate others.  In the end, rather than liberating us to live in the freedom of the sons and daughters of God, it becomes just one more lie that in the end can destroy our souls.

All of us have heard time and time again the Gospel from St. Matthew that the Church in her liturgy sets before us this morning – commonly known as the Beatitudes.  In them, the Lord confronts the familiar pragmatic wisdom of every age with a counter-cultural and transformational challenge to live in a radically different way. In a culture and society that is so tempted to ignore the ‘ better angels’  of our nature, it might be so very easy to conclude that these are nothing more than the naïve babblings of some 1st century itinerant Jewish rabbi who in the end was a loser God as he hung upon the cross. Who in their right mind would call the poor in spirit, blessed? Or who would be so delusional as to believe that the meek, not the strong, would inherit the land or that mercy would trump revenge? Or who in their right mind would exalt peacemakers over the dictum, might makes right. And finally, who would ever think that insult and persecution are to be met with rejoicing and gladness rather than a vengeful, ‘ I’ ll get back at you attitude?” No, no, no....for those who merely wear religion as a thin veneer of respectability, these sayings of the master can be conveniently ignored.

Yet, my friends, for nearly 2000 years, these words of Jesus continue to stand as an indictment against those who would dare to rob Christianity of its heart and center.  A heart and center that profoundly believes that no one is to be excluded from the merciful embrace of a loving God, whose borders know no limits. A heart and center of a living faith that through the Prophet Zephaniah commands us to ‘ seek justice...seek humility’  and in doing so, one will find their true self. A heart and center of a dynamic faith that dares to believe the words of St. Paul who proclaims, “... God chose the weak of the world to shame the strong, and God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something, so that no human being might boast before God.”

And so, my friends, let us pray for the humility to let our worldly wisdom surrender to the ageless wisdom of Jesus who remains the perfecter of our faith.  And in doing so, find in him our happiness and joy now and in the world to come.

Third Sunday in Ordinary Time

There was a delightful story last week on NPR’s Weekend Edition Sunday about the surprisingly unconventional ‘welcome’ that is posted on the doors of the Anglican Cathedral of Coventry in England.  This Cathedral was sadly bombed during World War II and was reconstructed following the war. It’s strikingly modern architectural style incorporates elements of the former bombed ruins of the old Cathedral.  It is a profound place of pilgrimage dedicated to reconciliation and peace.  It’s welcome to visitors exemplifies this theme in a wonderful and whimsical way:

We extend a special welcome to those who are single, married, divorced, widowed, straight, gay, confused, well-heeled or down-at-heel. We especially welcome wailing babies and excited toddlers. We welcome you whether you can sing like Pavarotti or just growl quietly to yourself. You're welcome here if you're just browsing, just woken up or just got out of prison. We don't care if you're more Christian than the Archbishop of Canterbury or haven't been to church since Christmas 10 years ago. We extend a special welcome to those who are over 60 but not grown up yet and to teenagers who are growing up too fast.

We welcome keep-fit moms, football dads, starving artists, tree huggers, latte sippers, vegetarians, junk food eaters. We welcome those who are in recovery or still addicted. We welcome you if you're having problems, are down in the dumps or don't like organized religion. We're not that keen on it either. We offer welcome to those who think the Earth is flat, work too hard, don't work, can't spell, or are here because Granny is visiting and wanted to come to the cathedral. We welcome those who are inked, pierced, both or neither.

We offer a special welcome to those who could use a prayer right now, had religion shoved down their throats as kids or got lost on the Ring Road and wound up here by mistake. We welcome pilgrims, tourists, seekers, doubters and you.

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In its whimsical fashion, this delightful ‘welcome’ cuts to the very heart of the call to discipleship that we have heard in today’s gospel. While some might still be laboring under the misconception that discipleship with the Lord demands the prerequisite of perfection, we need only look at the first 12. They, like all of us, were very imperfect with even one of them completely turning his back on the Lord in the final days of his earthly life.  Yet, the invitation stands for all whom God earnestly desires to be part of his family in loving solidarity with him and one another.In a world and nation that more and more experiences the factional divisions that fragment the human family, the Christian faith stands in polar opposite to the factional camps and ideologies that separate rather than unites in solidarity and reconciliation.

And so, my friends, may our gathering in this holy place where all are welcome be a sign of that oneness that brings delight to the Lord, who is indeed the joy of our life