Posts Tagged ‘Evangelizing’

You Are Called to Evangelize- You Are the Church!

Thursday, November 9th, 2017

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica
Ezek 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; 1 Cor 3 9c-11, 16-17; John 2: 13-22
Deacon Larry Brockman

Today we celebrate the feast of the dedication of St. John Lateran. St. John Lateran was the first Basilica built in Rome, pre-dating the Vatican. It was built by Constantine for the Pope in the year 314 and housed the pope for centuries. Ironically, Constantine acquired the property from his former rival’s family; and built the Basilica on what was the quarters for the horses. It was originally dedicated to St. John the Baptist; but later rededicated to St. John the Evangelist. The Basilica has been sacked several times; was ravaged by fire twice; and has fallen into disrepair occasionally. But it has always been renovated, and is one of the five major Basilicas in Rome today.

As the Bishop of Rome, it is Pope Francis’ Church, although an Arch-priest is assigned to run the Basilica. It served as the site for 5 major Church Councils, the most famous of which was the one in 1214.

From this brief history, I am certain you can see why the Church celebrates the dedication of this Basilica, a rather unusual Church Feast.

The readings all remind us of the relationship between the Church and God’s people. Obviously, the water flowing out of the temple in the Ezekiel reading has symbolic meaning since, in fact, no such water did flow from the temple. Rather, the water symbolizes the “living water” that flows from the Church. So, the water that flows is a foreshadowing of Christ himself. This living water was instituted in the Baptism of Christ; but the flow of the water may be seen as the Gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the living water that went forth and flowed to all countries. By the grace instilled by the Holy Spirit, all Baptized persons spread this living water as they fulfill their Baptismal pledge to evangelize in word and deed. The fruit trees and other items cited represent the various ways that the Gospel, the living water, has borne fruit in those who have heard the Gospel and accepted the message.

Now in the Old Testament, there was but one Temple- the Temple in Jerusalem. It housed the ark of the covenant, and was the official place for worship because it was thought that God himself resided in the ark. Notice that the image of the flow of God from this temple is an important difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant instituted by Christ. God is no longer confined to the Holy of Holies within the temple. The water flowing from the temple shows that God is making himself accessible through his people.

In fact, Paul tells the Corinthians that they are the Church. The temple is no longer the Church. Paul says he lays the foundation for the Church based on the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the people are the building. He challenges them to be careful to build the Church properly on that foundation. We must always build on the teachings of Jesus Christ. Then Paul tells them that they are all temples, temples of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, the Holy Spirit dwells in each of us following our Baptisms.

Finally, our Gospel story reinforces this concept of each of us being a temple of the Holy Spirit. Because it makes clear that Jesus himself was referring to the temple of his body as he addressed the Scribes and Pharisees. Indeed, each of us as a temple of the Holy Spirit bear the responsibility for keeping and spreading the word of God. And God’s will is that all people be evangelized through the graces of the Holy Spirit which we receive at Baptism.

And so, as we gather in this fine Church building to worship God and to receive the Eucharist that is food for our spiritual journey, recognize that our real challenge is to do what the Deacon proclaims at the end of each Mass: to “go forth in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life” because you are the vehicle by which the living water flows; you are the Church that shares God with the masses.

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The Joy of Christmas is Not Over!

Sunday, January 15th, 2017

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Is 49: 3, 5-6; 1 Cor 1: 1-3; John 1: 29-34

Deacon Larry Brockman

Well, the Christmas Season is over!  The trees are all taken down; the lights are gone; and everybody is back to work or school.  The cookies and egg nog are depleted.  All the parties are over.  The joy of the Season has run its course.  It’s over!

But you know what?  If that is the feeling you have, you may have missed the whole point of the Christmas season.

Christmas arrived with all its festive music and decorations and lights and feasts to remind us that a savior had been born to us.  That Savior is Jesus, the second person of the Trinity.  He came to be one of us and live as one of us.

Last weekend, we saw the manifestation of Jesus symbolized as priest, prophet and king when the Magi arrived and did the Christ child homage.  And then we celebrated the Baptism of the Lord this week, when John the Baptist witnessed the Holy Spirit descend on Jesus and identified him publically as the Messiah.  So there is still much to rejoice over because the Messiah came to be with us.

Today, our readings help us to recognize the consequences of Jesus arrival for each of us.  You see, Jesus shows us the way to live; his way to live.  His Baptism prefigured ours.  That means that we received the Spirit and a mission at our Baptism.  And his life, which plays out as the Gospel in Ordinary Time, prefigures the kind of life we are called to live.  Yes, each of us is called to follow Jesus at our Baptism by having faith in Jesus, living a Christian Life, and evangelizing in word and deed.

Today, we hear three different aspects of that message in our readings.  Listen again the Paul’s words from Corinthians, whom he addresses this way:  “To you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”  That applies to us as well- since all of us have been sanctified through our Baptism and ultimately, we are all called to be Holy as were the Corinthians.

Then, in our reading from Isaiah, we hear the Lord say of Israel, which refers symbolically to the Messiah, that:  “I will make you a light to the nations that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”   How else does that salvation reach the end of the earth except through us?  We are witnesses through the Apostles and the Gospels to all that Jesus did and promised; we were Baptized and received the Spirit of God and a mission.  And so, we are the way that the light reaches to the end of the earth.  All who are Baptized in our Faith and sent out to live that Faith can and must be evangelizers.  We evangelize through the witness of our lives that we believe, and by our actions which draw others towards the promise of salvation we enjoy.

The Gospel today speaks of John pointing to the Lamb of God.  This happened after Jesus was Baptized by John, and after Jesus spent 40 days in the desert reflecting on God’s mission for him.  As Jesus returns from the wilderness, John sees and recognizes him as “The Lamb of God”.

The Lamb of God!  The Lamb of God is the sacrificial victim in the Passover.  So John first prophesies that Jesus will offer his life as the sacrificial victim on behalf of God the Father.  Then, after repeating that he saw the Spirit of God descend on Jesus, John goes on to state of Jesus:  “He is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit”.  And indeed, after Jesus rose from the dead, and just before he ascended to heaven Jesus tells his Apostles to evangelize all people, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Jesus passes on the responsibility for evangelizing to all of us.

So, we are not done with the coming of Christ.  In fact, the joy of his coming just begins with Christmas.  The rest of the Church year memorializes the rest of the process.  We have all been called to walk in Jesus footsteps.  We are called to believe in him; to become members of his people, the Church; to live as he did according to the Gospels; and to go out and evangelize all people, assuring that they are baptized.  All of us share that calling.

The early church was successful because the Christians got this message.  In unity and love, they lived the Gospel and projected that love in what they said and did.  They held firm in adversity, even suffering death and martyrdom for their faith.  Their example was a powerful testimony that won over an empire- the Roman Empire.

It’s a challenge, but all of us can live up to this calling.  Whether at work, school, play, or leisure, we can project the love and values that Christ left to us as his legacy by always doing the right thing, not what society expects; by showing love for our family and neighbors rather than always feeding our self-interests; and by accepting the sufferings dealt in our lives with dignity and acceptance rather than in bitterness and anger.

And so, they will know we are Christians by our love.

For Christians, the real joy of Christmas has just begun.

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Building the Lord’s House

Thursday, September 24th, 2015

Thursday of the 25th Week in Ordinary Time

Hag 1: 1-8; Luke 9: 7-9

Dc. Larry Brockman

“Build my house”. That’s what Haggai told the Israelis to do. Darius had restored the Israelis to their land after a long exile. They were living in paneled houses, drinking and eating lavishly, and having a great time of prosperity there. But if we read between the lines accurately, they were just not happy. That begs the question, “why”?

Notice that they procrastinated in rebuilding the temple. They didn’t have time for the Lord. They didn’t have a decent place to worship, and that means it wasn’t a priority to them. Could it be that they were not happy because they didn’t really have God in their lives?

Now building the Church sounds like something we just can’t relate to with all the Churches we have today. I saw in the news the other day that Holy Trinity Church in downtown Syracuse had been sold to the Moslems who were going to convert it to a Mosque. Sad, but that sort of thing happens often now in the Northeast. Where did all the faithful go?

You know, I visit a local Hospital twice a week. The chaplain gives me a long list of Catholics to see each time. I’d say that while all of them identify themselves as Catholics, probably less than half are practicing Catholics of any description.

This is what I hear from them: “Years ago I went to see the priest about getting married to my live-in boyfriend, and he wouldn’t marry us, so I haven’t set foot inside a Church ever since.” Or: “Whenever I go to Church, all they ask for is money”; or: “I believe in Jesus, and it’s just me and Jesus, that’s what’s important, I don’t need the Church”; or a whole flock of other reasons, excuses, and sob stories.

What all that means is that it just isn’t true. It isn’t true that we don’t need to build the Church. The fact is that many of us are living comfortably and in complacency, yet we don’t see either the need or urgency of building the Church. But if we are honest about it, the erosion of the Church is clear because the flock is disappearing either out of disinterest, complacency, or disbelief. And deep down we cannot be happy about all the fallen away and lukewarm Catholics.

So, that’s where you and I come in. It isn’t enough for us to believe and come here to worship. We are called to be evangelizers in word and in deed. We are called upon to “build the Church,” not so much with brick and mortar, but by bringing others into the Body of Christ.

Nowadays, too many people are rudderless. They are like Herod in today’s Gospel, seeking something but they know not what. Whereas this country was built on Judeo Christian values, it is now fast becoming a pagan nation of people seeking self-gratification; people who don’t have God in their lives or who have a distorted idea of God. We are not here to coexist with them and let them do their own thing. We are here to convert them; to add them to the Body of Christ, the Church. So, this morning, it is as if Haggai were addressing each of us to get out there and “Build the Church.”

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On Christian Unity

Thursday, May 16th, 2013

Thursday of the 7th Week of Easter

Acts: 22:30, 23: 6-11; John 17: 20-26

Dc. Larry Brockman

 

Christian Unity, Jesus is praying that we will be one in spreading His word to all –people.  It is all over Jesus comments in this morning’s Gospel.  He says: “I have given them the glory that you gave me so that they may be one as we are one.”  And indeed, we are all part of the body of Christ, those of us gathered here this morning.

But there are so many so close to us that are not part of the Body of Christ-  those who have never heard of Christ; those who don’t believe in anything; those who believe, but are weak; and those who have fallen away.  They all need our help.  They are our brothers and sisters, our extended family, our co-workers, our community at large.  How do we evangelize them in this year of evangelization?

Well consider this:  What do they perceive when they think of Holy Family, because, perception is reality is to them.  Are we a loving, welcoming, community?

I have to tell you that the men’s club fish fries this year really impressed me.  My wife and I attended most of them and what struck me was how ecumenical they were.  Our parish succeeded in attracting lots of folks from the other churches in the area.  It seemed like we were seated next to Presbyterians one week; Lutherans the next, and so on.  I thought it was wonderful that so many diverse groups were attracted and felt welcome.  It gave us all the opportunity to mingle, and to show our brothers and sisters in other churches just how wonderful the people of Holy Family are; and welcoming, too.  And I think the Fall Festival provides a similar opportunity.  So yes, there are times when we are a very open and welcoming community.  We need to more of these kinds of events.  And we need to be united and truthful about our faith when we relate to our visitors

Secondly, our first reading addresses another element of what it means to evangelize.  Notice that Paul is brought before a hostile group and cleverly uses the absolute truth to escape.  He is direct, uncompromising, and very truthful when he says that he belongs to a group that believes in the Resurrection.  Paul doesn’t make excuses; he doesn’t deny his affiliation; he doesn’t try silence.  Rather, he speaks up boldly what he believes- and speaks the truth.

But you know, we have to be as clever as Paul was about the way we do it.  Perhaps an example would help.  Many people deny the real presence in the Eucharist or the reality of the Resurrection.  Well, in the last month alone our Parish has hosted the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit and a very fine detailed presentation on the Shroud of Turin.  The evidence in favor of the Real Presence is very strong in the Eucharistic Miracles exhibit; and likewise, the latest developments on the scientific analysis of the Shroud are extremely powerful arguments that literally imply that the shroud is a pictorial proof of the entire Gospel- the death and resurrection of Christ.  We can invite others to events like these.  Challenge them with the truth; and at the same time project our belief in the truth.

Christian Unity is a major problem today.  Jesus Christ is still calling his faithful to spread the Gospel and the truth.

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