Free From the Inside Out!

 

Deacon Dave · Free From the Inside Out!

Homily for the 28th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Oct. 14, 2018. Readings: Wisdom 7:7-11; Hebrews 4:12-13; Gospel of St. Mark 10:17-27. Theme: Free From the Inside Out! 

 The rich man in today’s Gospel was not all that different from many of us today. He enjoyed what life had to offer but at the same time he recognized that there was more to life than what we experience here on planet Earth. He knew that how we live in this life has a direct correlation as to where we will continue our existence in the next. It seems that his dilemma was really a matter of priorities. He stood in need of the gift of wisdom (as we heard in our first reading) so that he could make the best choice between two forms of wealth & success. Would it be the material pleasures of the here and now or the eternal luxury of treasures in Heaven? 

 According to Jesus, we cannot have it both ways! Striving after both forms of riches cannot successfully coexist as a double-goal in our lives. Or as Christ put it in a related teaching of his Gospel, “No one can serve two masters. For you will either hate the one and love the other or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” (Matthew 6:24) It’s not that wealth is evil in and of itself. But a fat bank account and a more-than-sufficient income can fool us into thinking that we are safe and secure, self-sufficient and masters of our own destiny. They can fool us into thinking that we are secure, and unstoppable. That is, until the stark reality of our human vulnerability and mortality slaps us in the face! 

 There aren’t enough riches or pleasures in the whole galaxy to keep disappointments or disasters, sickness or death away from us. And we all know that the old saying is true which tells us that “money cannot buy happiness” yet we so often just keep acting as if it can. We see the truth of this saying manifested in the rich man in today’s story. He had it all and lived a basically good life and yet… something was lacking, something was holding him back from real satisfaction with life and with himself. His money could not buy him the happiness he desired and in frustration he turned to Jesus for the solution. The Lord was able to look into his heart and told him precisely what was lacking, but he wasn’t open to hearing it. He wanted the best of both worlds which simply cannot be done. His wealth trapped him and he was possessed by all that he owned. And so the gospel tells us, “He went away sad, for he had many possessions.” 

 In passing on this story to us in his version of the Gospel, St. Mark wants us to honestly look inside ourselves and discern what is holding us back from more fully following Jesus? Maybe it isn’t money or possessions. Maybe it’s lust or arrogance; maybe it is envy or a hurt that we refuse to forgive. Maybe it’s a wrong relationship or a destructive behavior that we do not feel strong enough to break out of. But if we truly thirst for eternal life, then we need to honestly ask ourselves: “What is it that I lack that keeps me from giving myself completely to Christ? What is holding me back?” 

 The description of the Word of God in today’s second reading from the Letter to the Hebrews can help with this personal diagnosis and its cure. It reminds us that Scripture is like a two-edged sword that can perform spiritual surgery, so to speak, and help us to cut out whatever blocks our full following of Jesus. This is why Pope Francis constantly reminds us to read at least a small portion of the Gospels daily. God’s Word has power to penetrate into our hearts, into our consciences, and to root out whatever does not belong to Christ. Like any medicine, it works over time and must be taken in daily dosages, but if we persevere in undergoing this spiritual treatment we will indeed gradually come to be free. 

 Jesus had offered the rich young man a pathway to freedom, but he preferred the comfort of his chains. He could not let go of the gold in his hand in order to grasp the hand of his Lord. Let’s not be like that. Let’s drop the gold of whatever it is that holds us back and take Jesus’ hand and follow Him, and allow him to lead us through life - with all its ups and downs - and finally bring us to that awesomely free and utterly fulfilling life with God that never ends.

Covenant or Contract?

 

Deacon Dave · Covenant or Contract?

Homily for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Gospel of St. Mark 10:2-16. Theme: Covenant or Contract? 

 This Sunday's liturgy focuses primarily upon the awesome mystery and meaning of marriage. Sacred Scripture begins with the creation and union of man and woman in Genesis and ends with "the wedding feast of the Lamb" in the Book of Revelation. So we see that the Holy Bible refers to marriage from its first to its last page. God gave marriage its natural origin and purpose and then Jesus elevated it to the supernatural status of a Sacrament, making matrimony a channel of his uplifting grace enabling spouses to preserve their union through good times and bad. 

 The Pharisees were known for trying to trap Jesus throughout his public ministry. In our Gospel reading their question about the lawfulness of divorce was intended to put Jesus between a rock and a hard place. They knew that divorce was not in God’s original plan for marriage, but they also knew that God’s great prophet Moses had allowed husbands and wives to divorce. So, where would Jesus stand in this seemingly contrary situation? Would he turn his back on the law of Moses which they held to be untouchable? 

 But our Lord doesn’t fall into their carefully set trap. He emphasizes that it was Moses and not God who allowed for divorce and refers them back to the Book of Genesis which asserts God’s original intention for marriage. He reiterates to them that when a man and woman get married they become “one flesh” by entering into a union which is both bonded TO God and bonded BY God. Thus Jesus says, “what God has joined together, no human being must separate.” This was a hard teaching for some who heard Jesus to accept and it remains a challenge for many today. It seems to me that a big part of the problem today is that people are using the same word (“marriage”) but they are using it to describe two related but different things! Let’s look at both viewpoints. 

 The Church sees God's design of marriage as a COVENANT. This means it’s intended to be a three-way bond between the Lord, the groom and the bride. The couple agrees to live out their relationship with God and in obedience to his Word. In return God pledges to be with them always and assist them. As the late sainted Archbishop Fulton Sheen used to say, "It takes three to get married!" This covenant made BY and WITH God can only be broken by God and can end only with the death of one of the spouses. 

 On the other hand, non-Christian sources see marriage as a CONTRACT and not a covenant. For them it is a man-made legal partnership by which persons enter into a legal agreement. And as a legal document it can define marriage anyway it wishes. It can also end the legal relationship upon the decision of the signers of the marriage license. A judge then declares the contract null and void and that the person is legally free to enter into another civil marriage contract. So you see the vast difference and divergence between the two definitions! 

The widespread confusion between covenant vs. contract is really what is at the heart of a misunderstanding of marriage. Being raised in a culture where the dominant media is more prominent than faith in their moral formation, children can grow up with a warped-image of matrimony. This media disinformation gives rise to the idea even among some Christians that the best and most normal “marriage preparation”,so to speak, is had by living together in disregard for God’s Word. It further muddies the matrimonial waters by claiming that all weddings are pretty much the same, whether it be a ceremony celebrated sacramentally in a church OR a civil service held at a vineyard (or some other desired venue). And finally, it delivers the fateful message that a marriage can end when hopes for how it should have been do not become a reality. 

 But there is a short and simple response to these errors promoted by the media and society in general. And it can be found in the sacred promise that is traditionally spoken at a Catholic wedding: “...to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish until death do us part.” This is the real heart and soul of a holy matrimony that is lived out, day by day, by both husband and wife who mean what they say and who depend upon Christ to supply what they lack.

More Than a Cup of Water

 

Deacon Dave · More Than a Cup of Water

Homily for the Annual Vincentian Appeal, September 28/29, 2024. Gospel of St. Mark 9:38-48. Theme: More Than a Cup of Water 

 In today’s gospel, Jesus declares that even giving someone a cup of water in his Name does not go unnoticed and unrewarded by God. Well, it’s my privilege to speak today about a group of ordinary everyday Christians who give the needy so much more than simply a cup of water. They are called Vincentians, members of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which was begun in Paris in 1833, under the leadership of a 20-year-old Catholic law student named Frederic Ozanam. The Society was started in the aftermath of the bloody French Revolution which persecuted the Catholic Faith and resulted in terrible poverty for so many. Frederic and some of his classmates were accused by fellow students of being comfortable Christians who were all talk but no action when it came to making life better for the destitute. Rising to the challenge, the small group decided to give tangible witness to their faith by bringing the love of Christ in concrete ways to the hungry, the sick, the suffering and the vulnerable. 

 Even though it was extremely dangerous, they began to go 2-by-2 into the Parisian slums. They devised an innovative method of making home visits to the poor so that they could see for themselves what needed to be done. Then they returned to their parishes to collect food, clothing, medicine and money to distribute on their next round of visits. They called themselves the Society of St. Vincent de Paul in honor of the patron saint of charitable organizations. The Society grew and spread rapidly. It arrived in America in 1845, in our Archdiocese in 1860, and in Marin County in the early 1900’s. Here at St. Sebastian’s we’ve been blessed to have had a Conference of the Society continuously for about 50 years. And its members continue to serve in the person-to-person style of Frederic and his first companions. 

They speak with and visit individuals and families so that they can see and learn for themselves what needs to be done. And then they come back to their parish, to us, in order to spread the word, make known the needs, and collect what is needed to provide relief. And the only reason they can do these things is because they have you, their parish community, supporting them. Because Marin has a reputation of being a wealthy county, the sting of poverty hurts even more. It can place upon the downtrodden an additional burden of false shame or they simply become invisible to eyes that just do not want to see them. But right here living among us are those who are struggling to simply survive. And they often have the additional stress of caring for a disabled child or spouse. Every week of the year, our Vincentians bring them help and hope by supplementing monthly rents to avoid homelessness; by making dental and medical care possible; they assure the continuation of utilities so that basic human needs can be met. They provide furniture to make apartments livable, they distribute Safeway cards to enhance food shopping, and overall they assist in so many ways that enable both adults and children to live with dignity and find some peace of mind. 

 In addition, unexpected and unique situations can also arise. For example, they have helped to relocate an abused woman and her vulnerable children to another state in advance of her abuser’s release from prison. On another occasion they were contacted by a terrified murder-witness who needed protection and relocation. And of course Christmas is fast approaching and as they do every year, our Vincentians will be distributing gift cards to families with children so that Santa Claus can make his anticipated visits to them as well. Now, this long list of amazing good works might sound like they were being carried out by an immense network of people covering a very large territory. But in actuality they were done by only a small handful of Vincentians working within just the confines of our local parish boundaries (which encompass Greenbrae, Kentfield and parts of southern San Rafael). But this same kind of scenario is repeated by Vincentians in other parishes of Marin county (many of whom are with us here at this special Mass tonight). Isn’t it amazing to see what wonderful things can happen when even just a few Christians band together to do good and when their parish communities stand behind them with spiritual and financial support! 

 And so I am standing here before you today to beg you in the Name of Our Lord Jesus Christ and in the name of his poor for your participation in and support for the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. It should come as no surprise to anyone that due to inflation our funds do not go as far as they used to and yet the cries for help continue to call out to us! To be quite blunt, we need your help in order to keep bringing the tangible love of Christ to those who struggle. Funds are always needed of course, but members are needed too, for what good will the money be if there is no one to actually use it and bring aid to the poor? So, please consider becoming either an active Vincentian yourself or a regular contributing Vincentian donor. 

 But even before money and members, I am asking first of all that you pray for the Vincentians and those they serve. You see, the Society looks like any other humanitarian group on the outside, but it’s really so very different on the inside! It exists for one reason only: to show the providence and love of God for the poor through good works that bring the Gospel of Jesus into people’s lives in concrete ways. Vincentians shine the light of faith on others simply by their very presence because they strive to be the Face of Christ FOR the poor and to see the Face of Christ IN the poor. You see, the Society is first of all a spiritual association and so your prayers are very much needed to uplift and support them as well as those they serve. 

 Secondly, I ask you to prayerfully consider if God might be calling you to live out your faith as an active member of the Society. Becoming a Vincentian is not simply joining a group. It's a vocation, it’s responding to a call from Christ himself to become a partner with him in bringing his Good News to the poor. Participation is based on each member’s available time and we could really use Spanish-speaking Vincentians as well. If you are interested to know more be sure to stop by our parish ministry fair which will be held after all the Masses on the weekend of October 12/13. This will give you a chance to ask questions and learn more about the Society and its works. 

 And lastly, I am of course asking for donations. You have always been so incredibly generous to the Society so it's hard for me to stand here and ask yet again. But the love of God and the needs of the poor impells me to do so. Just so you know, it takes an average of about $6,000.00 a month to meet the pressing needs that are made known to us, so please be as generous as you can with today’s special collection. Just a few tips when donating...

•  If you are donating by check be sure to put SVDP in the memo line. 
• If you are giving cash, please use one of the SVDP envelopes so that we know your donation is not for the parish in general. 
• And if you are not prepared to make a contribution today, please mail or bring back your donation, using one of the SVDP envelopes that can be found at each of the church entrances. 

On behalf of the Society of St. Vincent de Paul I thank you and I ask God to bless you and reward you for the giving of your time, talent and treasure to relieve the suffering of Christ in the persons of his poor!

Greatness (Redefined!)

 

Deacon Dave · Greatness (Redefined!)

Homily for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 22, 2024. Readings - Gospel of St. Mark 9:30-37. Theme: Greatness (Redefined!) 

 Today’s Gospel has a lot packed into it, so let’s take it apart and look at it bit by bit… 

 "Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it." What a stark contrast this description is about the ministry of Jesus! Usually he is surrounded by crowds at the seashore or has a huge gathering of listeners straining to hear his every word. But now Jesus intentionally seeks privacy so that he can have quality time with just his Twelve Apostles, giving them personal instruction. Why? Because they are headed towards Jerusalem for the Passover and Jesus knows it will be the last one they spend with him, and so he is trying to prepare them for the shocking reality to come. 

 "He was teaching his disciples and telling them about his approaching Passion, but they did not understand and they were afraid to question him." Well, the Lord says quite clearly what is going to happen to him but the Apostles don’t seem to grasp it. It makes you wonder what part of “they are going to kill me” didn't they understand? Well, I think there are two reasons for their silence. First, no devout Jew raised with the idea that the Messiah was a king or a kind of “Superman” would ever think it possible for him to be overcome by his opponents. The idea just wouldn’t even enter their heads. Secondly, it could be that they had an inkling that what Jesus was saying was somehow true. After all, he had never lied to them and he seemed to know everything. So just maybe they were quiet because they were afraid to ask, afraid of his response. It’s like we sometimes say, “if you don’t want to know the answer, then don’t ask the question.

” They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?” The house in Capernaum was actually the home of the brother-disciples, Peter and Andrew. Almost from the beginning of his ministry Jesus had made it his headquarters. Jesus didn’t get a reply to his question but it didn’t matter because he knew what they were arguing about. I bet he asked because he wanted to hear them say it themselves, to hear them own up to it. I am sure that they knew that Jesus knew and so out of utter embarrassment they remained silent. I think we can all relate to their silence and sense of shame in being caught in the act, like when we ourselves have been caught by surprise in the midst of a petty conversation or gossip session. 

 Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.” Jesus loses no time going straight to the fact that even after living with him for several years, they were not picking up on his Message. The giving up of self out of love for God and neighbor is at the very heart and soul of the Gospel proclaimed by Jesus through both his example and his word. He gave us the primary example of this in his Incarnation. He, God the Son, humbled himself, laying aside his divine powers so as to become utterly human. Then, he lived for 30 years as a laborer in a poor working class family in a backwater village. Finally, he spent 3 years in public ministry during which he was constantly besieged by people and condemned by his opponents. Why did God freely choose to go through all of self=emptying? So that he could relate to us, be in solidarity with us, become truly one of us in all things except sin. He made himself susceptible and vulnerable, all out of love for us. And still…the disciples remain clueless. They push and shove one another for the sake of a high political position in a kingdom of their own selfish ambition and imagination! But Jesus doesn’t give up on them. He teaches them yet another lesson in humility and service by holding up a little child before them as a model and a sign. 

 “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.” To teach and illustrate to his disciples what he meant by “greatness” and whom they should seek to serve instead of the rich and influential, Jesus presented them with a child. You see, in their ancient culture, a child had no rights, no standing, no claims to anything whatsoever. A child had no clout with which to repay or reward anyone. And so Jesus is telling them - and us - that it is our attitude and treatment of the most vulnerable among us that truly proves the reality of our love for God. It is, in fact, by putting ourselves at the end of the line, so to speak, that we become great in the Kingdom of Christ. This is what it means to say that "the first shall be last and the last shall be first". 

 So it seems to me that our review of today’s Gospel is calling each one of us to examine our own attitudes and behavior. Do we have a spirit of selfish competition, trying to grab the highest place for our own benefit? Do we give special attention particularly to those who are influential and can thus repay us? What are we doing to actually show concrete care and concern for the “least” among us? Are we satisfied with merely feeling sorry for them but then simply continuing on with our own comfortable existence? Are there superfluous things in my life that I can give up and then use the money I would have spent on these things for the relief of the suffering of my neighbor? Those are important questions for sincere Christians to ask themselves.

The Fourfold Message of the Cross

 

Deacon Dave · The Fourfold Message of the Cross

Homily for the 24th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 15, 2024. Gospel of St. Mark 8:27-35. Theme: The Fourfold Message of the Cross 

 The word Messiah, which we most often use in its Greek translation of “Christ”, had deep meaning for the Jewish people of Jesus’ time. The Messiah’s coming foretold by the prophets was what gave hope to every devout Israelite as they struggled to live under Roman oppression. It fueled within their hearts the yearning for freedom, prosperity, and independence. Therefore, what a shock it was when Jesus affirmed that he was indeed the Christ but in the same breath foretold his approaching Passion at the hands of Israel’s enemies! 

 This was too much to hear and so Peter stepped up and tried to change the subject. As he and the other disciples saw it, the cross was for criminals and certainly not for the Christ! However, in God’s mysterious plan, the cross was indeed central to the mission of Christ and in today’s Gospel he tells us that it is also part of our mission as Christians. Each one of us must bear the cross as it manifests itself in our lives. This is not easy to do so it's important to find hope and strength in the fourfold message that the cross brings to us. 

 First, the Cross is irrefutable proof of God's solidarity with us. We worship a God who did not remain far away and aloof from his creation. In order to save us and restore us to an intimate friendship with him, our God became one of us. He rolled up his sleeves and got dirty, so to speak, with the business of being a man. He gave up the glory of Paradise and laid aside his divine power to humbly become like us in every way except for sin. And this "every way" included suffering and death. He did not exempt himself from experiencing our deepest fears, sufferings and pains because he came to save, to heal, to redeem every aspect and experience of our humanity. Thus, the Cross shows us the depths of God's solidarity with us. 

 Second, the Cross is a sign of God's love for us. People often ask why Jesus "had" to suffer the Cross and Passion. Couldn't God have saved us in an easier and different way? Well, of course he could have. But he chose to save us in a way that we could never forget or doubt the depth of his love. Crucifixion was the most cruel, shameful, humiliating and painful way to die. It began with being stripped naked before your peers and ridiculed in public. The nails were strategically placed to cause excruciating nerve pain and were situated in such a way that the victim could only breathe by struggling to lift themselves up a bit, putting even more pressure on the nailed parts of the body and thus increasing the agony. Thus, the Cross shows us the unbelievable depth of God's unselfish and passionate love for each and every human being. 

 Third, the Cross is a call to partnership with Christ. Jesus chose to freely offer up his sufferings for the sake of our salvation. Through his Passion he grabbed evil by the horns, so to speak. and flipped it on its back. What this means is that he has made it possible for us to unite with him and turn the Bad News of Suffering into the Good News of Salvation! This does not mean that sickness, pain and suffering have now become something good. Rather, it means that because of our relationship with the Risen Lord by baptism, we can intentionally unite our difficulties and painful experiences to the Cross of Christ in a mystical union or partnership. We do not have to bear our sufferings alone nor need they become "wasted" or "meaningless". Through him, with him and in him we can bear the Cross out of love and participate in obtaining graces of salvation and redemption for others. St. Paul wrote and taught about this kind of partnership in the New Testament. 

 And lastly, the Cross is a pledge of our future resurrection to eternal life. It reminds us that Jesus has promised - not just said but promised - that if we remain faithful to him we, too, shall overcome our physical death and enter into a new and glorious eternal existence! For this reason the Roman Christians composed a short prayer of praise that goes, "Ave Crucis Spes Unica!" or in English, "Hail, O Cross, our Only Hope!" It reminded them - and still reminds us - that the Cross, which was originally the symbol of torture and execution has been transfigured by Christ into the sign of resurrection and eternal life. 

 This is why we wear it. This is why we bow before it in reverence. And this is why we trace it upon our bodies when we begin or end a prayer. It sums up everything good and holy that God has done for us and stirs up within our hearts the good things God still has in mind for us as we wait with joyful hope for these better things to come!

Ephphatha! Be Opened!

 

Deacon Dave · Ephphatha! Be Opened!

Homily for the 23rd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 8, 2024. Readings: Gospel of St. Mark 7:31-37. Theme: Ephphatha! Be Opened! 

 “Ephphatha” is a strange word in today’s Gospel. It’s actually one of the very few words we have from the lips of Jesus in his own native language of Aramiac. And as St. Mark tells us, it means “Be opened”. This healing story was of such significance in Christianity that it became part of the ritual of Baptism wherein Jesus' words and gestures are repeated in what is called the “Ephphatha Rite”. At that part of the ceremony, the baptizing minister touches the ears and mouth of the newly baptized while saying, “May the Lord Jesus, who made the deaf to hear and the mute to speak, grant that you may soon receive his Word with your ears and profess the Faith with your lips, to the glory and praise of God the Father.” 

 It’s nearly impossible for us to imagine how much the deaf man suffered due to living in a silent world of social isolation. Notice how intentionally and carefully Jesus interacted with the man. Because he could not hear, touch became the basis for their communication and so Jesus placed his fingers upon the man’s ears and lips, indicating that he was focusing on these parts. Then the Lord placed saliva upon the man’s tongue, because it was thought to be a natural and powerful medicine, so it delivered a message of health and healing. Finally and thoughtfully, Christ groaned aloud so that the man could sense the vibrations of his voice and know he was being personally addressed. And when Jesus exclaimed, “Ephphatha!” the man was set free from the suffering of isolation and given a renewed life! 

 But you know, being deaf and mute are not the only ways in which the ears and lips can lead us into the prison of social isolation. It can also happen when those who are able to hear and speak choose to use these faculties in negative and destructive ways, such as by gossip and detraction. Such people often find themselves in a social isolation of their own making because no one likes to be around those who exude such negativity. And then there are also those who put others into social isolation by trying to silence them, closing their ears to hearing what someone is really trying to say. This can make the speakers feel invisible and that their thoughts don’t matter. 

 It’s also possible for such things to go beyond the personal and become a national problem. We’ve seen this happening in the past few years particularly via social media. Those who speak unpopular truths are maligned and silenced. Many who have a public voice speak lies and innuendos. There is no attempt to really listen to one another and to speak in a way that builds peace and promotes unity. Instead we see the virus of social isolation taking on a new and ugly form as it spreads and infects others, even causing social isolation to take place within families and in workplaces. All of these misuses and abuses of the lips and ears - whether in our private life or in the public forum - stand in need of healing. They all need to feel the touch of Jesus and hear him exclaim, “Ephphatha”! “Be opened!” 

 And this brings me back to the Ephphatha Rite in Baptism. We receive our own “ephphatha” at the beginning of our Christianity because it spiritually empowers us to become part of the healing solution to this divisive and isolating problem. Baptism washes away sin and the Ephphatha brings this cleansing grace to our speaking and our hearing. It isn’t there just for the sake of ceremony. It isn’t simply empty ritual symbolism. Rather, it makes us part of the on-going ever-present miracle of Christ, by bringing us into a participation in his healing ministry. Those of us who have had our ears and lips opened are called to pay it forward and spread the Lord’s “ephphatha” to those around us. 

 So, how do we do that? How do we ordinary everyday Christians pay it forward and do what we can to be Ephphatha healers? We do so most of all by ensuring that our own use of speech and of listening are guided by the supreme law of charity. We are to say the good things people need to hear, things that will really help them and so become a healing presence in a very broken world that is inhabited by very broken people. Following the instructions of St. James in our second reading, we are to speak and listen without showing any favoritism or partiality, accepting each person as someone who deserves to be heard and spoken to with respect. As Ephphatha Christians we strive to act in this way so that others can experience the touch of Christ through us, enabling him to open their ears to truly listen and open their lips to speak the truth.

True Worship, True Religion

 

Deacon Dave · More Than Going Through the Motions

Homily for the 22nd Sunday of Ordinary Time, Sept. 8, 2024. Gospel of St. Mark 7:1-23. Theme: True Worship, True Religion 

 I grew up in an immigrant Italian family still very much tied to the culture of the Old Country, as some of my elders used to say. Now, as far as food went this was awesome, but as far as religion goes, well…it meant there was real estrangement from the institutional Church. This was an attitude that was imported from their anti-clerical homeland. We never went to Mass or to the sacraments, but we did observe some external religious customs. However, I would have to admit that like the Pharisees in today's Gospel, these traditions were devoid of any real interior heart-felt devotion. But here’s the real odd thing: I would quickly get a salami sandwich slapped right out of hands on a Friday, accompanied by the reminder that “we Catholics don’t eat meat on Fridays!” And when I asked why… the reply was always “because that’s just what we do.” Do you see what’s wrong with this picture? 

 Well, Jesus tells us what’s wrong with it in today’s gospel. It's going through the motions without knowing why. It’s religion based on rules and not on relationships of the heart. It’s observing external rituals without them being an expression of an interior communion with God. In other words, it’s hollow, it's an empty show. Jesus is strongly warning us in our Gospel reading that this approach to religion has absolutely no power to transform, to change, to save the human person. Instead, it misleads us into thinking that we are devout and good simply because we obey the rules and follow the customs. It blinds us to the real and ultimate purpose of Christianity which is conversion of life, changing the ways we think, speak and act so that we become more like Jesus. 

 Just going through the motions of external religion cannot produce saints, let alone good Christians. It’s unable to empower us to forgive those who hurt us. It fails to motivate us to serve the desperate needs of the hungry, the poor, the sick and the lonely. External religion eventually becomes meaningless and boring and routine and those who practice it soon become disillusioned. God becomes disconnected from their lives because, well in all honesty, he was never truly welcome there in a serious way in the first place. Simply following rules and observing rituals will not lead us to Heaven, but only to other place to be quite honest…and the danger of it is that it can fool us all along the way into thinking that we are doing just fine. 

 As Christians who belong to a Church that has always placed great emphasis upon ritual and rules we all have to be careful to avoid the trap of falling into this kind of approach to religion. The number one way to insure against it is by first of all nurturing a personal relationship with God through “prayer of the heart”, which means speaking honestly and openly with him about our lives and hopes, our joys and struggles. And when we do engage in formal liturgical worship, we need to be careful that we are not just “going through the motions” unaware of what our rituals mean and why we do them. Otherwise the Mass can become just an empty show. So, let’s take a quick look at some of the things we say and do every week during Sunday Mass and consider what they really mean so that they will not simply be memorized words and routine actions. 

• When we enter the church the first thing we usually do is dip our fingers in holy water…this connects us with our baptism and reminds us of the baptismal promises to reject Satan and sin and live for God above all else. We then begin the Liturgy with the Sign of the Cross. This classic Catholic ritual is a profession of faith using body language in addition to words. It means that we believe that God is a Holy Trinity of Persons and that salvation comes only through the Cross & Resurrection of Christ. 
•  Then at the Penitential Rite we recite the Kyrie three times…This is an ancient litany of repentance that we say three times in honor of the Trinity and when done with true sorrow it forgives our everyday sins and purifies our hearts to worship God and to receive Holy Communion. 
• During the Liturgy of the Word, we listen and respond to several Bible readings...our response of "Thanks be to God" means "Thank you, Lord, for speaking to us and teaching us." The readings will mean so much more to us and our responses will be so much more genuine, if we take the time to review the readings before Sunday Mass to learn about them before hearing them. 
• When it’s time for the Gospel we stand up, we sing and we mark ourselves with a small Sign of the Cross on our forehead. lips and heart…We rise up out of respect for the Gospel as the most important part of the Liturgy of the Word because it is Jesus speaking to us. Blessing ourselves symbolizes that we desire to think like Jesus, to speak like Jesus and to love like Jesus. 
• And then during the part of the Creed that mentions Jesus becoming human, born of Mary we bow our heads…This is a ritual action of praise and worship to God the Son who loved us so much that he gave up the glory and power of Heaven to become one of us and so we bow in adoration and thanksgiving. 
• At the Offertory, we put money in the basket for the works of mercy…It’s a symbol of our thanksgiving to God for his many blessings, of gratitude for the jobs we have that allow us to earn it and to give it; it’s our opportunity to share what have received for the relief of the sufferings of others. 
• After the Sanctus (Holy, Holy, Holy) we kneel down... The great mystery of the Holy Spirit coming among us to transform the gifts of bread and wine into the Body and Blood of the Risen Christ is about to take place and so we humble ourselves in the Divine Presence of this Sacred Action. 
• At the Sign of Peace we turn to those around us...this is an ancient part of the Liturgy which is our way of showing that we meant what we just prayed in the Our Father..."forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us..." It is not at all a time for social greetings but rather an opportunity to show reconciliation and unity with others. 
• When we go up to receive Holy Communion, we bow before the consecrated Host and we affirm our belief that it is truly Jesus by saying, “Amen!” … By word and action we acknowledge the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist and by receiving his Body and Blood we become living tabernacles of the Risen Lord. 
• And finally at the end of Mass we are blessed and then dismissed with words of mission…We are officially sent out by Christ, through his ministers, to live as missionary disciples who glorify the Lord by the way we live our lives and who announce the Gospel by our words and behavior. This means that we are sent out to invite others to come to know Jesus, to learn his Word and to receive his promised gift of the Holy Spirit so that they, too, along with us, can know the peace and joy that comes from life lived with God. 

If we do our best to participate at Mass with this kind of awareness then we won't fall into the trap that Jesus is warning us about today. And we won't hear him say about our worship what he said to the Pharisees, "This people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." And we will be open to growing in the pure and undefiled religion that St. James described in our second reading, a religion that is not self-focused but proves itself in caring for others in their sufferings and afflictions.