homily [C] 13OT
Its comfortable here at the pulpit, at this time in the Mass. You know what is about to happen …. the Gospel has been read, the Homily is next, you hope its good and pray its short. Maybe some of you have even tried to guess the topic.
Its comfortable for Me too ….. I have my notes and feel safe from forgetting to say something – because despite all the hours of preparation, and the almost 30 years of giving homilies … I still get nervous. And I can even duck behind the pulpit if you start throwing things at me
And that’s OK. Its in our human nature to want to feel safe, to feel in control. To have a sense of what is going on, to be prepared for what may happen.
But, for the most part …. Life is not like that …. and neither is this homily.
Our Scripture today talks about what it means to be a disciple of Christ. A follower of Christ. A Christian. A Catholic. And the core message is simply this….. Sometimes, witnessing our beliefs in God, in Christ who revealed God to us, in the Spirit who interacts with us each and every moment… sometimes witnessing to that means we have to let go.
Let go of the comfort of having things around us that are familiar. Let go of having conditioned the expectations of those around us. Let go of having things under control. Let go of having a place to hide or to retreat to.
And that can be scary. Really scary.
I remember a young man in my high school back in the 1960’s who came out as gay. It wasn’t easy for him. Not easy at all. But because of him, and people like him, who came out from hiding about who they were ….. Today, some 50 years later, people are much more able to be out front with who they are. And how they live their lives. And so, today, if I were in high school and were to come out as Gay then I can expect to be respected for the courage to do that. And to be accepted for who I am.
Unfortunately, If I were to come out today as Catholic …… the same is not true.
The response won’t be affirming. It will be filled with anger. How can you be Catholic when you hear about all the bad things priests have done. It will be filled with Derision. With Prejudice. Because obviously you have let go of reason, because any intelligent person knows that Science tells us what is and what isn’t, and you clearly have let go of reason. And worst yet, you will immediately find that you have no right to offer commentary or opinion. Particularly in countries that have moved to Secularism as their defining – and only – philosophy. And in Canadian provinces that are doing the same.
Welcome to the 1960s, my friends. Just as it was dangerous for my schoolmate to come out as Gay back then, It’s a dangerous time 50 years later to come out as a Catholic.
But, if you want to ensure that the voices of those who believe in God will be heard, and accepted for what they, are 50 years from now …. Well, that won’t happen if you stay where it is comfortable and safe, today.
It is time to stop being anonymous. It is time let go of that pulpit, and walk out to where life is messy. And real. It is time to let people know who you are. What you believe in. It is time for you to enter to public discourse, and not hide your faith in conversations. And it is time to evidence the tender compassion with which God cares for you to all of those who you encounter. To share the mercy. To share the love.
Yes, there will be struggles. Yes, there will be times where you may wish you had just stayed anonymous and comfortable. But, you will be achieving a much greater goal. An honourable and worthy outcome. You will have finally revealed yourself as a Disciple of Jesus, the Christ. And isn’t that what you were born to be? Called by God to be?
It’s time to come out of that comfortable catholic closet.