Barber Shop Preaching - Homily Reflection 3rd Sunday of Lent

(Readings)

We know the 10 commandments. We’ve learned them since childhood. Most of the commandments are the moral compass of humanity. I say most, one commandment troubles many people, I, the LORD, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.

We talked about this at the barber shop, Friday.

My barber is a good barber. He went to barber school not beauty school. His barber shop is a haven of manly discussion: sports, hunting, fishing, the garden, family and acquaintances, and politics.

His barber shop has a television, the daily newspaper, and old magazines; but, next to the barber’s chair is a worn and well-read bible. On the occasion I am the only customer, the discussion turns to the Bible and I experience this man’s passion for God, salvation, and his interpretation of scripture.

Raised Catholic, he has not been to mass in quite some time. He has problems with Church, with all churches; yet, he passionately seeks God. Under-neath his rebellion against the Church, his catechism still shows; so, I invite him to mass.

Friday, the conclusion he arrived at in our discussion was the Church doesn’t preach about Hell enough. I didn’t want to disagree; he had scissors in one hand and a razor in the other.

It’s hard to preach hell in a short homily; but, the Catholic Church has never stopped and will never stop preaching the perils of sin, which is hell.

Hell is real. God predestines no one to go to hell - in freedom they make the choice to willfully turn away from God. It is there in the commandments. I, the LORD, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for wickedness of those who hate me.... Mercy for those who love me.

We freely choose to love God and to be united with God. We cannot love God in sin against him, against our neighbor or against ourselves. To die without repenting and accepting God's merciful love is to remain separated from him forever by our free choice. This self-exclusion from God is "hell."(CCC1033)  Gehenna, the unquenchable fire, reserved for those who refuse to believe. (CCC1034)

Our sin is idols; the things other than God, we bow down and worship. Even the Bible can be an idol.  

The Bible is a great tool. It is the story of salvation history. The Old Testament points us to Christ. The New Testament is the explanation of God’s salvation through Jesus Christ. Many forget it’s a tool, a book of inspired writings meant as instructions, and make it an idol to worship. 

It is the same of the rosary, the image of the cross, and the corpus. They are great tools to reflect on the mystery of God; but, people tend to make them idols.

Friday night, as we experienced mass, prayed and reflected during Stations of the Cross and Adoration, the Holy Spirit put this in my heart.

After three days, Mary and Joseph found Jesus in the temple. His mother said to him - Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

So, I will disagree with my barber. The problem is not preaching Hell. The problem is not preaching Jesus Christ. Too many have transposed the temple of God onto the Bible.

It is a product of our world. It’s a problem of television with superstar preachers that preach their interpretation of the Bible. If they preach that God’s will is their need for a jet pane - send money. They do not preach Christ crucified.

Jesus found in the temple area those who sold oxen, sheep, and doves, as well as the money changers. He made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple area, and he said, "Take these out of here, and stop making my Father's house a marketplace."

We must know the consequences of sin. But, we need the Church. Many don not understand the importance of God’s the temple. This Church is a temple of God. It was built to house the throne of our Lord, the tabernacle. 

We look for Jesus in so many places, but in his own words: Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house? 

Christ is in the temple. It is the same Jesus Christ who sends believers out to proclaim the Gospel of the Lord.

We proclaim “Mercy for those who love him. We proclaim Christ crucified. We proclaim the Lord is our God; and, that is a stumbling block for so many.

My brothers and sisters go out into the world, the market place, the barbershop, beauty shop, and proclaim the good news. Invite them to Our Father’s house and the real presence of Christ. Invite them to mass.

Do this by being good and being holy.

Each of us is called to preach the power and wisdom of God, the gospel of Christ by the way we live and love. Amen.