We are the Church - Homily 8th Sunday OTC

(Readings)

Recently, my company has required every person in our department take a basic skills course. Most of us have years of experience. Many have advanced degrees and a multitude of professional certifications.

The experienced folks complete the training. However, the younger people complain. They don’t need to be reminded of what they know. Maybe it’s good for the old folks; but for them, it’s a waste of time.

It’s amazing how people tend to blame instead of recognizing their own weaknesses and negativity.

The wisdom of experience tells us that a person can get lazy. Short cuts become habits. True knowledge is corrupted by personal opinion and opinions of others.

So, the company asks us to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate ourselves. We are to be the best and truest representation of our profession and the company.

It is a good idea.

It is a good idea in our life of faith.

For many, it’s been years since we completed catechism. Look around, many are experienced in our faith.  We know and see every day how the devil in this world is trying to corrupt us.

People of faith are bombarded by the right or wrong of others. Secular views encourage us to bad habits in our faith. We become lazy in practicing what we believe. Even our knowledge of the Catechism has become corrupted by our own opinion and the opinion of others.

Yet, we are all here at mass in faith to worship the LORD. Most of us could teach being Catholic and Christian. Our faith is verified by our experiences in this life.

But whether we realize it or not, we may be tainted by the world or by our habits and laziness. From that damaged place, the world criticizes the Church. It critiques the log that is in our eye.

It criticizes the leaders and clergy in their human sinfulness, and even the institution. The world criticizes us, which in truth is where the criticism probably belongs.

We are the Church.

People tend to blame ever thing else that is the Church instead of recognizing our own shortcomings, weaknesses, and negativity. Deacon Bill Goss is a face that people can put on the Church, but Deacon Bill Goss is not the Church.

I realize many shortcomings and weaknesses as a Catholic Christian.  I constantly fight the negativity that I see in myself and the world.

We share this; we who are the Church. 

This Church is everyday Bill(s) and Janet(s) and Paul(s) and Mary(s), Catholic Christians that are single people, spouses, parents, grandparents, children, siblings, friends, neighbors, volunteers, employees, and so many other things.

Since the Church is each and every one of us, I challenge you to go back to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate yourselves to our faith. We must be the best and truest representation of the Church if we are to bring the Church to the world.

This may be what Jesus was telling us in the parable, "Can a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.”

If you think you know everything about Church, faith, or God; your god is too small.

Each and every one of us should consider this wisdom of Sirach in taking our faith, putting in the sieve of the Catechism, shake it, and see what husks appear.  

Maybe, we will see what the world has put in us. Maybe we will remember what God asks of us. So we can “be firm, steadfast, fully devoted to the work of the Lord”

Just because we need to improve does not mean we are not good; instead be humble enough to recognize we may be part of the problem.  Every tree is known by its own fruit.  The fruit will show the care it has had.

If our love, our faith, our hope, our church settles for the status quo where will the world be, where will the church be, and where will we be?

This Wednesday is the beginning of the Lenten season, go to mass, go to confession, go to retreats or study groups to re-learn, refocus, and re-dedicate our lives to God.

Masters or doctorates or fancy degrees are not required, only a loving heart.

Be good, be holy and preach the gospel by the way you live your life and love one another. Amen