First Friday Mass Homily - Feast of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

The Saints are our examples on how to emulate Christ. Aw we celebrate today the feast day of St. Boniface, Bishop and Martyr, remember his example. We need examples. 

The world is filled with the wrong examples, which is the work of the devil. In those examples, the great deceiver brings fear, misery, and distrust. People are scared, unhappy, and jealous of one another. People want power. People want what others have. People don’t want others to have what they have.

The devil puts all these things into a people’s heart; but, they can never have them. They want these things but never find them. The evil one won’t let them; so, in fear, misery, and distrust, people turn to violence.

Most  want to live in comfortable familiar little worlds, so what should we do?

Look at the example of St. Boniface. He was born to nobility, educated, a teacher, and lived a peaceful life in an English monastery. When he was about 35, he left that comfortable familiar life to become a missionary in pagan Frisia and he failed miserably.

The Pope moved him to mission work in Germany and France. There he was successful and he became a Bishop. Yet, at 80, he resigned to return to his failed mission at Frisia.

St. Boniface lived the teachings of Christ and Church respecting the dignity of every person. He left the nobility of secular life and he left the nobility of the Church to be a missionary to the poor, the outcasts, and those on the margins.

He left comfort and familiarity to see Christ in people that were different from him and to love them. As Christians, it is where we need to be. It is where the world needs to be.

The disrespect and disregard of a person’s dignity based on the color and shade of their skin (no matter what it is) is what society has termed racism. Intolerance towards those different than us is bigotry.

If these are in us we cannot say we followed Christ. If anyone is preaching or promoting anything other than tolerance and respect, they are not of Christ. If we preach anything but peace we are not of Christ.

Remember the world and contemplate St. Paul’s warning to Timothy: The wicked will go from bad to worse.  But Jesus is calling us to be saints - Christ is calling us to sit at his right hand.

Boniface went back to his failed missionary work. He went with respect for the dignity of those who chased him away. He did it by faith, patience, love, and endurance so to imitate the life of Christ. And, his reward was to experienced Christ’s suffering; was killed for preaching the Gospel.

All who live religiously in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. It is the way of the world today.

We see the unrest and violence in the world. Instead, look for the saints who live for Christ and not themselves. Look at those who respect the dignity of all people and work for peace. Look with the eyes or your heart. These are the ones striving for Christ’s right hand. 

The devil will always fight them.