Several people have asked me for a copy of yesterday's homily - so here you go...
30th Sunday
of Ordinary Time
28 October 2012
Allow me to let you in
on something about me… I’m beginning,
for the first time in my life, I’m beginning to feel like I’m getting old.
How, you ask?
-
not
my HUGE bald spot back here
-
not
my loss of strength or athletics (the military makes sure I keep up with those)
-
not
even only learning last week what “Gangnam style” was… (if you don’t know – ask anyone younger than
30 – they’ll tell you) do the dance…
-
know
what’s making me feel old… it’s the constant search for my reading glasses!
Summer of last year –
and Deacon Kevin can verify this cause it was much the same this summer – I
spent lots of time asking Mark Wilke, “Have you seen my glasses?” And where were they usually? Right in my pocket! I couldn’t find them because they were right
in front of me!
We all have that
experience, don’t we? We even have an
expression for it – “We couldn’t see the forest for the trees.” It means that we are not able to see the
bigger picture because we’re so focused on one thing - that everything else
gets tuned out.
If you have children you
see what they do – they become SO focused on one thing – that nothing else
matters. Whether it’s a toddler focused
on a piece of candy or a teenager focused on their boyfriend or girlfriend –
the rest of the world kind of ceases to exist – because they get focused on
that one thing…
I believe there is
something similar happening in today’s Gospel: Bartimaeus, he’s so focused on calling
out to the Lord that the crowd was not going to stop him or silence him. It didn’t matter WHAT they told him – he was
focused – he was intent – he was going to call on the Lord so that he could
see.
But even here, there is
a deeper blindness in Bartimaeus – when the Lord asks him, “What do you want me
to do for you?” – he replies, simply, that he wants to see. But the Lord gives him MUCH more than
sight. This man’s faith – his belief
that Jesus was ABLE to cure him – enabled him, not only to see, but to leave
everything and follow Jesus – to become a disciple.
As we’ve entered into
this “Year of Faith” – we’ve already talked about this reality in our own lives
– how what we believe (as we profess and proclaim in the Creed and what we
discvoer in the teachings of the Church – her Magisterium) – how what we
believe has (or should have) a
PROFOUND impact on how we live our lives.
The faith and belief of
Bartimaeus enabled him to follow Jesus.
The faith and belief of the crowd on the shore of Niagara Falls should
have given someone the courage to get on the shoulders of the unicyclist. Our own faith should have a profound impact on our daily lives as well.
But unfortunately, in
the world in which we live – we are sometimes blinded to reality – we are
unable to see the forest for the trees – though we say we are followers, we are
actually blinded because our focus is on that tree – which keeps us from seeing
the forest of which the tree is just a small part.
Blindness is all around
us! It is the light of Faith that can
cure our blindness and help us to see – not just the tree – but the entire
forest.
Alright, as much as this
is a “lightning” topic – let’s look at this in terms of our lives today, right
now, 2012, in the United States of America.
What’s going on?
Well, in case you
haven’t noticed, there is a general election going on – and in just over a
week, we will elect a President to set the vision and the direction of our
country for – not just the next 4-years – but for a good part of our
future. Every 4-years people say, “this
is the most important election of our lifetime.” Perhaps they are finally right… this IS an
election which will have profound implications, not just for the next 4-years –
but probably the entire future of our nation.
But our electorate has
become as blind as Bartimaeus – focused on only one issue or another – and they
are failing to see the bigger picture – which will have a PROFOUND impact on us
– most especially as people of faith.
What are the
issues?
-
as
most people acknowledge the economy is an important issue
o probably most
disconcerting is the HUGE national debt – how will we address this issue?
§ Continued borrowing
§ Cuts in services? If so, to whom? How?
How deep? How broad?
§ Will we raise
taxes? On whom? How many people really pay taxes? Is the tax system fair – or probably a better
question than “fair” is: is the tax system JUST?
-
Not
as big an issue this time around is war – yet it still is a serious issue that
we must deal with
-
National
security is a serious issue – and the news media certainly keeps this in the
forefront – especially as events and the sequence of events unfold.
o What one candidate will
do is evident by what he has done – how he has acted in order to heal wounds,
to build peace, and to defend and protect the lives of our citizens.
o What the other candidate
will do we can only assume from his words and pledges.
-
Abortion
– and we need to spend some time on this one…
o MANY issues are
important and we must pay attention to them.
But I LOVE what Archbishop Chaput of Philadelphia recently said (responding
to a question a woman had asked him). He
said, “I call you, as a Catholic, to forget about the labels, be a liberal
sometimes, be a conservative sometimes, but [be] a Catholic FIRST.” [emphasis mine]
§ OK – as a Church, what
do we teach about this important issue of abortion?
· The Catechism of the
Catholic Church says, “Human life must be
respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception. From the
first moment of [its] existence, a human being must be recognized as having the
rights of a person -- among which is the inviolable right of every innocent
being to life. (2270)
· “Since the first century, the Church has affirmed the
moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and
remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, that is to say, abortion willed
either as an end or a means, is gravely contrary to the moral law. (2271)
· “The inalienable right to life of every innocent human
individual is a constitutive element of a civil society and its legislation.”
(2273)
§ Oh, but Father, some will say, – this is just ONE
issue – you’ve become blind, like Bartimaeus – you can’t see the forest for the
trees! You can’t be a one-issue
voter.
YOU ARE RIGHT!
So, let’s look for the forest beyond this one tree (called abortion):
§ Quoting the United States Bishops: “As Catholics we
are not single-issue
voters. A candidate’s position on a
single issue is not sufficient to guarantee a voter’s support. YET,
a candidates’ position on a single issue that involves an intrinsic evil,
such as support for legal abortion or the promotion of racism, may legitimately
lead a voter to disqualify a candidate from receiving support.” (Forming Conscience, 2007, # 42) [emphasis
mine]
· To allow – and to PROMOTE – an intrinsic evil is
morally reprehensible and unacceptable.
To support a candidate who vihemately supports ANY intrinsic evil (like slavery,
theft, racism, murder, abortion) is, the bishops teach, not possible for us as
Catholics.
· Yes, we do and will have differing opinions on how to
solve our serious economic problems,
o how to fund education,
o how to provide healthcare to the poor (remember, an
issue that the bishops FULLY supported),
o BUT – on the issue of an intrinsic evil – an act that
in and of itself, regardless of situation or circumstances, is always and
everywhere WRONG – we CANNOT and MAY NOT support.
· As the bishops said, “a candidates’ position on a
single issue that involves an intrinsic evil, such as support for legal abortion
or the promotion of racism, may legitimately lead a voter to disqualify a
candidate from receiving support.” [emphasis
mine]
§ THAT is the forest that
lies beyond the tree of the one issue.
But wait, there’s more!
§ If we devalue life at
its beginning – when it is MOST vulnerable and in need of protection and care
and concern – it merely teaches us to devalue life at other points.
· If life at the beginning
is an “inconvenience,” it is not a big leap to think that the elderly, the
terminally ill – are an “inconvenience” – and if I can dispose of an
“inconvenience” in my womb – can’t I do the same with that sick, elderly lady
next door?
§ This is what abortion
teaches! And we keep providing the
lesson!
But, let’s keep going –
why do I (and many people in the Church) believe that this election really IS the most important election of
our day?
Because the basic belief on which our nation was
founded is being threatened. What basic
belief is that? The right of Religious
Freedom.
If you were forced to choose between our great country
and Jesus, which would you choose? THIS
is the issue, really. Praise God, we
have not had to make that decision… yet – but the time is coming – SOON – when
we WILL be forced to make that decision – and it will even hit us right here at
Saint Andrew’s.
Our Bishops – and the Catholic Church in the United
States, will very soon have to decide how to respond to the HHS (Health &
Human Services) mandate that requires us to provide health care coverage for
abortion causing drugs, sterilization and contraceptives to every
employee. (and do NOT be fooled – there
IS NO EXEMPTION!) (see the bishop’s
response to the vice-presidential debate)
-
YOU, the people
of Saint Andrew parish – will (in paying the bills of the parish) give part of
your weekly collection to provide for the availability of these services to
every one of our employees.
-
Part of your
school tuition will be used to pay for contraceptives and drugs that purposefully
cause the destruction of human life in the womb.
-
This is NOT just
a big Church issue – this issue hits every one of us sitting here in this
church today.
It goes BEYOND our firm belief in the intrinsic evil
of these acts (abortion and contraception & sterilization) – and it goes to
us – a Church - being FORCED, by the government, to provide something to which
we have a moral objection. Our nation
was founded on religious freedom – and that freedom is about to be violated –
if we don’t stand up and speak out.
Who we elect will have a profound impact on whether
our religious freedoms are protected or violated; on whether our country will
continue to live the constitution – or if it will be thrown aside as a vestige
of principles that no longer apply to our lives.
Archbishop Chaput asked
people for a show of hands – I might do the same – but instead, you answer in
your own mind…
-
are
you “more serious about being a Democrat than being a Catholic?”
-
Are
you “more serious about being a Republican than a Catholic?”
-
“All
of us should be more serious about being Catholic
than a Democrat or a Republican.”
We can be! If we are not blinded by the tree in front of
us (of the economy, and taxes, and education funding, care for the poor) – and
begin to see the greater forest in front of us: the intrinsic evil of abortion
– and the violation of our religious freedom and conscience.
“Lord, I want to see,”
Bartimaeus called out to the Lord as He walked by. LORD, help US to see! Help us, by the light of Faith – to see the
forest, to step back from our single-most important issue – to see the forest –
to see how our participation in this wonderful democratic process is an
important way of living our Faith – protecting and respecting life and
religious freedom.
Help us, O Lord, never
to turn a blind eye – but, with the courage of Bartimaeus, to ask your guidance
by the Light of Faith – to allow my Faith to cure my blindness – to see the
forest beyond the tree – to put my Catholic faith ahead of political affiliation
– to “Glorify God by my life.”
