Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Homily for 8 Oct 2015

8 Oct 2015

It kind of goes without saying that being a Catholic Christian isn’t easy.  It never has been.  And the struggles we face as a Church today aren’t new.  But what got us through in the past, is what will get us through today; and that is Christ.

You know, we see the family under assault, we see Christians around the world under attack—even right here in the U.S. last week in Oregon.  There are divisions in the Church, and we see our youth lured to other faiths, or to no faith at all.  And, in comparison to the world, it can seem like we’re doing pretty poorly as a community of faith.

But just when we start thinking that maybe we should try something else to increase our numbers or whatever, Jesus steps in and says: “Please be faithful to me.”  You know, the world has a lot to offer, and a lot of wisdom we the Church can learn from.  But if we step away from Christ in order to try “another plan” in order to revitalize ourselves, we’ve stepped away from the one and only “thing” that can revitalize us and the world. 

When we’re tempted to think we need a new program, or a new campaign, or a new philosophy of life, or whatever, Jesus steps in and says: “Remember me.”

And that’s where it’s hard to be a Catholic Christian today.  It’s hard to remain true to the Lord as the Lord when the world tries to convince us there’s a better way, a more efficient way, a more productive way.

The Lord asks us to be persistent in our faith; to keep knocking at the door of heaven asking for help and guidance; to be always true to him.  And with that persistence, Christ—and Christ alone—will get us through to see the next generation of faithful Christians arise.  

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